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Booking a U.S. Visa Appointment in Saudi Arabia
Applicants in Saudi Arabia book through USTravelDocs, not AIS, and there are three posts — more choice than most countries in the region offer.
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 Saudi Arabia publishes.
We read the Saudi Arabia USTravelDocs pages on 17 September 2026.
Three posts, three calendars
| Post | City |
|---|---|
| U.S. Embassy | Riyadh |
| U.S. Consulate General | Dhahran |
| U.S. Consulate General | Jeddah |
You select the post when creating your profile, and each keeps its own calendar. With Dhahran in the Eastern Province, Jeddah on the Red Sea and Riyadh in the centre, the comparison is worth making before committing — the distances are large but so are the differences in wait.
The rule on escorts is ambiguous, and we are not going to resolve it for you
Most posts say bluntly that only applicants are admitted. Saudi Arabia's wording leaves a question open:
Individuals who do not have appointments or another valid purpose for entering the facility, e.g. escort for person with reduced mobility or a person in a wheelchair will not be admitted.
That sentence can be read two ways. Either an escort for someone with reduced mobility is an example of "another valid purpose" and is therefore admitted — or the example attaches to the refusal and escorts are turned away with everyone else.
Grammatically the first reading is the more natural one. We are not going to tell you it is correct, because the cost of being wrong falls on a wheelchair user arriving without the person who brought them. If you are applying with reduced mobility or need an escort, ask your post directly before the day, through the appointment service's contact route, and get the answer in writing.
This is the kind of sentence where a confident summary would be worse than none.
What you cannot bring
Saudi Arabia publishes the same prohibited list used across several posts in the region — the one that also appears for Egypt almost word for word:
- Mobile phones, digital diaries, digital watches, pagers, cameras, cassettes, CDs, MP3s, floppy disks, laptops and portable music players
- Large shoulder bags and purses — only bags carried by hand are permitted, and in practice a plastic bag of application-related papers
- Travel bags, backpacks, briefcases, suitcases, leather and cloth bags, zip folders
- Food and liquid items
- Sealed envelopes or packages
- Cigarettes, cigars, matches, lighters
- Sharp objects, weapons, explosives
And the consequence, which this template carries at each post we have read it on:
There is no facility at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate to store prohibited items. You must make arrangements to store these items before entering.
There is also no information window for walk-in visitors. Only applicants with scheduled interviews are admitted.
Why no slots appear
- The fee has not activated. Check the method you used on the Saudi Arabia fee guide.
- That post has no availability. Saudi Arabia has three — check Dhahran and Jeddah as well as Riyadh.
- You created a profile on AIS instead of USTravelDocs. It will never show Saudi 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 interview in Jeddah instead of Riyadh?
Yes. All three posts are listed with their own calendars, and you choose when creating your profile.
Can someone escort me if I use a wheelchair?
The published wording is ambiguous — it lists an escort for a person with reduced mobility while describing who will not be admitted. Ask your post directly and get the answer before the day rather than relying on any summary, including this one.
Can I bring my phone?
No. Mobile phones are prohibited and there is no storage at any of the three posts.
Is a digital watch a problem?
The list names digital watches, not only smart watches — the same wording Singapore uses.
Can I bring water?
No. Food and liquid items are both prohibited.
Official sources
- USTravelDocs Saudi Arabia — interview and security pages, read 17 September 2026
- U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia