So many myths surround the much sought after US visa in India that I just haveto bust them. I applied for mine shortly before my 6-month trip toNew York, California and Central America, and was granted a 10-year B1 tourist visa. In 2024, I renewed it through Dropbox before it expired, and was granted another 10-year visa. The best part about having a US visa is that it also givesme ‘visa on arrival’ access to several other countries!
The visaapplication process can be long drawn, with frustrating visa appointment times, but if you are prepared with the right documents and a bit of patience, it is not nearly as difficult as many make it to be.Here are all my tips to help you through this process:
*Update: Wait times in 2024 and how to score an emergency appointment
While waiting in the queue for my passport submission for renewal through Dropbox, I met people who had applied for their US B1/B2 Visa appointments almost 2 years ago! It’s 2024, and sadly the B1 and B2 visas still hasn’t recovered from the massive backlog created during the pandemic. You can check the appointment wait times here, and plan for a leisure or business trip accordingly.
However, if you need to travel to the US urgently – say to attend to an urgent family or business matter – you might be able to request for an emergency appointment. To do this, go through the application process as usual: Fill in your DS-160 visa form accurately, make the visa payment, and schedule an appointment for the earliest available date (which might be a year or two from now!) on the appointment scheduling portal. Once you schedule an appointment, you’ll see an option for ‘Emergency Request’ open up on the left menu of your appointment portal. Click on it, and submit a detailed request with supporting documents, on why you need an earlier appointment.
I followed this process when I urgently needed an F1 visa to finish my Master’s program in the US this summer, and was given a biometrics and interview date in less than a week’s time! The only strange thing was that my biometrics appointment was in Delhi and my consulate interview in Mumbai – and there was no way to change that. It’s happened to others too, but hey, we get what we can if it’s urgent.
1) The USVisa Forms and Fee
Select your location within India, and start your application on the US Consular Electronic Application Centre website. You need to fill the DS-160 visa form (make sure you fill everything accurately and don’t leave any section unanswered), sign it electronically, upload a passport-sizephoto and submit it. You will have a fixed period of time (usually 48 hours) topay your visa fee via internet banking or bank transfer, into an Indian bank account. The US tourist visa fee for Indians is 185$ (roughly INR 15,400). The exact amount will be calculated automatically based on the current exchange rate and given to you at the end of your application.
Make sure you print your DS-160 confirmation page with the barcode, and keep it safely right until your trip to the US.
2) Appointment One:Fingerprinting and Photographs (at the VFS Centre for US in India)
The good part about a US visa applicationis that you don’t have to show confirmed flight and hotel bookings – the way you must for mostother countries. The painful part, however, is that you have to make yourself available in person, TWICE. Check appointment wait times herebased on your location, andbook both your appointments right after submitting your forms, especially if you have to travel to the nearest big cityfor these.
The first appointmentis at VFS USA (visa application centre), where your fingerprints are scanned and your photograph is taken. The process takes less than five minutes, and it’s better to show up a little earlier than your giventime slot, since it’s on a first-come first-serve basis.
Depending on the crowd that day, you may need to line up outdoors first, then be shown in based on your visa application time. Remember that mobile phones are not allowed inside. At the VFS in Delhi, there’s a private paid locker to store your phone.
3) Appointment Two: The Visa Interview
The second and more crucial appointment is the visa interview. You must arrive earlier than your given time slot and be prepared towait on the footpath and/or benches outside. It was an hour before I finally had my turn – and frankly, waiting for such a long time on an unshaded footpath on a hot morning felt humiliating and frustrating. It was even more painful to see a 70+ gentleman being similarly made to wait in the heat.
Remember that phones, electronic devices, eatables, drinkables and bags are not allowed to be takenin. For this reason, I didn’t even carry a bottle of water (though I saw some people being allowed to carry water in – which would be the sensible thing to do). Other than that, carry only your original documents in a transparent folder, and maybe a book or some reading material to keep you entertained.
Applicants are sent inside for the interview in batches, and the application procedure takes only a few minutes. The consular officer is likely to ask you about your invitation letter if you have one, your purpose of visit, how you’ll fund your trip, if it’s your first time travelling outside India, and how long you plan to travel for. Answer truthfully and confidently.
The result of your visa application is told to you by the immigration officer there and then! If your visa is rejected, the officer will hand you a document noting why it’s been rejected, and what you need to do in order to re-apply. Keep calm and ask the visa officer for an explanation or any questions on your mind; they usually oblige.
4) Supporting Documents
For both the appointments, you only need your passport, the DS-160 form submission confirmation, the appointment confirmation, the payment confirmation, and a passport photo.
Unlike other visa applications, the US embassy does not askto see a travel itinerary, confirmed bookings or other documents during the process. However, these can be asked for incase ofadditional screening. To be on the safe side, I carried along aninvitation letter from my brother who lives in the US, a copy of his employment visa and passport, my bank statements, resume and a cover letter. However, I wasn’t asked to produce anyof these.
If you have a relative residing in the US, it can beextremely helpful to have an invitation letter, written by them, preferably on the letterhead of the company they work for, stating that you’ll be visiting and staying with them for a given period of time. Don’t worry if you can’t obtain one – the US embassy website states that itis not necessary to have an invitation letter, nor is that the decisive factor in being granted a visa.
Having stamps from other countries on your passport is helpful, as is having something rooting you to India – like a job or a family. The visa officers need to be convinced that you’ll return to India at the end of your trip.
5)Passport Collection
After a successful interview, it usually takes 7-10 working daysfor your passport to be ready for collection. While submitting the application form, you can choose to sign up for free SMS / email alerts, and track the status online.
