After completing your DS-160, the next step in your visa application is to schedule US visa appointment. This requires paying the visa fee and selecting the location and date for your visa interview. Some countries require an additional appointment for biometrics at a Visa Application Center.
The US visa appointment available dates vary from country to country and location to location. You can check the current wait times for visa appointments at the Bureau of Consular Affairs website.
You can schedule US visa appointment anywhere in the world. If you are traveling and would need to schedule your US visa interview appointment in a third country, you can very well do so.
It is not mandatory to schedule your appointment in the same location as in your DS-160. You are expected to schedule your appointment at the same location. But if you have to attend your visa interview at a different location, you are still allowed to do so.
IMPORTANT
You must complete the DS-160 form prior to scheduling your US visa appointment. If you haven’t yet, follow this detailed step-by-step guide on how to fill DS-160 form online for US visa.
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There are multiple websites for scheduling US visa appointments. Which website to use depends on the country where you plan to schedule your visa appointment
This step-by-step guide is for using the CGI Federal (US Travel Docs) website. You must use CGI Federal to schedule US visa appointments in Asia, Central America, parts of Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
I have listed out all sections and questions in this guide. For each question, there is a comment explaining what exactly needs to be entered.
Before you start your visa appointment on CGI Federal, go through my comprehensive guide on US visa appointment to understand the eligibility, prerequisites and country-specific appointment portals for scheduling the visa interview.
Determine the country where you plan to schedule your US visa appointment. If the country is in the below list, continue with the instructions here.
If the country is not in the below list, you may have to schedule your US visa appointment on AIS US Visa Info, NIV Appointment System or U.S. Visa Scheduling.
ASIA
OCEANIA
EUROPE
MIDDLE EAST
AFRICA
CENTRAL AMERICA
CARIBBEAN
Before you jump into creating your profile and filling out your appointment application, you must first read through the instructions thoroughly. Below are the steps to get to the instructions.
After you read through the instructions, follow the below steps to register a new profile.
Enter the following information in “New User Registration” section
Click on the “Submit” button to register a new profile. Make a note of your username (your email) and password. You will need these credentials to save and come back to your application later.
Click on “New Application/Schedule Appointment” from the left side menu to start scheduling your appointment. When you click on “New Application/Schedule Appointment”, you will be taken to “Visa Type” section.
Enter the following information
Click on “Continue” to go to the “Location” section.
Enter the following information
Click on “Continue” to go to the “Language” section.
Enter the following information
Click on “Continue” to go to “Visa Category” section.
Enter the following information
Click on “Continue” to go to “Visa Class” section.
Enter the following information
Click on “Continue” to go to “Review” section.
Enter the following information
Click on “Continue” to go to “Personal Data” section.
Enter the following information
Click on “Continue” to go to “Dependents” section.
Enter the following information
If you would need to add your dependents, click on “Add by Name” button and enter the following information.
Click on “Save” to save your dependent’s information.
If you have more than one dependent that needs to attend the visa interview with you, click on “Add by Name” to add more dependents.
When finished adding all your dependents, click on “Continue” to go to “Age” section.
Enter the following information
Enter the following information
NOTE
If you select “Yes” to the above question, you will be asked a few questions to determine if you qualify for the visa renewal and interview waiver.
Enter the following information
Click on “Continue” to go to the “Payment Options” section.
On this screen, you will see different payment options. Click on each option to see the instructions on how to make the visa fee payment.
At this point, the visa application is already saved. Familiarize yourself with the payment options and pick the payment method that works best for you.
Available Payment Methods
Follow the below steps to pay your visa fee by electronic fund transfer
You will be able to schedule your appointment on the next business day after the visa fee payment is made.
NOTE
If more details such as bank name, bank address, etc are required to make an electronic fund transfer, those details will also be displayed along with the unique account number.
NOTE
You must transfer the correct amount. Incorrect amounts can lead to delays.
Follow the below steps to pay your visa fee by cash at a designated local bank
You will be able to schedule your appointment on the next business day after the visa fee payment is made.
Follow the below steps to pay your visa fee by a local payment option such as mobile payment, wallet, etc. These options differ from country to country.
You will be able to schedule your appointment the next business day after the visa fee payment is made.
After the payment, come back to the website and login with your credentials. You will see a “Continue” option on the left side menu. When you click this “Continue” option, you will be taken directly to the “Payment” screen.
Enter the following information on the “Payment” screen
Click “Continue” to schedule your visa appointment.
NOTE
If your receipt has become active, you will be taken to the schedule appointment screen. If not, you will be shown an error saying that the receipt number is not valid. In that case, try again after some time. Remember that the receipt number becomes active on the next working day of your payment.
NOTE
If you are renewing your previous visa, you may see an additional screen asking to select your visa priority. You may see 2 options – “Regular” and “No Show”. You must select “Regular”. “No Show” is for those who couldn’t make it to their previous appointment but using the same visa fee receipt number to schedule another appointment.
On this screen, pick the date and time for your fingerprints and photo appointment.
Click on “Continue”.
Print your fingerprints and photo appointment confirmation. You will need a copy of this appointment confirmation for your fingerprints and photo.
NOTE
Appointment for fingerprints and photo is ONLY REQUIRED in certain countries such as India, Mexico, etc. The appointment for fingerprints and photo must be scheduled at least 1 day ahead of your actual visa interview at the Embassy or Consulate.
On this screen, pick the date and time for your visa interview appointment.
Click on “Continue”.
Print your US visa interview appointment confirmation. You will need a copy of your appointment confirmation for your visa interview.
