To reschedule a U.S. visa appointment, log into your account on the State Department’s appointment platform, choose the reschedule option, and pick a new date from the available calendar. The change takes a few minutes, but two things can trip you up: each embassy caps how many times you can reschedule before charging a new fee, and your MRV payment has an expiration date of its own.
What to Have Ready Before You Log In
Three pieces of information tie your profile together in the system. If any one is missing or doesn’t match, the portal may block the change, or worse, you may be turned away at the embassy on interview day.
- Your passport number, matching exactly what you entered when you first registered. If you renewed your passport after applying, update your profile before you reschedule.
- Your DS-160 confirmation number, the alphanumeric code on the barcode page of your submitted nonimmigrant visa application. The number stored in the appointment system has to match the DS-160 you bring to the interview.1U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Türkiye. DS-160 Barcode Number Must Match Appointment Information
- Your MRV fee receipt. The Machine Readable Visa fee is nonrefundable, and the payment has to still be active in the system for you to modify the appointment.2U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services
Have all three in front of you before you open the portal.
The Reschedule Steps
Beginning in mid-2025, the State Department moved visa appointment scheduling to a new platform at ustraveldocs.com, replacing the older AIS system at ais.usvisa-info.com. If your original appointment was booked on the old system, you probably need to create a profile on the new platform and link your existing record. Check your specific embassy’s page for legacy-applicant instructions before you try to reschedule.
Once you’re logged into the right portal for your consular post, the process is short:
- From the dashboard, open the Reschedule Appointment link. This brings up the calendar for your post.
- Browse the available dates. Open slots are grouped into morning or afternoon sessions, and the calendar updates as other applicants cancel or as the embassy adjusts staffing.
- Pick a date, then a specific time. The selection is binding, so be sure the date works before you move on.
- Confirm the change. Complete every prompt through to the confirmation page.
The system automatically cancels your old slot and releases it when you confirm the new one. Save the confirmation page. Print it or keep a copy on your phone, because you’ll need to show it at the embassy entrance on interview day. Some portals email the confirmation as well, but don’t count on that alone.
If open dates are scarce at your post, check back often. Slots free up regularly as other applicants cancel.
How Many Times You Can Reschedule
There is no single global limit. Each embassy or consulate sets its own, so the number of allowed changes varies by country. Some posts permit only one reschedule; others allow several. Your dashboard usually shows how many attempts you have left.
When you hit the limit, the system blocks further changes and requires a new MRV fee payment before it will show you the calendar again. That’s where applicants lose money unnecessarily. If you’re not sure the new date will hold, wait until you’re confident rather than burn through attempts on dates you may not keep.
Missing an appointment without canceling first is a separate problem. A no-show can lock your profile and may require a new fee to start over. The specifics vary by post, but cancel or reschedule before your appointment time rather than simply not showing up.
How Long Your MRV Fee Stays Valid
Your MRV payment doesn’t last forever. You generally have 365 days from the date of payment to schedule an interview before the fee expires. If it expires before you interview, you pay again at the current rate.
The fee is nonrefundable under all circumstances, including denial, a missed appointment, or exceeding your rescheduling limit. It’s also nontransferable, so another applicant’s payment can’t cover your case. Don’t pay the MRV fee until you have a realistic sense of when you’ll be ready, and once you’ve paid, move through scheduling without unnecessary delay.
If Your DS-160 Needs to Change First
You can’t edit a submitted DS-160. If your information has changed or you made a mistake, you have to complete a new form. A new DS-160 confirmation number won’t automatically link to your existing appointment, so connecting it requires you to cancel the current appointment, update your profile with the new DS-160 number, and book a fresh slot.1U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Türkiye. DS-160 Barcode Number Must Match Appointment Information That counts as a new booking and may affect your rescheduling allowance. If nothing on your DS-160 needs updating, leave it alone.
One separate timer to know: a partially completed DS-160 is deleted after 30 days if you haven’t submitted it.3U.S. Department of State. DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions Finish and submit any new DS-160 before you update your appointment profile.
When the Next Available Date Isn’t Soon Enough
If regular rescheduling can’t get you an early enough interview, some embassies allow you to request an expedited appointment for genuinely urgent situations. It isn’t a guaranteed fast track. It’s a discretionary decision by the consular section, and you need documentation to support it.
Qualifying situations typically include an urgent medical need for you or your minor child in the United States, the death or critical illness of an immediate family member (parent, child, or sibling) in the United States, urgent business travel supported by a company letter, or a significant cultural, political, journalistic, or sporting event backed by a letter from the hosting organization.
To request one, first book any available regular appointment, then use the Request Expedite option on your dashboard. Explain the urgency and upload supporting documents. If the consular section approves, they’ll offer an earlier slot. If they deny, you keep the regular appointment and can still watch for openings through normal rescheduling.
Standards vary by post. What counts as urgent enough at one embassy may not meet the threshold at another. If your situation doesn’t fit neatly into the categories, submit the request anyway with strong documentation. A denial doesn’t affect the appointment you already hold.