• Appointment Scheduling Process
• Reschedule OR Cancellation of appointment.
• If you do not show up for interview?
• VFS service center locations.
• Emergency Appointment

Scheduling an Interview Appointment for US visa purpose.

All US Visa applicant in India is now being served by VFS ( www.vfs-usa.co.in) . A prior appointment is must to appear for the interview.

VFS offers both online as well as offline appointment scheduling facility.

Check the wait time at each US consulate in India before you ready to make an appointment : track online the wait time

As per the new process, it is now must to pay the fee before you make your appointment. Visa application fee ($100= Rs 4800) and VFS service fee(310/- Rs) should be paid before making an appointment. Fee may only be paid at a designated branch of HDFC Bank. Check more details about Visa Fee.

To schedule an online appointment go to VFS website at : www.vfs-usa.co.in

You can also schedule an interview by visiting at VFS service center office at any of the following locations.

Note:

Applicants should use the same passport to purchase their receipt ( Or pay fee) as they will use at the time of interview.
If your passport expires within the next 6 - 12 months It is advised to obtain a new passport prior to purchasing a receipt for a visa interview.

Attention English-speaking nonimmigrant visa applicants from the Chennai consular district

NEW DELHI -- From March 30, 2007 English-speaking nonimmigrant visa applicants from the Chennai consular district can no longer apply for a tourist visa at the U.S. Embassy, New Delhi. Applicants from the Chennai consular district who wish to apply for a tourist visa should book their visa interview appointment through VFS website and attend a visa interview at the U.S. Consulate General, Chennai. Note: Business and BEP applicants from the Chennai consular district can still apply for a visa at the U.S. Embassy, New Delhi.

Reminder: Student visa applicants from the Chennai consular district must continue to apply for their visas only at the U.S. Consulate General, Chennai.

Attention English-speaking nonimmigrant visa applicants from the Mumbai consular district

NEW DELHI -- English-speaking nonimmigrant visa applicants from the Mumbai consular district, with the exception of student visa applicants, can apply for a visa at the U.S. Embassy, New Delhi. Applicants from the Mumbai consular district who wish to apply for a visa should book their visa interview appointment through VFS website

Reschedule / Cancel of an Appointment

NO SHOW APPLICANTS ( May 07, 2007)

Applicants that have failed to appear for their scheduled interview appointment at the U.S. Embassy or at the U.S. Consulate in Chennai, Mumbai or Kolkata are considered as 'NO SHOW' applicants.

If a 'NO SHOW' applicant wishes to schedule a new appointment, needs to reactivate their HDFC bank receipt a minimum of 2 working days after their scheduled interview appointment date:

1. Visit any of our VFS application centre along with your passport and valid original HDFC bank fee receipt.

2. Pay a service charge of Rs.155/- per applicant (inclusive of service tax@ 12% and education cess at .24%). This fees has to be paid at VFS application centre ONLY, in cash or via demand draft in favour of ‘HDFC bank a/c VFS’.

Note: This fee is not to be paid at HDFC bank.

3. You can then use the same HDFC bank fee receipt to schedule a new interview appointment within the validity period of the HDFC bank fee receipt (1 year from the date of purchase).

Move appointment to later date (Postpone)

You can move your appointment to a later date only once. To move your appointment to later date a second time, first cancel your current appointment and then book a new appointment.

Move appointment to earlier date ( Prepone)

To move your appointment to an earlier date, cancel your current appointment and then book a new appointment.

Cancel appointment

You can cancel your appointment only two times. After the second cancellation your HDFC Visa Fee Receipt is deactivated for 90 calendar days. You will not be able to book another appointment until the 90 days have passed.
Move appointment to an emergency date

To move your appointment to an emergency date you must not cancel your current appointment . When you see the ‘Emergency Appointment’ link in the appointments calendar, click on it and follow the instructions. Book an emergency appointment only if you qualify for one and can provide documentary evidence of the emergency. Penalties apply to those that misuse this system.

Note:

1. Your HDFC Visa Fee Receipt can be used to book a visa interview appointment and appear within one year from the date of issuance. The Fee Receipt will expire if you do not actually appear for the interview within one year and you will need to buy a new receipt if you still wish to travel to the U.S.
2. You can change or cancel your visa interview appointment up to two business days before your appointment unless your appointment is at the U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai. If your appointment is at the U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai you can change or cancel your appointment up to five business days before the appointment
   

Save your Application

You can save your application for a maximum of 7 calendar days. Within this period, you may retrieve your application and continue to schedule your appointment. If you fail to confirm your appointment within 7 calendar days, your application will be deleted. You will have to re-enter your application all over again.

If you do not appear for intervieew on your schedule date your HDFC receipt will be deactivated -Oct 11, 2006

Effective Oct 11, 2006 - If the applicant does not appear for a visa interview appointment, the HDFC Visa Fee Receipt will be deactivated. The applicant will not be able to book another appointment. If the applicant has a valid reason why he/she did not appear for the appointment, he/she can request that VFS reactivate your Visa Fee Receipt. To make the request the applicant must go in person to the nearest VFS U.S. Visa Application Center and bring with the applicant's passport and HDFC Visa Fee Receipt. At the Center, the applicant request that the receipt is reactivated, explain why it was not possible to appear for the appointment and show them the applicant's passport and HDFC Visa Fee Receipt. VFS will then decide whether to reactivate the receipt or not. If VFS reactivates the applicant's receipt, the applicant will be able to book another appointment through VFS.

The Embassy regrets any inconvenience these changes may cause visa applicants. All other parts of the visa interview appointment system remain the same.

VFS has expanded their offices and now applicants will also have greater access to over-the-counter information and assistance at more locations. U.S. Visa Application Centers are being opened at new locations in Punjab at Jalandhar and Chandigarh, in Andhra Pradesh at Vijaywada, and in Kerala at Cochin.
You can contact VFS at info@vsfs-usa.co.in

Here is a list of VFS India wide service center offices.

How to contact VFS :

email: info@vfs-usa.co.in

Phone :

1. Northern India excluding Punjab – 011 4222 0000
2. Punjab - 0181 504 1444
3. Western India – 022 66547600
4. Southern India – 044 4231 6767
5. Eastern India - 033 2288 2480

working Hours for agents to respond to phone calls between 8 AM-1 PM & 1:30 PM - 5PM Monday to Friday. Excluding holidays.

If you have an unforeseen travel need as per one of the criteria listed below, you may qualify for an out-of-turn emergency appointment slot:

• To obtain emergency medical care, or to accompany a relative or employer for emergency medical care. 
• To attend the funeral of an immediate family member (mother, father, brother, sister, child, grandparent or grandchild).
• To attend to an urgent business matter where the travel requirement could not be predicted in advance.
• Students or exchange visitors who are within 90 days of their start date of a valid program and who have not been refused a visa within the last six months. 
• H and L visa renewals for applicants who are already working in the U.S. and are returning to their jobs.

Travel for the purpose of attending weddings, assisting pregnant daughters, or attending graduation ceremonies do not qualify for emergency appointments. For such travel, please request an ordinary appointment well in advance.

Before you apply for an emergency appointment, you must ensure that you have documentary evidence to prove the urgency.

If it is detected during the visa interview that you made a misrepresentation to take an emergency appointment, the facts will be noted on your case file, which will influence the outcome of your visa application.

What is the Rush Service?

This is an optional service by which you may opt to collect your passport across the counter at the US Visa Application Center (VFS) located in the city where you were interviewed. Your passport will be handed across the counter between 15:00 to 17:00 hours on the day it is received from the Consulate. If it is not collected the same evening the passport will be automatically dispatched to you by courier. To avail this service you are required to pay a supplement of Rs. 56/- (inclusive of taxes), payable at the time of taking delivery of the passport.

Related Links:

• Visitor Visa home page
• Business visa ( B1) home page
• USA visa fee details