NOTE
The appointment for visa interview must be scheduled at least 1 day after your fingerprint and photo appointment.
NOTE
The US visa appointment available dates can vary greatly from location to location. There may be several days wait in certain countries and cities. Before you book US visa appointment, I recommend checking the current wait times at the Bureau of Consular Affairs website to get an idea on when you can find an available slot.
If need to travel to the US urgently, you may qualify for an expedited US visa appointment. Keep in mind that you must have a strong reason and must be able to provide documentary evidence to prove it.
The following reasons are generally considered eligible for expedited appointments.
– Medical care for self or companion
– Death or funeral of an immediate family member
– Business related emergency travel
– Students starting or resuming study
You must first schedule your appointment for the earliest available date. After which, you will see a menu item in your dashboard called “Emergency Request” or “Expedited Request”. Fill and submit the expedited request. If you qualify for an expedited appointment, you will be notified via email with instructions to schedule your expedited appointment.
If you are traveling as a family, you can schedule one visa appointment for the entire family.
Follow the instructions below.
1) Create just one profile/account for yourself (primary applicant) in the appointment system. Add your family members as “dependents”
2) On the payment page, you will be given a single receipt number and the total visa fee amount (for the entire family) to be paid
3) You must make the total visa fee payment for that receipt number
4) When the receipt number becomes active, you will be able to schedule a single appointment for the entire family
5) On the day of the appointment, you all have to arrive at the consulate at the scheduled time and everyone in the family will be interviewed together
If the appointment system notices that your activities are suspicious, it freezes your account for 72 hours. Once your account is frozen, you will not be able to log in for 72 hours.
I assume that the following activities can trigger an account freeze –
1. Going into the appointment page too often on a given day. You will be shown a warning message if you have accessed the schedule appointment page too often – “You are approaching the maximum number of times you may view this page. Please complete your transaction at this time.”
2. Leaving the appointment page open in other tabs/browsers while you do other work.
If your account is frozen, there is not much you can do. You will have to wait for a good 72 hours to be able to access your account again.
If you are not finding any available appointments and your travel dates are approaching, trying the following.
1) Keep an eye on the current wait times in your location and also at all other locations in your country. When you see a drop in the wait times in any of those locations, check for available appointments in that location. You may be able to find an earlier appointment that way.
2) Try checking for available appointments after midnight or early morning. There will be fewer people on the system, so it would be easy to find an appointment during those times.
3) Attend your interview in another country. Look up the current wait times in other countries that are easy for you to travel to. You will have to pay the visa fee in that country again as the fee is not transferable between countries.
The country on your account defaults to the country where you have created your account for the first time. This is fine if you create an account and schedule your appointment in the same country.
The system also uses the name, date of birth and passport number to look up any duplicate accounts. So, if you create a new account, the system will flag it and will ask you to merge.
If you need to change the country on your account or merge your new account with the old one, you must contact USTravelDocs customer service. They have the ability to change the default country on your profile or merge your old account with the new one. Their customer service is very helpful in fixing such issues.
When you make the visa fee payment, the receipt number (also referred to as MRV number, CGI number) will become active. Once you use this receipt number to lookup available appointments, it’s then associated with your profile. You cannot transfer the visa fee to another applicant.
If you have never used the receipt number in your profile, you can have other applicants use it for scheduling their appointment.
NOTE: The visa fee is valid for 1 year from the payment date. It can only be used to schedule an appointment in the country where the payment was made.
An appointment can be rescheduled for only
1) a certain number of times and
2) until certain days before your appointment.
If you are approaching the number of times you are allowed to reschedule, you will see a warning. At this point, you cannot reschedule any more. If you continue, your appointment will be canceled and your receipt number becomes unusable. You have to pay the visa fee again to schedule your appointment.
If you are renewing your visa, you may qualify for an interview waiver if the following conditions are met.
1) You are applying for the same type of visa as the previous visa
2) You are applying at the same location as your previous visa
3) Your previous visa is still valid or expired in the last 1 year
If you qualify for an interview waiver, you can use the dropbox facility to submit your documents at the visa application center.
The procedure to renew a visa is the same as scheduling a new appointment. While scheduling your appointment, you will be asked questions about your previous visa. If you qualify for the interview waiver, the system will prompt you to use the dropbox submission. Instructions and required documentation are sent to your email.
If the visa officer is not convinced with your answers during the interview, they may issue you a Section 221 (g) and put your case in administrative processing. Administrative processing is required if additional background checks or verification of information is necessary.
If your case requires administrative processing, the visa officer will give a yellow paper (referred to as Section 221 (g)) and will ask you to check the status of your case online. Administrative processing usually takes 4-6 weeks, but in extreme cases, it can take several months.
NOTE: Do not check your visa status right after your visa is approved. It will usually be administrative processing and it can cause panic. This is quite normal and US consulate would need to do some final checks before attaching the visa sticker in your passport.
Do not check your visa status right after your visa is approved. It will usually be in administrative processing and it can cause panic.
Administrative processing after visa is approved is quite normal. US consulate would need to perform some final checks before attaching the visa sticker in your passport. During this time, your case status will be administrative process/review.
Yes. You will be considered a “No Show” applicant. You can use the same visa fee receipt number to schedule a new appointment.
After your visa interview date, your visa fee receipt number gets deactivated. You have to wait two working days for the visa fee receipt number to become active again. After which, you can schedule your appointment.
While scheduling your new appointment, right after you enter your receipt number, you will be asked to select the visa priority – “Regular” or “No Show”. You must select “No Show” and continue scheduling your new appointment.
That’s it, folks! Follow this step-by-step guide to schedule US visa appointment. If you have any questions or stuck at any step, feel free to comment here or email me.
WRITTEN BY THIRUMAL MOTATI
Thirumal Motati is an expert in tourist visa matters. He has been traveling the world on tourist visas for more than a decade. With his expertise, he has obtained several tourist visas, including the most strenuous ones such as the US, UK, Canada, and Schengen, some of which were granted multiple times. He has also set foot inside US consulates on numerous occasions. Mr. Motati has uncovered the secrets to successful visa applications. His guidance has enabled countless individuals to obtain their visas and fulfill their travel dreams. His statements have been mentioned in publications like Yahoo, BBC, The Hindu, and Travel Zoo.
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LEGAL DISCLAIMER
We are not affiliated with immigration, embassies or governments of any country. The content in this article is for educational and general informational purposes only, and shall not be understood or construed as, visa, immigration or legal advice. Your use of information provided in this article is solely at your own risk and you expressly agree not to rely upon any information contained in this article as a substitute for professional visa or immigration advice. Under no circumstance shall be held liable or responsible for any errors or omissions in this article or for any damage you may suffer in respect to any actions taken or not taken based on any or all of the information in this article. Please refer to our full disclaimer for further information.
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE
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Dear Thirumal, I just realized I made a mistake with my passport number and in the DS-160 is also wrong. So, my passport number starts PAO and I confused the O with a 0 (zero). I already have my appointment, what should I do? I don’t want to miss the appointment nor cancel it. Should I create a new DS-160 and attend the interview with the old and new DS-160? Should I let the officers know in advance about my passport number mistake or at the appointment?
Hi Anna! If the details on your appointment are correct and it’s just the DS-160 that’s not correct, then you can fill out a new DS-160. Then carry both old and new DS-160 confirmations to your appointment. At the time of the appointment, mention that you have a new DS-160 and hand over the new one. They will scan the barcode on the new one and use that one for your interview.
Hi – me and my husband both are on h1 B. We have booked a drop box appointment as a family as we both are eligible. So we will go for the same appointment for both the H1s together. The appointment confirmation shows both of our visa slots correctly as H1. Do you see any issue here with the family appointment?
I have a Q regarding the document submission for renewal of B1/B2 via DropBox. Do we need to submit only the documents listed on the dropbox confirmation checklist (appointment confirmation, DS160 confirmation, Photo, Old/New passports) or supporting documents as well (such as invitation letter, bank statements, tax returns, etc.)? Please help.
Hi Raj! For dropbox, you will have to submit only the documents listed on the dropbox confirmation checklist. Supporting documents are not required for dropbox.
I am from India. I want to know if last week I submitted my fees. Daily I try to book the US Visa slot but OFC Slot is easily booked after when I go on the next interview page mention there the screen appears no slot is available again go back to OFC and booked a new OFC Slot. Please reply. I am very worried about this.
Hi Deepa! The visa interview appointments in India are very limited, so it’s normal to run into this particular issue. You will find an OFC appointment but you will not be able to get a visa appointment. It’s normal at this time due to limited appointment availability, so no need to panic. Keep trying a few times in a day and you may find a slot.
Dear Thirumal, may you and this site be blessed with YASHASVI BHAVA! On 07 Jun 2022 we (self and spouse) booked appointments for our B2 visa, and received the confirmation for 27 Oct 2023 (VAC) and 06 Nov 2023 (Consular appointment). When we booked, no earlier dates were available. Now earlier dates and slots (for the year 2022) are appearing. But when tried, the system ends up saying, “no appointments currently available”. My query is:
1. Whether rescheduling the appointment to an EARLIER date (than the originally confirmed date) is permissible?
2. Somewhere I read that rescheduling is permissible for a FUTURE date only; it cannot be rescheduled for an earlier date. Is it so?
3. What is the effect of cancellation of an appointment? If we cancel our appointment, will it help getting earlier available dates?
Hi Dejappa! 1. Yes. Rescheduling the appointment to an earlier date is allowed. In fact, appointments that far out in the future (Nov 2023) are placeholder appointments for those seeking emergency appointments. So those appointments that far out in the future will be canceled sometime later. So it is actually necessary for you to reschedule your appointment to an earlier date.
2. No. Not true. You can reschedule to an earlier date or future date. But dates in Nov 2023 will be canceled in a few months and then you are forced to schdedule again. Therefore, it’s necessary for you to schedule your appointment when you see an earlier date available.
3. No. It won’t. Reschedule only when you find an earlier appointment.
Thank you so much. I need some more help in this regard. We submitted DS-160 and paid visa payment in January this year with the intended date of travel being 05 June 2022. Since that date has passed, we will schedule the appointment when we get a date. Now the query is, before attending the interview, does DS-160 need to be revised with the travel date changed to a date subsequent to the date of the interview? Unless necessary, we do not want to touch DS-160. Please answer.
Hi DK! Yes, you must revise your DS-160 with your new travel dates. You can do that either before scheduling your appointment or before your visa interview. I suggest revising it now so you can update your profile in US Travel Docs with the new DS-160 confirmation number. Once you schedule your interview you cannot update your US Travel Docs profile anymore. In that case, you will have to carry the confirmations of your old DS-160 and new DS-160. But if you revise it now and update your US Travel Docs profile before you schedule your interview, then you just have to carry the confirmation of your new DS-160.
