Nonimmigrant Visas

Applying for a Visa : A Step-by-Step Guide

Please use the summary and detailed step-by-step guide provided below to assist you throughout the nonimmigrant visa application process.

Summary of the Application Process

There are four simple steps in the visa application process. To learn more about each step of the application process, click on a title below.

Step 1: Pay the Application Fee & Service Charge
Step 2: Book an Appointment & Complete the Application Forms
Note: Special procedures for those who want to submit a visa application at the U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai
Step 3: Attend your Visa Interview
Step 4: Return of Passport by Courier

Who do I contact in case of a problem?

Step 1: Pay the Application Fee & Service Charge

Nonimmigrant visa applicants must pay an Application Fee and VFS' Service Charge at a designated branch of the HDFC Bank.  When you have paid these fees, make sure you obtain a two-page Visa Fee Receipt. Exemption from these fees applies to "Officials traveling on government business" and "Officials of International Organizations traveling for official purposes".

Further Instructions & Information:

• The Application Fee and VFS' Service Charge are nonrefundable and must be paid by each applicant
• When you go to a HDFC Bank, please bring your passport with you or a photocopy of the bio-data page of the applicant's passport if you are assisting an applicant
• At the HDFC Bank, the Application Fee can be paid in cash or by Demand Draft/HDFC check that favors the "U.S. Embassy - Visa Fees"
• At the HDFC Bank, the VFS Service Charge can be paid in cash or by Demand Draft/HDFC Bank check that favors the "HDFC Bank a/c VFS"
• For the current cost of the Application Fee and VFS' Service Charge, click on Rules & Fees in the left-hand menu at the top of this page
• When you purchase your Visa Fee Receipt, use the passport you will use at your visa interview. An applicant whose passport expires in the next 6 to 12 months is advised to obtain a new passport before purchasing a Visa Fee Receipt
• If in the event your passport is lost or expired, you will still have to book your appointment using your old passport number. At the time of your interview the new passport number will be updated in your visa record
• Demand Drafts from co-operative banks will not be accepted
• Write your complete name and passport number on the back of each Demand Draft
• Activation of the Visa Fee Receipt occurs two business days after the date of issuance. Do not attempt to take a visa interview appointment till then
• The Visa Fee Receipt from HDFC Bank can be used to make an appointment within 1 year from date of issuance
• The Visa Fee Receipt is void once the interview has taken place, and cannot be used to make a subsequent appointment
• If you lose your Visa Fee Receipt you must pay the fees again and get a new receipt
• The VFS Service Charge covers on-line or phone-in information, assistance with making appointments and return by courier of passports with new visas
• If you are an Indian or Bhutanese citizen resident in the U.S., to pay the Visa Application Fee and VFS Service Charge at the HDFC Bank and obtain a Visa Fee Receipt, please fax a copy of your passport’s bio-data page to the person assisting you in India or Bhutan. That person will have to submit the fax to a designated branch of the HDFC Bank, pay the Visa Application Fee and VFS Service Charge and obtain the Visa Fee Receipt.

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Step 2: Book an Appointment & Complete the Application Forms

Two business days after you receive your Visa Fee Receipt you can book a visa interview appointment online. Log onto http://www.vfs-usa.co.in and click on the "Apply for a Non-immigrant Visa" link. Please have your two-page Visa Fee Receipt on hand, as you need it to book your appointment. As part of the online booking process, you are required to print your appointment letter and complete and print forms DS-156, DS-157 (if applicable) and DS-158 (if applicable).

Note: If you want to submit a visa application at the U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai there are some different procedures > learn more

Further Instructions & Information:

General

• Activation of the Visa Fee Receipt occurs two business days after the date of issuance. Do not attempt to take a visa interview appointment till then
• Your Visa Fee Receipt can be used to make an visa interview appointment within 1 year from date of issuance
• If you live in India or Bhutan, you must appear for your visa interview at the Visa Section that has jurisdiction over the Consular District where you have been resident for the last six months. If you have permanently moved location in the last six months, and are not on a temporary transfer, you should apply at the Visa Section covering your present residence. For information on Consular Districts, click on Rules & Fees in the left-hand menu at the top of this page 
• If you want your spouse/child to travel to the U.S. with you, apply for your visas at the same time. Book your visa interview appointments for the same day and attend your visa interview together
• A visa interview can be carried out in English, Hindi, or a regional language. For more information about visa interviews in regional languages, please contact VFS
• If you are an Indian citizen resident in the U.S. you may attend a nonimmigrant visa interview in India at one of four locations: the U.S. Embassy, New Delhi; U.S. Consulate General, Chennai; U.S. Consulate General, Kolkata; and U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai. Bhutanese citizens resident in the U.S. can only attend a visa interview at the U.S. Embassy, New Delhi
• The U.S. Embassy/Consulates control the number and allocation of visa interview appointments, not VFS 
• The U.S. Embassy/Consulates will make additional visa interview appointments available as resources permit. In addition, cancellation or modification of visa interview appointments in the VFS appointment system makes new appointments available. Applicants who want an early appointment should check the VFS website regularly

Booking online with VFS

• When asked to choose your "State of Residence" you must choose the last state in which you lived for at least six months, unless you are an Indian citizen resident in the U.S.
• When asked to enter your Visa Fee Receipt number (the barcode number) you will also be asked to create a password based on your 'Mother's Name'. This is a new security feature. You must remember your password. If you want to reschedule/cancel, modify or download your visa application you will need to enter your password and Visa Fee Receipt number to complete these tasks. If you forget your password you must contact VFS
• Your completed and printed DS-156 Form must have a barcode printed on the first page. This barcode matches the barcode on your Visa Fee Receipt
• Use a laser printer to print your application forms
• If you completed your application forms online and did not book your visa interview appointment, VFS' system saves your forms for seven calendar days only. After seven days your forms are deleted and you will have to complete the forms again
• If you completed your application forms online and booked your visa interview appointment, VFS' system saves your forms and you can retrieve and modify them up to two business days before your interview. Go to the VFS website, click the "Apply for Non-immigrant Visa" link and continue until the "Retrieve/Modify a saved application" link appears. Click on this link, follow the instructions and make your changes. Note: in the online DS-156 Form you cannot modify Boxes 1 to 14
• If you want an earlier visa interview appointment, you must first cancel your current appointment and then, with your valid Visa Fee Receipt, you book another appointment online. To cancel or book an appointment, click here
• You can cancel your visa interview 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 has passed 
• You can cancel/reschedule 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 cancel/reschedule your appointment up to five business days before the appointment. To cancel/reschedule your appointment, click here
• If you want to postpone your appointment, you can do this only once and after that, you must cancel your appointment and book another appointment. To postpone your appointment, click here

Completing & Printing Application Forms

• Respond to all the questions. If you have no response for a question, write "none" or "nil". Do not draw a line or write "NA" or "not applicable" 
• You may amend, at any time, your completed and printed application forms in pen if the details of your application change or you made a mistake. Do not complete and print another DS-156 or DS-157 Form. Amend your original forms instead
• You must provide specific contact and address information both in India and the U.S. Applications with responses such as "any hotel" as the address in the U.S. will be rejected for additional information
• In Box 3 of the DS-156 Form (Issuing Country), write in the country that issued you your passport.
• If you have only one name, a "first name", please enter your name in Box 6 of the DS-156 Form (Surnames) and write "FNU" in Box 7 (First & Middle Names)
• If you have first and second names, but no surname, please enter your second name in Box 6 of the DS-156 Form (Surnames)
• In Box 8 of the DS-156 Form (Other Surnames Used), if you are a married woman write in your surname (or second name) before marriage, that is, your "maiden" name
• In Box 22 of the DS-156 Form (When do you intend to Arrive in the U.S.?) you must give a date. This can be a specific date or a tentative date
• In Box 41 of the DS-156 Form, you must sign the application, even if someone else fills out your form 
• Use a laser printer to print your application forms
• In Box 3 of the DS-157 Form [Full Name (In Native Alphabet)], you must write your full name in your native alphabet.  This could be Hindi script if you are an Indian
• All applicants are personally responsible and accountable for the answers on their application forms, regardless of who fills out the form

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Step 3: Attend your Visa Interview

On the day of your visa interview, report to the appropriate U.S. Consulate General in India 15 minutes before your appointment. Report to Gate 6 (Visa Gate) if your appointment is scheduled at the U.S. Embassy, New Delhi.

