To schedule a US visa appointment for a nonimmigrant visa, you complete Form DS-160 online, pay the Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee, and then book an interview slot through the Department of State’s appointment portal for the country where you’re applying. The two portals in use are ustraveldocs.com and ais.usvisa-info.com, and which one you log into depends on your location. Everything up to the interview itself happens online; the interview is in person at a US embassy or consulate.
The calendar won’t open until four things are in place: a qualifying passport, a paid visa fee, a submitted DS-160, and a compliant photo. Get those ready first, in that order, and the booking step takes only a few minutes.
Passport Requirements
Your passport must be machine-readable and, as a general rule, valid for at least six months beyond your intended stay in the United States.1U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Six-Month Validity Update Citizens of countries that have signed bilateral agreements with the US are exempt from the six-month rule and only need a passport valid through the end of their planned stay.2U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Technical Requirements for Passports – Section: Six Month Club Requirements CBP publishes the current list of exempt countries on its website.
Paying the Visa Fee
The MRV fee depends on your visa category. Standard nonimmigrant categories, including B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F-1 student visas, cost $185. Petition-based work categories like H-1B, L-1, O-1, and R-1 cost $205. Treaty trader and investor visas in the E category cost $315.3U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador. Important Visa Information – Section: Payment Methods and Details
You pay through the scheduling portal or at a designated bank, depending on the country. Once the payment clears, the system issues a receipt number that you enter into your profile to unlock the calendar. Keep the receipt. The fee stays valid for 365 days from the date you paid. If you don’t schedule or attend an interview within that window, the fee expires and cannot be recovered.4Official U.S. Department of State Visa Appointment Service. U.S. Visa Appointment Service – Visa Fees – Section: Visa Application Fee Terms and Conditions
Completing the DS-160
Every nonimmigrant visa applicant files Form DS-160 electronically through the Consular Electronic Application Center.5eCFR. 22 CFR 41.103 – Filing an Application The form asks for biographical details, employment and education history, travel plans, family information, and answers to questions on criminal history, prior immigration violations, and health conditions tied to the grounds of inadmissibility under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Plan on 60 to 90 minutes. The session can time out, so save frequently using the application ID the system assigns when you begin, and write that ID down so you can return to your draft later. Answer carefully. A consular officer compares your DS-160 answers against what you say in the interview, and inconsistencies can lead to a denial.
When you submit the form, the system generates a confirmation page with a barcode that starts with “AA.”6U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Turkiye. Important Update – DS-160 Barcode Number Must Match Appointment Information Print it. You need the barcode to book your appointment and to bring on interview day. As of May 2025, the barcode on your confirmation page must exactly match the one tied to your appointment. If you submit a new DS-160 after scheduling, update the barcode in the appointment system or you risk being turned away.
Photo Requirements
The DS-160 requires a digital photo upload, and some embassies also ask you to bring a printed copy to the interview. The photo must be in color, taken within the last six months, against a plain white or off-white background, with a neutral expression and both eyes open. Eyeglasses aren’t allowed unless you have a signed medical statement explaining why they can’t be removed. Your head should fill 50 to 69 percent of the image height, measured from chin to crown.7U.S. Department of State. Photo Requirements The DS-160 upload tool will reject anything that doesn’t meet the size or composition standards, so get the photo right before you start the form.
Booking the Interview Slot
Log into your profile on the appointment portal once your fee receipt and DS-160 barcode are linked. Select your visa category and the embassy or consulate where you want to interview. The system then shows a calendar with available dates and times. Pick a date, confirm on the summary screen, and the system generates an appointment confirmation page.
Print it. That page is your entry pass to the embassy and lists your appointment time, the consulate address, and the document delivery method you selected. During scheduling, you also choose how your passport comes back after the interview, either pickup at a designated courier location or, where available, delivery to your home or office. Courier details vary by country. Passports not retrieved within 15 days of becoming available are typically returned to the consulate.8Official U.S. Department of State Visa Appointment Service. Visa Document Courier Services
Can You Skip the Interview
Some renewal applicants can bypass the in-person interview through an interview waiver, sometimes called “dropbox” processing. As of October 2026, the State Department has significantly narrowed waiver eligibility, and most employment-based visa holders, including those in H-1B, H-4, L-1, and O-1 status, now must appear in person.
The categories that still qualify are limited. B-1/B-2 renewal applicants may be eligible if they apply within 12 months of their prior visa’s expiration, provided that visa was issued for full validity and the applicant was at least 18 when it was issued. Diplomatic and official visa holders in A, G, and NATO categories generally remain eligible. H-2A agricultural workers renewing within 12 months of expiration may also qualify. Even in these categories, consular officers can require an interview at their discretion.
To qualify for any waiver, you must apply in your country of nationality or habitual residence, have no prior visa refusals on your record unless formally overcome, and have no apparent grounds of inadmissibility. First-time applicants in any category always need an interview.
Getting an Earlier Date
If the earliest available slot is weeks or months out and you have a genuine emergency, you can request an expedited appointment through the scheduling portal. Consular sections grant these at their discretion, and the standard is high. Qualifying situations typically include urgent medical treatment in the US for you or your minor child, the death or life-threatening illness of an immediate family member in the US, time-sensitive business travel, and events of significant cultural, political, or economic importance.9U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic. Expedited Nonimmigrant Visa Appointments
Submit the request online with supporting documentation: a letter from a US hospital, funeral arrangements, a company letter explaining the business urgency, or an invitation from a hosting organization. You should hear back by email within a few business days. An approved expedite moves you to an earlier slot; a denied one leaves your original appointment unchanged. Long regular wait times and nonrefundable plane tickets don’t count as emergencies.
Rescheduling or Canceling
You can reschedule or cancel through your profile on the scheduling portal without paying an additional fee, as long as your original MRV fee is still within its 365-day validity window.10U.S. Embassy in North Macedonia. Important Visa Information – Section: Visa Application Fee Terms and Conditions The system limits how many times you can reschedule before requiring a new fee payment, and the exact cap varies by post. If the system blocks you after multiple reschedules, you’ll need to pay the MRV fee again to regain access to the calendar.
You can also update certain details, like a new passport number or a changed delivery address, without canceling the appointment. Make those updates as soon as they come up so the consulate has current information when your interview arrives.
What to Bring on Interview Day
Arrive at the embassy or consulate with your printed appointment confirmation, your DS-160 confirmation page with the barcode, your current passport, and any previous passports that contained US visas. Some posts also require a printed photo meeting the same specifications as the DS-160 upload.7U.S. Department of State. Photo Requirements
Beyond the paperwork, bring supporting documents that show the purpose of your trip and your ties to your home country. What counts as strong evidence depends on your visa category:
- B-1/B-2 visitors: invitation letters, hotel reservations, travel itinerary, proof of employment or business ownership at home, bank statements showing sufficient funds, and evidence of property or family ties in your country.
- F-1 students: the I-20 form from the school, proof of financial support (bank statements, scholarship letters, or sponsor affidavits), transcripts, and standardized test scores.
- H-1B and L-1 workers: the I-797 approval notice, the employer’s petition, a resume, and educational credentials.
Consular officers have wide latitude to ask about anything on your DS-160 or anything relevant to your eligibility. The interview itself is usually brief, a few minutes for straightforward cases, but bring originals of any document you might reference. Photocopies alone won’t always satisfy an officer.