Hi! Thank you very much for all those detailed explanations! My boyfriend is renewing his H1B visa and has planned a vacation in France to do so. However, he just realized that the wait times were much too long. Is the option to cancel his current appointment in France (that he still booked) to take a sooner slot in another country a good one? Will that not confuse the system in any way? Because I’m guessing he would have to submit a new DS160 form to change the embassy? I’m worried this might be a little risky…
Considering he is reapplying for the same visa, is there any way around it? In order not to be stuck in France until his appointment (2 months later)? Thank you so much for your help!
Hi Julius! The visa fee is specific to that country. So he cannot use the fee paid in France for scheduling the appointment in another country. If the wait times are too long in France, he can schedule his appointment in another country (say Canada). It would be best if he can schedule his appointment from wherever he is right now before going to that country (say Canada). That way, he won’t be stuck in that country until his appointment. There is no need to submit a new DS-160, even though the selected location is different. He can use the same DS-160 for his appointment anywhere. Selecting the location in DS-160 will send an alert to that consulate but the embassy will use the DS-160 confirmation that’s on your visa appointment or the one that you bring to the consulate during your interview.
I am a Turkish citizen living in Austria. I need a B1/B2 visa for a conference in September (18th-23rd). The earliest interview appointment in Vienna/Austria varies between the 22nd of September and October. Unfortunately, conferences are explicitly ruled out for an expedited appointment. I am close to the Bratislava/Slovakia embassy, where earlier interview appointments are available. 1) Are there any disadvantages to applying in a country where you do not reside
2) How long will it take to get my passport back? (I would need to stay there since without a pass I cannot just simply go home)
3) In some countries, you cannot pick up your pass after processing – it is only shipped. What is the process in Bratislava? Do I need a shipment address there?
4) Most importantly, how should I proceed if I choose Bratislava as the interview location Thank you very much in advance!
Hi Fenasi! 1) There are NO disadvantages. US embassies actually recommend applying at a different consulate/country if you are short on time.
2) Usually, you will receive your passport within a week after the interview. You would need to stay in that country that long. I have applied for US visas in other countries, and I usually plan a 2 week trip for the entire process.
3) These days, most countries have the option to pick up or delivered. Both would take the same time actually since the passports are picked up by the courier company in either option. After that, if you have opted to pick it up, then you will get an alert and you will have to go to the courier office to pick up your passport. If you have opted for delivery, you will get an alert with tracking info.
4) Follow this link to schedule your appointment in Bratislava. Keep in mind the fee can only be paid with a local card or bank deposit. So for paying the fee at a local bank, you must physically be present in Slovakia or take the help of a friend living in Slovakia. If it’s not too much to travel, you can go to Slovakia, pay the fee, come back and schedule your appointment. Then go to Bratislava on the day of the appointment and wait about a week there to pick up your passport.
Hi Thirumal, thank you for such an informative article. I have a doubt – while I was filling out the DS160 form, I’ve mentioned the dates of traveling along with the hotel details for this year. Since I’m applying from UAE, I could only see the available appointment dates while making the payment. The next available appointment date is in 2023. Will this be an issue since my intended travel dates mentioned are for 2022 but the appointment would be in 2023? If I bring the flight tickets and hotel booking for 2023 for the interview, will this suffice? Many thanks
Hi Ram! You don’t need to bring any flight ticket or hotel booking for your interview. When you get an appointment, you can update your travel dates in your DS-160. I will guide you on how to do that. But appointments that far out usually get cancelled later. They are used as placeholders for those needing emergecy appointments. I suggest checkging the appointments for a few more days to see if you can find a appointment in the next 3 months. If not, then go ahead and book the one in 2023.
Hi, I added my dependents (3 – H4) in one profile and scheduled drop box appointment. When I check the appointment history, I can see only one applicant. Other 2 applicants (2 kids) will be part of that appointment or not?
Hi Kishore! All 4 of you should be on the appointment confirmation. Have you paid the fee for all 4 of you? Do they hold Indian passports as well?
I am asking this question for my wife who is applying for a J-1 visa. She has already submitted the DS-160 form. However, she has a problem setting up the user profile. The form showed: Error. Your request cannot be processed at this time. The site administrator has been alerted. We have tried all the ways but couldn’t make it work. Without being able to set up the profile, we cannot pay the fee. Thanks!
Hi Chung Wai Keung! This usually happens when there is a duplicate account in the system. You would need to contact US Travel Docs customer service. They can help you resolve this issue.
Hi, my name is Sai Mohan. Please help me. I did a minor typo in my DS-160 that I already submitted and scheduled an appointment for my B2 visa. My parents also made changes to their DS-160, filled a new DS-160 for my father and mother, and got new DS-160 numbers. Next, I went to the ustravaldocs where the visa appointment was already scheduled. So I am trying to update my new DS-160 numbers. My profile and my father’s new DS-160 number were updated successfully. But my mother’s DS-160 update not showing. Where can I update my mother’s DS-160 number? Please help me. Thank you so much.
Hi Sai Mohan! I’m assuming that you have entered both your father and mother as dependents on your application. In that case, you’ll have to create a new application and then go through the steps again. Then you will see the dependents’ information for your father and mother. You can click on them and edit their DS-160 numbers. One other option is to leave the DS-160 numbers as is and just carry a print of both old and new DS-160 confirmations with you on the day of your appointment.
Hi Thirumal, I have applied B2 visa application for my parents. And we paid the DS-160 form fee as well on May 4th. But I’m not able to schedule an OFC visa/interview. How long do they take? Please advise. Thank you.