If your visa interview is at the U.S. Embassy, New Delhi, U.S. Consulate General, Chennai, or U.S. Consulate General, Kolkata bring to the interview the mandatory documents, that is, your passport(s), two-page Visa Fee Receipt with barcode stickers, application form(s), appointment letter, demand draft (if applicable) and one recent photograph. You should also bring your supporting documents.

If your visa interview is at the U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai bring to the interview your original passport(s), appointment letter, a demand draft (if applicable) and the original of any document you submitted to VFS as a copy, for example, a Form I-797 (Notice of Action). You should also bring your supporting documents.

If you are not an Indian or Bhutanese citizen or a holder of a yellow Identity Certificate, you may have to pay a Visa Issuance Fee. To find out if you must pay a Visa Issuance Fee and what it will cost, click here. If you have to pay this fee, obtain a Demand Draft in Indian rupees for the correct fee and bring it to your visa interview. Full instructions are given below.

If you are applying for an L-1 Visa under a blanket petition, you are required to pay the Blanket L-1 Visa Fee. To pay this fee, obtain a Demand Draft in Indian rupees for the correct fee and bring it to your visa interview. Full instructions are given below.

Further Instructions & Information:

General

• For the latest information about fees, charges and required documents, click on Rules & Fees in the left-hand menu at the top of this page
• Have all mandatory documents in your hand when you approach the counter windows outside the Consular Section
• Do not push folders or sealed envelopes through any of the counter windows outside or inside the Consular Section 
• Your passport(s) and visa application(s) must be in your hand when you approach the counter windows inside the Consular Section
• If you return to the Consular Section because of a 221g visa denial, join the queue to enter building and ask at the counter windows outside the Consular Section how to proceed
• Interpreters can attend an applicant's visa interview if the applicant speaks another language and the Consular Section approves the presence of an interpreter
• If you do not attend your visa interview appointment your valid HDFC Visa Fee Receipt will be deactivated. You cannot book another appointment until the receipt is reactivated. A receipt can only be reactivated a minimum of two business days after your last visa interview appointment date
• To reactivate your valid HDFC Visa Fee Receipt, bring your passport and original receipt to a VFS U.S. Visa Application Center. At the VFS center, request reactivation of your receipt and pay VFS a service charge. The service charge can be paid in cash or by a demand draft that favors “HDFC Bank a/c VFS”. Note: This service charge can only be paid at a VFS center. Once the receipt is reactivated, you can book a new visa interview appointment within the validity period of the receipt, that is, one year from the date of purchase.

Note: If you do not attend a visa interview appointment at the U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai, as indicated by non-submission of documents to VFS, you can also reactivate your receipt two business days after your visa appointment date by using the same procedure

Documents & Photo

• You must bring all mandatory documents to your visa interview
• Submit your DS-156 Form with a photo that meets the requirements
• Bring your supporting documents with you to your visa interview
• For the latest information about mandatory and supporting documents and the photo, click on Rules & Fees in the left-hand menu at the top of this page 
• Please note that if you do not present the mandatory documents and a photo that meets the requirements, your visa application will be considered incomplete

To learn about Rules & Fees > click here

Biometrics (Fingerprints)

• All applicants will be fingerprinted except those in the following categories: children under 14 years old; adults over 79 years old; and A-1, A-2, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, C-3 and NATO applicants
• If you have a diplomatic or official passport but apply for other types of visas, you will be fingerprinted
• Prints of your left and right index fingers will taken unless you lack either or both index fingers in which case prints from other fingers will be taken
• Please have clean hands for fingerprinting

Security Rules

• For the latest Security Rules, click on Rules & Fees in the left-hand menu at the top of this page

Rules for Interested Parties

• For the latest Rules for Interested Parties, click on Rules & Fees in the left-hand menu at the top of this page

To learn about Rules & Fees > click here

Visa Issuance Fee

• After a consular officer has approved the issuance of a visa, you may have to pay a Visa Issuance Fee
• Indian and Bhutanese citizens and holders of the yellow Identity Certificate are exempt from this fee
• To find out if you must pay a Visa Issuance Fee and what it will cost, click here
• The Visa Issuance Fee can only be paid by a Demand Draft that favors the “U.S. Embassy, New Delhi”, “U.S. Consulate General, Chennai”, “U.S. Consulate General, Kolkata”, or “U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai.” Demand Drafts can be obtained from national or international banks in India
• All Demand Drafts should be in Indian rupees. Conversion from USD to rupees must be based on the Consular Exchange Rate
• If you have to pay a Visa Issuance Fee, you must bring the Demand Draft to your visa interview appointment
• Demand Drafts from cooperative banks will not be accepted
• Please write your complete name and passport number on the back of the Demand Draft 
• If a visa is authorized the Visa Issuance Fee will have to be paid immediately. The consular officer will retain your Demand Draft
• When you are issued a visa, the Visa Issuance Fee becomes non-refundable
• If you are denied a visa, you can cancel the Demand Draft to reclaim the fee

To learn about Rules & Fees > click here

Blanket L-1 Visa Fee

• This fee covers the cost of a fraud prevention and detection investigation
• All principal applicants for the L-1 visa who apply using a blanket petition must pay this fee
• If your original L-1 visa has expired and you reapply under the same blanket petition the fee is charged again
• The Blanket L-1 Visa Fee can only be paid by a Demand Draft that favors the “U.S. Embassy, New Delhi”, “U.S. Consulate General, Chennai”, “U.S. Consulate General, Kolkata”, or “U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai.” Demand Drafts can be obtained from national or international banks in India
• The Blanket L-1 Visa Fee is not required for a spouse or child applying for a L-2 visa
• For the current cost of the Blanket L-1 Visa Fee, click on Rules & Fees in the left-hand menu at the top of this page
• If you have to pay the Blanket L-1 Visa Fee, you must bring the Demand Draft to your visa interview appointment
• Demand Drafts from cooperative banks will not be accepted
• Please write your complete name and passport number on the back of the Demand Draft
• The Blanket L-1 Visa Fee is non-refundable

To learn about Rules & Fees > click here

Visa Denials

• If denied a visa, your passport and other documents are handed back to you by the consular officer
• If denied a visa and you want to know more about visa denials or how to reapply, click on Visa Denials in the left-hand menu at the top of this page

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Step 4: Return of Passport by Courier

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Who do I contact in case of a problem?

If you have problems with the application process or want more information, please contact VFS using the following methods:

VFS Helplines

• Chennai Helpline: +91-(0)44-4231-6767
• Jalandhar Helpline: +91-(0)181-504-1444
• Kolkata Helpline: +91-(0)33-2288-2480
• Mumbai Helpline: +91-(0)22-6654-7600
• New Delhi Helpline: +91-(0)11-4222-0000

VFS agents respond to phone calls from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Indian holidays observed by the U.S. mission to India.

If you are calling from outside India, please call VFS at +91-(0)44-4231-6767

E-mail VFS

• Chennai: infouschennai@vfshelpline.com
• Kolkata: infouskolkata@vfshelpline.com
• Mumbai: infousmumbai@vfshelpline.com
• New Delhi: infousdelhi@vfshelpline.com

VFS responds to e-mailed inquiries Monday through Friday and within two business days.

VFS U.S. Visa Application Centers in India

• Northern India
• Southern India
• Eastern India
• Western India

Internet

http://www.vfs-usa.co.in

To learn about Rules & Fees > click here