The passport needs tobe collected at VFS USA, by submittinga photocopy of your passport or anothervalid Indian ID. Someone can collect it on your behalf with an authorization letter signed by you, and a photocopy of your ID.
6) Renewing your US Visa through Dropbox
If your B1/B2 US Visa is about to expire, or has expired less than 48 months ago, you can apply to renew your visa (in the same category) through a Dropbox submission. This means you don’t need to repeat your biometrics or interview appointments. The wait times are also much less, and new slots are opened every few days.
In order to apply for a US Visa through Dropbox, fill in the DS-160 visa form, and opt to submit your passport via Dropbox. Get an appointment for the Dropbox submission, which takes place at VFS US. Dropbox locations are now also available in smaller cities across India, for an additional fee of INR 850.
During my Dropbox renewal, I wanted to drop off my passport in Chandigarh (the VFS location closest to Himachal, where I’m currently based). Booking an appointment at Chandigarh wasn’t an option on the system, so I called the US embassy customer service, and was told to show up at VFS Chandigarh at the same appointment time I received in Delhi. Sure enough, I was able to drop off my passport at VFS Chandigarh without any queues!
US Visa for Indians: FAQs
1. How much bank balance is required for the US tourist visa?
Unlike other countries, the US doesn’t ask to see a proof of funds.
However, to be on the safe side, I carried a printout of my bank statements during the consulate interview. Being able to show 3-5 lakhs in your account, as a sign that you’ll be able to fund your flights and stay, can be helpful.
2. How many months bank statement is required for the US tourist visa?
A bank statement is not in the required list of documents for the US tourist visa.
However, other embassies usually ask for bank statements of 3-6 months, so if you want to be on the safe side, that’s how many months you can carry.
3. How much is the US tourist visa fee?
As of 2024, the US tourist visa fee for Indian passport holders is 185$, or INR 15,400 based on the current exchange rate.
4. What documents are required for US tourist visa?
For the biometrics and consular appointments for the US tourist visa, you need the following documents:
- Your passport (valid for atleast 6 months)
- Printout of the submission confirmation of the DS-160 form
- Printout of the appointment confirmation
- Printout of the payment confirmation
- Passport photo
Incase of additional screening, you can be asked to show:
- The purpose of your trip: If that’s to visit family or friends, have an invitation letter. If that’s for tourism, have a tentative itinerary.
- Your intent to depart the United States after your trip: An employer letter, employment contract or family in India can show your intention to come back to India after your trip.
- Your ability to pay all costs of the trip: Bank statements can be helpful.
5. What is the difference between a B1 and B2 vista?
B1 is a business visa, while B2 is a tourism visa. Both are short-stay visas, clubbed into the B1/B2 category.
6. How long does it take to get a US tourist visa?
From the time of submission of your passport after the biometrics and consular appointments, receiving a US tourist visa takes 7-10 working days.
7. How long is a US tourist visa valid?
This is the best part – all US tourist visas are issued for 10 years!
8. What is proof of sufficient funds for travel to USA?
As mentioned above, there is no requirement to show a certain amount of funds for a tourist visa for the US. However, in case of additional screening, you maybe asked to submit your bank statements. In that case, showing around 5 lakhs in your account is a good idea.
9. Do US visa officers check bank statements?
No, US visa officers do not check bank statements, unless your visa is temporarily rejected for additional screening. If that happens, you can be asked to show a proof of funds.
10. How can I get a US visa faster from India?
As explained above, if you have a genuine emergency to travel to the US and urgently need a US visa, you can apply for an emergency request. Visa slots are also added occasionally into the appointment system, so keep a look out.
11. How can I increase my chances of getting a US tourist visa?
Visa officers need to be sure that you won’t stay on illegally in the US. Having stamps of other countries – especially the UK, Schengen countries, Australia and Canada – is helpful. Having a job or employer’s letter from India can also indicate that you intend to return.
12. What is the current wait time for US tourist visa?
That depends on the embassy you plan to apply from, but B1/B2 visa wait times can be as long as 2 years.
13. What are the causes of visa rejection?
This depends on a case by case basis. The most common causes of why your US visa maybe rejected are:
- You’ve never travelled out of India before, or don’t have a strong travel history.
- You don’t have a strong reason to return to India (like a job or close family).
- You’re suspected of trying to find a spouse in the US (it happens so often!)
- You don’t have an invitation letter from relatives / family in the US.
I hope that simplifies the US visa process for Indian passport holders. Even if you don’t plan to visit the US anytime soon, it is worth applying for a visa anyway, to get ‘visa on arrival’ access to most Central and South American countries, e-visa access to Turkey, entry into Georgia, and many more places you probably dream of visiting. I’m already usingmine to its full potential!
Also read my tips on how to score a Canada Tourist Visa on an Indian passportand a Schengen visa to travel in Europe. Plus read whether it’s worth getting an E-visa for Georgia with the pre-pandemic deporting of Indians at Tbilisi Airport.
Going to New York? Seemy experiential travel guide to NYC.
Got any other tips or experiences with an Indian passport and a USvisa?
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For more information about the US Visa applications, please see the US embassy website.If you have specific questions about the US visa process for Indians, you can find your nearest embassy here,and contact them by phone or email.
Shivya Nath
Welcome to my blog, The Shooting Star. I’ve been called a storyteller, writer, photographer, digital nomad, “sustainability influencer,” social entrepreneur, solo traveller, vegan, sustainable tourism consultant and environmentalist. But in my heart, I’m just a girl who believes that travel – if done right – has the power to change us and the world we live in.