Hi Archana! Can you be more specific? Is your fee receipt not active or appointments are not available?
Hi Thirumal! We are a family of four and we plan to travel to the USA in July. We got an interview waiver when we made an appointment online. But we don’t want it to use the waiver and we want to appear in the USA embassy in Muscat, Oman for a personal interview instead. Can we ask the US US Travel Docs customer service to activate our visa fee receipt and use it again for setting a new appointment? Thank you in advance.
Hi Riah! Interview waivers are in place not just to waive interviews for those that are eligible but to also make the appointments available to those that need them. Also, the US embassies have relaxed the criteria for interview waivers a bit due to the pandemic. So, I believe requesting for an interview may not be possible if you already qualify for an interview waiver. Either way, contact US Travel Docs customer service to see if they can help.
Hi Thirumal, could you guide me on the US Student visa – DS-160 Form.Hi Reena! My knowledge and expertise are only in tourist visas. If the DS-160 is same for student visa, then you can simply follow my DS-160 guide for instructions.
Hi Thirumal, I am applying for my mother’s appointment. Do I need to create an account or I can use mine to schedule the appointment?
Hi Nadir! You will have to create a separate account for your mother. If you use your existing account for her, the system will consider you as the primary applicant.
Hi, my husband had submitted a DS160 for visa in India. He again created another DS160 with another profile to apply in Singapore. The system detects that there are two profiles and does not allow him to schedule visa appointment in Singapore. How do we resolve this pls? Thanks for your pointers. Deepika.
Hi Deepika! You will have to email US Travel Docs customer support to either (a) merge the accounts or (b) change the country on your old account and delete the new one. Only they can do this, so you will have to email them. They are quick in responding to such queries, so they will help you get this resolved quickly.
Hi Thirumal, I have applied for the US non-immigrant visa H1B along with my family (Wife and 2 Kids) and we are eligible for dropbox. I have paid the fees for all through my account in a single receipt. But I haven’t been able to book an appointment so far due to slots being unavailable. My elder son is turning 14 this July 6th, in that case, does he need to attend the direct interview? If I need to schedule a separate appointment for him, is it possible to use the same receipt number?
Hi Ramanujam! Generally, yes, anyone over 14 needs to attend the interview. If you book an appointment before he turns 14, you’ll be fine. If you have to book a separate appointment for him, unfortunately, you cannot use the same receipt number. You will have to create a new account and pay the fee again for him. You can chat with US Travel Docs customer service to see if they can transfer the visa fee to his account.
I applied for a US visa in the year 2020 and was denied. I want to apply for a new visa this year but I have some challenges. 1. After completing my DS160, I moved to CGI portal to schedule an appointment. I clicked on the Update profile and input my data. The response from the portal was that my data matches existing information in their database. 2. I do not have access to the previous email address and I am now trying o use another email address. I have been logged in with the new email address but I don’t know if I am to click on New Application/Schedule an Appointment OR to click on Update Profile? This is because I do not want to have double registration. Please how can I proceed on this? Is it a New Application/Schedule Appointment because the update profile is telling me that I have matching data on the database. Thanks so much for your help.
Hi Taiwo! US Travel Docs (CGI portal) uses passport number, name, date of birth, etc. to see if there are any duplicate profiles in the system. If you have a duplicate profile, you must contact US Travel Docs customer care asking them to merge your accounts and use your new email id as the login. The customer service is responsive and they are usually quite helpful in such issues.
I am a working professional in Dubai. I filled DS-160 form for my entire family with Purpose of Travel: BUSINESS/PERSONAL (B1/B2) for tourist VISA. But I am not doing any business and not visiting the US for business purposes. Is this a valid purpose of travel for my profession? How do I change? I got my confirmation Page. If the above option is wrong, what to choose for tourist visa??
Hi Anoop! If you or your family will EVER travel to the US for any business purpose, then you can select B2, which is purely for vacation/tourism/visitor. But I usually recommend my readers to opt for B1/B2 even if they don’t have any plan for business travel in the near future. The reason is that US visas are issued for 10 years and you never know when you would need to travel to the US for business. If such an opportunity arises and you hold a B2 visa, then you cannot use your B2 visa to travel to the US. In that case, you would need to apply and get B1 visa. To update your visa type in your DS-160, simply retrieve your DS-160 form and edit the visa type. After saving, you will get a new confirmation number. Print the new confirmation number. Do this for all your family members.
Hello Thirumal, I wanted a small help with the clarification regarding my US visa. I had applied for the US non-immigrant visa (B1/B2) with my family (me and my mother being dependants of my father), but due to certain travel restrictions I couldn’t travel as we planned, so we removed my name from the list of dependants and my parents proceeded with the interview and got their visas approved as well. But since we all paid together as a family, we possess only a single receipt for the same. So now for me to schedule an interview and proceed further, do I need to pay the visa fee again? and have a new account created for myself on the ustraveldocs website? I’ve also had some recent life updates, but since I’ve already submitted my DS-160 application for the same and received the confirmation as well, how may I make the necessary changes? Thank you for your help!!
Hi Jilu! I believe I responded to your queries on FB group already. But I will respond here too so it may be helpful to others in a similar situation. If you were added as a dependent on your father’s application, then you would need to create your own account in order to schedule an interview for yourself. The fee paid is not transferable, unfortunately. So you would need to pay again. Before paying again, contact US Travel Docs to see if they can transfer the unused fee from your family application to your account. If you have any life updates, you would need to edit your DS-160 and resubmit it with new info. If it’s been a while, then you cannot edit your DS-160. In that case, you must fill out a new DS-160 form. Either you edit or fill out a new DS-160 form, you will receive a new DS-160 confirmation number. You must use this new DS-160 confirmation number to schedule your visa interview.
Hi Thirumal, I applied for DS-160 selecting the location as UAE – Dubai. However, I selected Abu Dhabi for the purpose of my location for the interview. Is this ok or do now I would need to reschedule my appointment to Dubai? Thanks.
Hi Dkhan! That’s absolutely fine. Your actual location of visa appointment DOES NOT have to be the same as the one you picked in your DS-160.
Hi Thirumal, I scheduled an appointment for one of my clients for their DS-260. However, I used the wrong AA number. How can I correct that?
Hi Anitha! You cannot edit the DS-160 confirmation number without canceling the appointment first. When someone updates the DS-160 after scheduling the appointment, they simply carry the confirmation of their new DS-160 so the visa office can scan and use that for the interview. You can have your client do something like that. Have your client carry a print of their DS-160 confirmation to the appointment and have the visa officer use that for the interview.
I couldn’t find any visa Dropbox date in the CGI portal. I’m following last one month and couldn’t get any appointments. Please help on this.
Hi Jay! Yeah, finding appointments is becoming extremely difficult these days. But I have been hearing that joining certain Whatsapp or Telegram groups run by other applicants have been very helpful in finding appointments. Google for such groups and join to see if that helps. Also, I have seen YouTube videos promising certain times of the day that works for finding open appointments. Do some research on YouTube as well.
Hi Thirumal, I have a peculiar situation and would like your input. I am trying to apply for a B1/B2 visa for my mum from Lagos, Nigeria. I have completed the DS-160 form and made the payment. I am trying to schedule an appointment for her to go to the embassy for her interview but I do not see any dates. Simultaneously my friend who is also applying for her son can see dates for the same visa category at the same location. I have met two other people with this problem, we are never able to see dates no matter how hard or often we check. However, others can see the dates (like my friend I mentioned earlier).
I am convinced there is a profile-specific problem creating this situation. I have tried calling US embassy customer service countless times but their response is always the same which is to continue checking. Even after I mentioned to them that the dates are verifiably available if checked from other profiles but they are not able to provide any solutions. What do you think might be going on here and what can I do to resolve this? I will be grateful for your response and thoughts on this. Thank you.
Hi Sile! Due to COVID restrictions, the appointments are very limited. Because of that, some are given priority due to certain criteria, such as students, business-related, medical-related, family emergency, etc. If others are also facing the same issue as you, it may not be an isolated issue. Are there any applying for a similar visa, similar purpose and still able to get appointment? Your friend’s son may not be a good case to compare as certain young applicants are eligible for an interview waiver.
Hi Thirumal, this was all very useful. I have a question and wonder your thoughts on this. My husband is a UK national. He had a green card and only just recently abandoned it as we relocated to the UK 2 years ago and then the pandemic prevented us from traveling to the states. As we were no longer living in the states we chose this path, my work does not allow us to be able to go back and forth and meet the requirements to maintain the green card status. I believe this is the reason his ESTA applications have been denied. So we are applying for a tourist visa to see my family in July. I haven’t been able to get home since pre-pandemic. I have been holding off to pay the fee as the first available appt that was showing was well after when we plan to go. Today, I saw the earliest available was May which was perfect so I proceeded to pay thinking I had secured the May appt. But after the payment was taken and I went to book, it was gone! Now there aren’t any appointments near our time to travel. Is this normal? I thought the earliest available showing up in May was fantastic as I have been checking daily and have never seen one that soon. Do you think I will have luck getting something before July? DO they randomly release earlier appts?
Hi Cindy! Sorry for not responding sooner. Since the pandemic, US visa appointments especially for B1/B2 visas are very limited. Appointments are released sporadically and they are taken within seconds. Some readers were able to get their appointments using the following tricks. See if any of them will work for you.
– Join Whatsapp and Telegram groups in your country by people looking for US appointments. Applicants alert others when they see any appointments.
– Try at the following times of the day – 12.47am EST, 11.46pm EST, Sundays 8.50pm EST and Mondays 6.47pm EST. (* this sounds silly but some readers have mentioned that they were able to get appointments at these exact times)
Hello, I tried scheduling an appointment but when filling in dependants’ info, my spouse’s DS-160 confirmation number won’t update from the last time we submitted. However, I was able to change my kid’s DS-160 number.
Hey Ronke! Delete and re-add your spouse’s details again and see if that helps. If not contact US Travel Docs customer service.
Hi, I filled my DS-160 when I was in India on vacation. I hold an Indian Passport. However, I work in London, UK for the past three years and hold a work permit/resident permit in the UK. I haven’t booked my appointment in London as there are no slots available until August 22.
I have to attend the marriage of my friend in May who resides in Texas which is why I am planning to book my visa appointment in Qatar, Doha as they have the early slots available but don’t know what all steps to do. SO can you please help me with this and what all documents I should carry? How do I change my country when I go to book my appointment on the US embassy in Qatar? Does it by default take me to the India website as I had my account already registered with them. So what has to be done to avoid this? Also, if I book an appointment in qatar and travel to qatar, how much time does it take for visa processing after the appointment? Do you know if they have a fast service for foreign nationals?
