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Booking a U.S. Visa Appointment in Peru
Applicants in Peru book through AIS (ais.usvisa-info.com), not USTravelDocs, and there is one post — the U.S. Embassy in Lima, at Avenida La Encalada cuadra 17 s/n, Surco.
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 Peru publishes and does not repeat elsewhere.
We read the AIS Peru pages and the U.S. Embassy Lima visa information page on 18 September 2026.
Lima has somewhere to leave your phone
Almost every post we have read says the same thing: there is no storage, make arrangements before you arrive. Lima is the exception, and it is the most practically useful line on the embassy's page:
The Embassy maintains a small kiosk outside the main entrance where applicants can typically leave bags, keys, phones, and other small items while inside the Embassy compound, for a small fee.
Two words in that sentence are the embassy's, not ours, and they matter: "typically" and "small fee." It is not a guarantee and it is not free. Bring some cash and do not build your morning around the kiosk having space — but you are not in the position applicants in Kathmandu or Doha are, where the item simply cannot come with you.
The underlying ban is the usual one:
Visitors are not allowed to bring cell phones, laptops, tablets, and similar electronic devices onto the premises. Visitors carrying unauthorized objects will not be granted entry.
Lima also asks you not to bring large bags — suitcases, backpacks, packages — to speed up entry, which is a recommendation rather than a prohibition, and tells you what screening looks like:
Once you enter the screening area, be prepared to remove all metallic items, together with your coat/jacket, belt, handbag/rucksack/briefcase, etc.
Baby food and medication: plastic only, and declare them
Peru writes this as an instruction rather than an exception, and the container material is the part people miss:
Baby food and/or essential medications (in plastic containers only – no glass) should be brought to the attention of the guards.
So: allowed, plastic only, and you raise it with the guards rather than hoping it passes unnoticed.
The accommodations list is the most detailed we have read
Most posts say they will try to accommodate disabilities. Lima publishes actual examples, and several are things applicants assume are impossible:
- A companion or caregiver. If you cannot navigate the process alone because of a medical condition or disability, you may bring one person to assist you. Notify the greeters on arrival and present identification for the companion.
- A private appointment at an alternative time, for a medical condition or disability — and separately for an applicant or child with special needs who requires a quiet space without distractions.
- Nonverbal answers. If you are unable to speak, you may be allowed to respond in an agreed-upon nonverbal manner, such as pen and paper.
- A sign language interpreter you bring yourself, if you are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Large print communications for low vision.
- A fingerprint waiver for certain fingers if you cannot provide prints because of a medical condition, birth defect, physical deformity or skin condition.
The waiting room and its restroom are wheelchair-accessible.
One limit is stated plainly, and it is worth knowing before you ask: interview waivers on medical grounds are "only granted in extreme situations, such as having a medical condition that requires flying in an air ambulance." An accommodation is not an exemption from appearing. Separately, see who still qualifies for an interview waiver — that is a different mechanism entirely.
Biometrics come first, and Lima does not publish where
Peru uses the standard AIS rule:
Applicants who are required to appear in person at the ASC and the Consular Section must schedule the ASC appointment at least one day before the Consular interview.
Note what is missing. Colombia and the Dominican Republic name an Applicant Service Center address; Peru publishes the rule without publishing a location, exactly as Ecuador does. The address appears when you book. Do not assume the ASC is at the embassy.
Bring to the ASC appointment: your current passport, valid six months beyond your intended date of entry; the DS-160 confirmation page; and the appointment confirmation and instructions page printed from AIS.
Emergency travel
Lima's route is the same shape as the accommodation route — you book first, then ask:
Applicants with an urgent need to travel should log into their account, schedule a visa appointment, select the emergency appointment option, and provide a justification.
The embassy defines the category narrowly: life-or-death situations or medical emergencies involving the applicant or a close family member. Tourism is not an emergency. Approval is not guaranteed, and if you need to move a flight, the embassy tells you to contact the airline rather than wait on a decision.
Why no slots appear
- The fee has not activated. Check the method you used on the Peru fee guide.
- You have not booked the ASC appointment yet, or booked it on or after the interview date rather than at least a day before.
- There is genuinely no availability. The embassy says it regularly opens new B1/B2 slots but that "due to high demand, not everyone seeking an earlier appointment will secure one."
- You created a profile on USTravelDocs instead of AIS. It will never show Peruvian appointments — see which appointment site is yours.
- The DS-160 was saved but never submitted, so no confirmation number exists.
Frequently asked questions
Can I leave my phone at the embassy in Lima?
There is a small kiosk outside the main entrance that typically holds phones, bags and keys for a small fee. The embassy says "typically" — treat it as likely, not certain.
Can I bring milk or medicine?
Yes, in plastic containers only — no glass — and you should bring them to the guards' attention.
Can someone come in with me?
If a medical condition or disability means you cannot navigate the process alone, you may bring one companion or caregiver. Tell the greeters when you arrive and bring identification for that person.
Where is the Applicant Service Center in Peru?
The embassy and AIS publish the one-day-before rule but not an address. The location appears during booking.
How early must I do biometrics?
At least one day before the consular interview.
Can I skip the interview for medical reasons?
Only in extreme situations — the embassy gives the example of a condition requiring an air ambulance. Accommodations are offered instead.
Official sources
- AIS Peru — consular section and ASC information, read 18 September 2026
- U.S. Embassy Lima — important visa information, read 18 September 2026