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Booking a U.S. Visa Appointment in Nepal
Applicants in Nepal book through USTravelDocs, not AIS, and there is one post — the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu.
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 Nepal publishes and does not repeat elsewhere.
We read the Nepal USTravelDocs pages on 18 September 2026.
Kathmandu is the only post we have read that cancels the appointment
Every post bars electronics. Most of them say you will not be admitted until you deal with the item. Kathmandu says something harder, and it is the single most important line on the page:
You must make arrangements so that you arrive at the Embassy with only your passport and required interview materials, including your photo. If you have electronics, bags, and wallets with you, you WILL NOT BE ALLOWED into the Embassy. The Embassy will not store any personal items on your behalf. If you come with any additional items, your appointment will be cancelled.
Three things in that paragraph are unusual and each matters on its own:
- A wallet is named. Not a laptop, not a phone — a wallet. Almost no other post lists one.
- The consequence is cancellation, not a delay. Elsewhere the practical outcome is that you lose your place in the queue while you find somewhere to leave the item. Here the embassy states the appointment itself goes.
- A photo is named as a required interview material. Bring a printed photo meeting the U.S. visa photo requirements, even though the DS-160 was submitted with one uploaded.
One honest caveat about where this text sits. On the USTravelDocs Nepal page, that paragraph appears under a heading that reads "Information for visa applicants regarding novel coronavirus." The heading is plainly dated. The embassy still publishes the text today, and it does not say the rule has been withdrawn — so we report it as published and we cannot tell you whether it is enforced as strictly as written. Treat it as the rule, because the downside of being wrong runs entirely one way: arriving with nothing costs you nothing, and arriving with a bag might cost you the appointment.
Do not arrive early
From the same section:
Please do not show up more than 10 minutes early to your appointment. It is essential that we not have large groups in our waiting areas, so it is important that everyone arrive according to the appointed time.
This inverts the advice most applicants give each other. Ten minutes, not an hour.
Valuables and cash are barred
Nepal's prohibited list carries an entry we have not seen at the other posts we have read:
Valuables (gems, precious metals, etc.) or large amounts of cash
Alongside it, the standard list: battery-operated or electronic devices — mobile phones, digital diaries, digital watches, pagers, cameras, cassettes, CDs, MP3s, floppy disks, laptops, portable music players. Large shoulder bags and purses; travel bags, backpacks, briefcases, suitcases, leather and cloth bags and zip folders, with only plastic bags containing application-related papers permitted. Food and liquid items — with no exception written in, unlike neighbouring Bangladesh, which excludes medication and child care provisions. Sealed envelopes or packages. Cigarettes, cigars, match boxes, lighters. Sharp objects such as scissors, pen knives or nail files. Weapons or explosives of any kind.
The list is explicitly not exhaustive.
On storage, Kathmandu is more specific than most, singling out the item applicants most often hope to leave at the gate:
The Embassy has no storage available for holding applicants' cell phones on the day of their interview, and there is no facility at the U.S. Embassy to store any of the other above listed prohibited items.
There is also no information window for walk-in visitors. Only applicants with scheduled interviews are admitted.
Timing
Nepal publishes two numbers on its scheduling page:
- Apply at least three months in advance of intended travel.
- Visa processing is typically three working days, though individual cases vary.
The three working days is issuance processing after a successful interview — it is not the appointment wait, which is a separate figure the embassy publishes live. See U.S. visa wait times.
If you are asked for more documents afterwards
A refusal under 221(g) means something is missing or the case needs further processing. In Nepal, documents requested under a 221(g) letter go to VFS Global, which delivers them to the consular section. Note that the USTravelDocs Nepal page frames this drop-off for immigrant visa applicants specifically; if you are a nonimmigrant applicant holding a 221(g) letter, follow the instructions on the letter itself rather than assuming the same route.
Why no slots appear
- The fee has not activated. Check the method you used on the Nepal fee guide.
- 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 Nepali appointments — see which appointment site is yours.
- The DS-160 was saved but never submitted, so no confirmation number exists.
Frequently asked questions
What can I actually carry into the embassy in Kathmandu?
Your passport and your required interview materials, including your photo, in a plastic bag. The embassy asks you to arrive with nothing else.
Will they really cancel my appointment over a bag?
That is what the embassy publishes: "If you come with any additional items, your appointment will be cancelled." The text sits under a dated coronavirus heading and we cannot tell you how strictly it is enforced — but it is the only instruction the embassy gives, so plan around it.
Can I leave my phone with security?
No. Kathmandu states specifically that it has no storage for applicants' cell phones.
How early should I arrive?
No more than 10 minutes before your appointment time.
Do I need to bring a printed photo?
Kathmandu names a photo among the required interview materials. Bring one meeting the photo requirements.
How long does the visa take after the interview?
The embassy says processing is typically three working days, with variation by case.
Official sources
- USTravelDocs Nepal — scheduling and interview pages, read 18 September 2026
- U.S. Embassy in Nepal