Hi Swapnil! The appointment process in Qatar is the same as in India. But if your account was already registered in US Travel Docs with India as your country, you must email them to change that to Qatar. Once they change your country, you can then pay the visa fee and schedule your visa appointment. You can take the help of someone in Qatar to pay the visa fee, that way you can schedule your appointment while you are still in London. Then you can head to Qatar a day before your appointment. If you don’t know anyone in Qatar to pay the fee in a local bank, you will go to travel to Qatar first, pay the fee yourself in the local bank and schedule the appointment. You need the same documents as you would need in India. Your passport, your appointment confirmation, your DS-160 confirmation and all other supporting documents. After the interview, if your visa was approved, you will be able to pick up your passport within 5-7 days.
What is the rule/guidelines to avoid 72 hrs account freeze? Do we restrict the number of logins/day (or) the number of clicks per login (or) the total number of clicks in a given day? Some light on this can help.
Hi Anand! Unfortunately, US Travel Docs wouldn’t disclose what triggers a 72-hour account freeze. The purpose of account freeze is to keep scammers/agents away and give opportunities to genuine applicants to find slots. But the system is not smart enough to figure out who is who and locks you out if it thinks your actions are suspicious. Usually, changing your home state often, logging into the account often, refreshing the page too many times are some of the triggers for a 72 hours freeze.
Hi Thirumal, thanks for the detailed explanation provided above. I need some specific advice for the issue I am worried about and as described below I tried scheduling a “family appointment” for both myself and my wife on the CGI website after creating my profile and to help us schedule one appointment for the US Visitor Visa interview in the desired Indian consulate and to help us appear for the interview together. – On the payment page, it correctly mentions the total visa fee amount (for me and my wife) to be paid and also indicates correctly the Number of Applicants as 2 – In the Bank Advice Page which is used to make the Cash Payments at the Citi/Axis Bank branch, it mentions only the single CGI reference number and the total visa fee payment required (for both of us together) – I am assuming that the bank will thus provide us one Receipt Number for the above total amount payment. – If that is correct why does the payment page in the CGI Federal website at the bottom before we click “Continue” ask us to enter the Receipt Number for both of us separately against our Names for us to proceed with the appointment booking? – I am worried that if I make the total payment and the Page does not accept the same Receipt Number against both our Names (because the Fees Required for a Person is Less than the Total Amount Paid by us against the Receipt Number Provided and hence the amounts does not match). It would then subsequently not allow me to go ahead with booking my appointment dates on the next pages of this website and as a result our total fee payment would thus go waste. – I have not made the payment and waiting to hear from others on their experiences in such a situation before taking the next step. Kindly help clarify my doubts. It would be nice to know if anyone else has faced this situation and solved the issue. Thanks a ton!
Hi Murali! You will have to enter the same receipt number for both. I know it’s confusing but that’s how it works. They really need to update their system to make this clear. Anyway, if you are looking for personal experiences, you can also post your question on the FB group to see if anyone has a similar experience.
Hi Thirumal, can we merge/transfer the H4 appointment to the H1 appointment from two different interview locations? Or can H4 attend the interview along with H1 even though having two different appointments?
Hi Selva! Unfortunately, US Travel Docs is not capable to schedule a family visa interview for multiple visa categories/classes. It does not allow selecting visa categories/classes for dependents and considers the visa category/class of the dependents the same as the primary applicant. The only option is to schedule two separate appointments. Or, you can contact their customer service and see if they have any other ways to handle this.
Hi Thirumal, thanks for the detailed explanation. I need appointment advice. Before I filling the form I need to know the appointment days and months because it is very helpful to arrange my days. How can I know the appointment schedule beforehand?
Hi Rufael! You can only see the appointment availability after paying the visa fee. You can get a ballpark estimate of availability by looking up the current waiting times. Some agents maintain throwaway accounts to look up the exact availability for their clients. If you can get hold of such an agent, they may give you the exact availability.
The embassy on my 160 form is different from the embassy where I will be interviewing. Is this okay?Hi, in my DS-160 form, my name is written in capital letters (XX, XXXX). But my spouse’s name is written in small letters (xx, xxx). In our passport, names are in capital letters. Will that be a problem?
Hi, I have a question about my visa interview location in the US.
I am a Korean citizen currently living in the United States and recently got a work permit. So I am in the process of applying to renew my US visa so that I can visit my home country of Korea. My old student US visa expired a year ago. I filled out the DS-160 to make my visa interview appointment, but when I looked at the confirmation file, it says my interview location is the US embassy in my original country in Korea, even though I am currently in the US at this point. Is there a US location I can do this at in Los Angeles? It did not give me the option to choose a location in the US. It automatically gave me the location in Seoul Korea without any options to change my visa interview location to the US.
Thank you so much for your help!
Hi Jessica! You CANNOT renew or obtain a new US visa from within the US. You can change your status from within the US, which you have done already, from F1 to H1B. But to obtain a US visa (a visa sticker in the passport), you will have to schedule an appointment at a US consulate “OUTSIDE the US”. It doesn’t have to be your home country Korea, it can be a neighboring country such as Canada or Mexico. But since you plan on going to Korea anyway, you can continue to schedule your appointment in Korea. I’m guessing that you have mistakenly selected Korea as your location in your DS-160. This is usually the very first step in filling DS-160 and many make this mistake. But do not worry, this is not going to be a problem. Even though your DS-160 stays “Korea” as your preferred interview location, you can still use it to schedule your appointment in any country. Just like you, I’ve lived in the US on H1B visa. I renewed my US visas twice from Canada. I know many who did that from Mexico as well. If you prefer this option, you can schedule the interview in Mexico or Canada while you are still in the US. Just fly there a day before your interview, complete your interview and wait a few days to pick up your passport. Then you can fly back to the US.
Hi Thirumal. Thank you. You cleared my head! That’s wonderful advice to get an interview near Mexico or Canada, pick up the visa and fly back to the US. So there is another question. Usually how long does it take to get a visa on a passport? I have an O1 visa. Do you have any visa interview tips and what kind of questions do they focus on? Thank you so much for your help!
Usually, you will be able to pick up the passport in 4-5 working days. So, in total, I would say about 7 days, starting from the interview to picking up the passport. I’m not familiar with the questions for an O1 visa. But for H1B (work visa), the questions were mostly on what company I work for, my role, my job duties, how long I’ve been working for them, my qualifications, my major/minor in my degree, etc. If the officer is friendly, they would even have a few friendly questions on where you live in the US, how do you like it, etc. I had a similar experience in Montreal, the officer I had was very friendly. But the officer in Vancouver was grumpy and loud. So it all depends on the officer, but in the end, they won’t make it difficult for you.
Hi Thirumal, I don’t understand how to change the prepopulated field for Mumbai consulate, whereas I did not select Mumbai while filing out DS-160 nor in the CGI portal. Do you have any idea, how can I change that to Delhi consulate? Thanks
Hi Mani K! The consulate field is populated based on your residencial address. The system will determine the nearest consulate for you. But once you get past the fee payment and about to select your appoitment date, you will have the option to select a different consulate.
Hi Thirumal, thanks for such a thoroughly informative article. I am trying to book an interview appointment in Nairobi, Kenya. I’m at the payment step of the application where it shows me the amount to pay but it doesn’t give me an option to pay the fee. Below that it says there are no appointments available and to check back in a few days. So is it because there’s no appointment available that I cannot pay? Or should I find another way to pay then keep checking back on that site to see if any appointments open up?
Hi Rita! As far as my experience goes, you should be able to pay even if the appointments are not available. But I’m not aware if that has changed as embassies are being closed due to covid. Since the US embassies are either closed or have very limited appointments available, the payment of the fee may now be dependent on the appointment available. I suggest contacting customer service to confirm if that was the case.
Hi Thirumal, thank you for the article. I have a question, I currently live in the US and I am on H1B and applying for US Visa in Canada. I am stuck at a step in the application, can you help me here? I am going to Canada just for the visa and what do I fill here. I am planning on staying in Canada hotel for 3-4 days. Also do I need to apply for Canadian visitor visa? care of:
address:
zipcode: only Canada zip code?
province:
Hi Sindhu! I have been to Canada twice to get my US visa when I was in the US on my H1B. But I don’t remember entering any address either US or Canadian. I opted for passport pickup instead of passport delivery. After a few days of my interview, I had my passport ready for pickup from the courier office. I went to the courier office and picked up my passport. Not sure why the portal is asking for address information. Can you send me a screenshot, so I can understand properly? And yes. You must have a valid Canada tourist visa to travel to Canada. Keep in mind that the Canadian tourist visa process can take up to 30 days.
Hello, my parents’ biometric for B1/B2 visitor visa is done. The interview got canceled at the end time because of lockdown. Now they renewed their Indian passport that was about to expire. The main problem now is – biometrics was done with the old passport and DS-160. Do I need to fill a new DS-160 for updating their new passport details or what? Or can attend the interview with old details? Or need to schedule both biometric and interview with new DS-160 having updated passport details. Will appreciate your reply. Kindly help. Thanks.
Hi Khyati! There are two things here –
1) New DS-160: Since the visa interview is already canceled, you may be able to update the passport number and DS-160 confirmation number in the visa appointment system (US Travel Docs). Give it a try and see if those two fields are editable. If yes, then first fill new DS-160s for your parents with new passport numbers. Then update DS-160 confirmation numbers in US Travel Docs with the new ones. Also, update the passport numbers to the new ones.
2) Biometrics: I believe biometrics are specific to a person and not specific to a passport. But I don’t have enough knowledge to confirm this. I suggest contacting US Travel Docs customer service in India to confirm. They are usually quick in responding to such questions.
Hi, I have filled the DS-160 form and then through the CGIfederal website for filling the form of visa. I am applying for B1/B2 visa. But there are no appointment dates available. It is showing for January but my conference is in November. Please help me.
Hi Richa! Due to COVID, most US consulates around the world are taking only emergency appointments for B1/B2 visas. If your reason to travel falls under one of the urgent categories, you can request an expedited appointment. Not sure from which you are applying, but here is the info on how to request an expedited appointment in India.
Hi, I have submitted a family visa application already, and have paid and scheduled an interview. Is it possible for me to add another member in my DS-160 form even though I have to pay the extra fee?
Hi Dickson! If you have already paid the visa fee and scheduled the interview, you cannot add another applicant. You can, but that requires you to cancel your appointment, add the other member as your dependent, pay the fee for the other member and reschedule the appointment. You must also fill/edit DS-160 for yourself by adding the other member as your travel companion and fill a new DS-160 for your other member. Due to all these complexities, I suggest getting in touch with US Travel Docs customer service first. If there is a proper way to do this, they will walk you through the process or will do this from their end on your behalf.
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Hi! I'm Thirumal Motati. I've been traveling the world on tourist visas for more than a decade. I've obtained several tourist visas, including the most difficult ones such as the US, UK, Canada, and Schengen, some of which were granted multiple times.
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