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Booking a U.S. Visa Appointment in India
Applicants in India book through ustraveldocs.com/in, and most non-immigrant applicants need two appointments, not one: a short biometrics visit to a Visa Application Centre (VAC), and the interview itself at a consular post. They are on separate days, usually at different addresses, and the VAC visit normally comes first.
You cannot book either until your DS-160 is submitted and your visa fee has activated — which is the single most common reason the booking screen appears empty. The general sequence is on how to book a U.S. visa appointment; this page covers what is specific to India.
The five posts you can choose from
India has more U.S. consular posts than any country except Mexico:
| Post | City |
|---|---|
| Embassy | New Delhi |
| Consulate General | Mumbai |
| Consulate General | Chennai |
| Consulate General | Hyderabad |
| Consulate General | Kolkata |
Each post keeps its own appointment calendar, so wait times differ substantially between them. You choose your post when you create your profile.
Two things worth knowing before you pick:
- Your DS-160 names a post. If you book at a different one, the mismatch is a routine fix, but it is cleaner to decide first and fill the form accordingly.
- Choosing a distant post to get an earlier slot is allowed, but you must actually travel there twice — once for biometrics, once for the interview — and consular officers at that post handle applicants from all over the country regardless.
The two-appointment structure
- VAC (biometrics). A short visit where fingerprints and a photograph are taken. No interview happens here. It is normally scheduled a few days before the consular appointment.
- Consular interview. At the embassy or consulate you selected, with the officer who decides your case.
Both are booked through the same profile, usually in the same flow. If you only see one, check that you have completed the whole booking sequence rather than assuming the other is not required — arriving at the consulate without having done biometrics generally means being turned away.
Bring the DS-160 confirmation page with the barcode to both.
Why slots disappear while you are booking
India has among the highest application volumes in the world, and slots are taken within seconds of release at busy posts. Practical consequences:
- Have every detail ready before you start. The system holds a slot only briefly during booking, and a slow form fill loses it.
- Cancellations reappear continuously. Slots freed by other applicants rescheduling show up throughout the day, not only at release time.
- A slot is not confirmed until you see the confirmation. Reaching the payment or review screen does not reserve it.
Current published waiting periods are on U.S. visa wait times. Treat any specific number as perishable; posts revise them frequently.
Rescheduling in India
Rescheduling is done in the same profile that made the booking. The cap matters: posts commonly allow around three reschedules before the fee is at risk, and failing to appear without rescheduling in advance can void it entirely — meaning paying the visa fee again for a new appointment.
The fee itself is generally usable for one year from the date of payment, and it is tied to your passport and receipt rather than to a specific DS-160. Correcting your form produces a new confirmation number, which you then use when booking; nothing about the fee is reissued.
Getting an earlier date
- The emergency or expedited request remains free. You submit a reason with evidence through your profile and the post decides. Medical emergencies, funerals and urgent business are the usual grounds; wanting to travel sooner is not.
- The $750 expedited interview fee is a separate, paid route with narrower eligibility than most people assume — see the $750 expedited interview fee.
Neither conjures a slot that does not exist. Both ask a post to prioritise you within what it already has.
Frequently asked questions
Can I book the interview at any Indian consulate?
Yes, you choose your post when creating your profile. But you travel there for both appointments, so a distant post with earlier availability may cost more in travel than it saves in waiting.
Do I need the VAC appointment if I am applying for a renewal?
If you qualify for an interview waiver, the process differs and may not require a consular interview at all — check who still qualifies for an interview waiver before booking anything.
My fee is paid but no slots appear. What now?
Almost always the receipt has not activated yet. Check the activation time for the payment method you used on the India fee guide before contacting support. Paying a second time does not help and is not refunded.
Can my family book together?
Each applicant needs their own DS-160 and their own fee. Profiles can usually group family members so appointments are scheduled together, but the forms and fees remain individual.
Is ustraveldocs the official site?
It is the applicant service platform Indian posts direct people to. It is not the Department of State's own website, and it is not where the DS-160 is completed. Reach it through your embassy or consulate's own link rather than a search result — see which appointment site is yours.