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Booking a U.S. Visa Appointment in Türkiye
Applicants in Türkiye book through USTravelDocs, not AIS, and interview at one of two posts — the Embassy in Ankara or the Consulate General in İstanbul.
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 Türkiye publishes.
We read the Türkiye USTravelDocs pages on 17 September 2026.
Two posts
| Post | City |
|---|---|
| U.S. Embassy | Ankara |
| U.S. Consulate General | İstanbul |
Medicines without a prescription are prohibited
Türkiye's list contains a line no other post we have read includes, and it is the one most likely to catch an ordinary traveller:
Narcotics, drugs, or any illegal substance, as well as medicines without a prescription.
Paracetamol in a handbag, an antihistamine, a blister of ibuprofen — on a literal reading each is a medicine without a prescription. If you need medication during the visit, carry the prescription, and if you do not need it during the visit, leave it behind.
Perfume is named too, under bottled liquids: "Bottled Liquids (including perfume & drinks)". A small bottle in a bag is easy to forget.
Purses are banned, not just large ones
Most posts limit bag size. Türkiye lists "Purses" flatly among forbidden items, alongside luggage, bags and backpacks — there is no small-purse allowance of the kind Germany grants.
Also refused: laptops, cell and mobile phones, handheld tablets or e-readers, smart watches, MP3 players, USB sticks and flash memory, cameras and camcorders, portable game devices, flammable liquids and lighters, and weapons "or any element that can be used as a weapon, including knives, ammunition".
The phone is the one thing they will hold
The storage sentence has a parenthesis that matters:
There is no facility at the Embassy/Consulate to store prohibited items (aside from cellular telephones). You will need to make arrangements to store these items elsewhere before entering.
So Türkiye will hold your phone, and will hold nothing else. A laptop, an e-reader, a USB stick or a bottle of perfume has to be somewhere other than the building.
Every person and their belongings go through a security screening before entering, and security may refuse other unlisted items at their discretion.
Why no slots appear
- The fee has not activated. Check the method you used on the Türkiye fee guide.
- That post has no availability. Check İstanbul as well as Ankara.
- You created a profile on AIS instead of USTravelDocs. It will never show Turkish 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 bring painkillers to my interview in Türkiye?
The list prohibits medicines without a prescription. Carry the prescription if you need the medication during the visit; otherwise leave it.
Can I take a handbag in?
Purses are listed among forbidden items, with no small-purse exception of the kind some posts publish.
Will they hold my phone?
Yes — cellular telephones are the stated exception to "no storage facility". Nothing else is held.
Is perfume really prohibited?
It is named explicitly under bottled liquids.
Can I bring an e-reader for the wait?
No. Handheld tablets and e-readers are on the forbidden list, and only phones are stored.
Official sources
- USTravelDocs Türkiye — interview and security pages, read 17 September 2026
- U.S. Mission to Türkiye