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Booking a U.S. Visa Appointment in Bangladesh
Applicants in Bangladesh book through USTravelDocs, not AIS, and there is one post — the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka.
Nothing can be booked until the DS-160 is submitted and the visa fee has activated. The general sequence is on how to book a U.S. visa appointment; this page covers what Bangladesh publishes and does not repeat elsewhere.
We read the Bangladesh USTravelDocs pages on 18 September 2026.
The rule that cancels interviews: "Previously Refused"
This is the most consequential thing Dhaka publishes, and it is easy to miss because it sits on the scheduling page rather than the interview page:
Applicants who have previously been denied a visa under Section 214B within the past 12 months (and who were not subsequently issued a visa) must ensure that they select an appointment from the "Previously Refused" option. A failure to follow these instructions correctly will result in appointment cancellation before the date of interview.
Read that carefully. The consequence is not being turned away at the gate — it is the appointment being cancelled in advance, which means the slot is gone and you rebook into whatever is left.
Two conditions have to both be true for the rule to bite:
- You were refused under 214(b) — not 221(g), not another ground. If you are unsure which you received, what a 214(b) refusal is and what 221(g) means are different outcomes with different paperwork.
- The refusal was within the past 12 months and you have not been issued a visa since.
If you were refused more than twelve months ago, or you were refused and later issued, the rule as written does not apply to you.
Dhaka states the general version of this too:
Applicants should ensure that they are booking the correct type of appointment, otherwise, their appointment is subject to cancellation and they will not be granted entry into the consular section.
Requesting an accommodation goes through the expedite option
Bangladesh publishes a mechanic that is genuinely non-obvious: the way to request a disability or special-needs accommodation is through the expedited-request option, after you have already booked a regular appointment.
If you require reasonable accommodation for your appointment, our office encourages you to request special accommodation immediately by using expedited request option, once you schedule your regular appointment.
The embassy is explicit about what you get, and it is not an earlier date:
Please note that reasonable accommodation will NOT result in an earlier appointment date, rather the applicant and their caregiver/immediate family members will be provided a specific time slot on the week of your appointment that is less crowded than routine visa processing times.
This applies to B1/B2, F1, F2, J1 and J2 applicants. For petition-based visas — H-1B, L-1 and the like — the embassy says those are already interviewed during less crowded times; if you are accompanying an applicant with special needs, notify the consular section in advance at support-bangladesh@usvisascheduling.com.
All accommodation requests must be made in English.
Bags: plastic only, and food has an exception
Dhaka uses the plastic-bag wording rather than the clear-bag wording:
Bags such as travel bags, backpacks, briefcases, suitcases, leather, cloth bags, and zip folders — you can only carry plastic bags containing application-related papers.
Large shoulder bags and purses are refused; only bags that can be carried by hand are permitted.
Not admitted: battery-operated or electronic devices — the list names mobile phones, digital diaries, digital watches, pagers, cameras, cassettes, CDs, MP3s, floppy disks, laptops and portable music players. Also cigarettes, cigars, match boxes and lighters; sharp objects such as scissors, pen knives or nail files; and weapons or explosive materials of any kind.
Two Bangladesh-specific details in that list are worth pulling out:
- Food and liquids are barred "excluding medication and child care provisions." Most posts we have read ban food outright with no exception. If you are attending with an infant, Dhaka's wording contemplates that.
- Sealed envelopes are barred, and the embassy tells you what to do about it: "please remove all documents in sealed envelopes prior to your interview." If a university or employer sent you something sealed, open it before you arrive.
The list is explicitly not exhaustive, and there are no facilities at the embassy to store prohibited items — plan to leave them elsewhere.
There is also no information window for walk-in visitors. Only applicants with scheduled interviews are admitted.
If you are asked for more documents afterwards
A refusal under 221(g) means something is missing or the case needs further processing. In Bangladesh, documents requested under a 221(g) letter go to CGI, which delivers them to the consular section — not to the embassy directly.
Why no slots appear
- The fee has not activated. Check the method you used on the Bangladesh fee guide.
- You are looking at the wrong appointment type. If you were refused under 214(b) in the last 12 months, the slots you want are under Previously Refused.
- There is genuinely no availability. With one post there is nowhere else in the country to look.
- You created a profile on AIS instead of USTravelDocs. It will never show Bangladeshi appointments — see which appointment site is yours.
- The DS-160 was saved but never submitted, so no confirmation number exists.
Frequently asked questions
I was refused last year. Which appointment do I book?
If the refusal was under 214(b), was within the past 12 months, and you have not been issued a visa since, Dhaka requires the "Previously Refused" appointment option. Booking a regular slot instead results in cancellation before the interview date.
What happens if I book the wrong type?
The embassy says the appointment is cancelled before the date of the interview, and that applicants who book the wrong type are not granted entry into the consular section.
Can I bring milk or medicine for my child?
Dhaka's ban on food and liquids is written to exclude medication and child care provisions. Everything else on the prohibited list still applies.
How do I request a disability accommodation?
Book a regular appointment first, then use the expedited request option to make the request, in English. It gives you a less crowded slot in the week of your appointment, not an earlier date.
What bag can I bring?
A plastic bag holding the papers you need. Travel bags, backpacks, briefcases, suitcases, leather and cloth bags and zip folders are refused, as are large shoulder bags and purses.
Where do 221(g) documents go?
To CGI, which forwards them to the consular section.
Official sources
- USTravelDocs Bangladesh — scheduling and interview pages, read 18 September 2026
- U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh