B-1/B-2 Visa Appointment: Wait Times, Booking & Tips (2026)

B-1 and B-2 visa appointment wait times exceed 12 months in high-demand countries like India, so going into the process prepared makes a real difference.

Before you begin, three things are worth checking: your consulate's current wait time, which scheduling platform your country uses, and whether your nationality is affected by the 2026 travel ban.

To book your appointment, you'll need a completed DS-160 (the online visa application form), the MRV fee payment, and an account on your consulate's scheduling platform.

What is the B-1/B-2 visa appointment process

The B-1/B-2 visa appointment follows seven steps, from completing your online application to collecting your passport. The exact order and platform vary by country, but the steps are the same for everyone.

If you're renewing a B-1/B-2 visa that expired within the last 12 months, you may qualify for an interview waiver and skip the in-person interview entirely.

Which scheduling platform to use

Three platforms handle U.S. visa appointment scheduling worldwide. Which one you use depends on your country of residence, not citizenship.

• US Travel Docs
• US Visa Scheduling
• U.S. Visa Information and Appointment Services

Use the table below to find the platform assigned to your country. Always confirm on your specific embassy's website before creating an account. Registering on the wrong platform means starting over.

How to schedule your B-1/B-2 visa appointment

1. Complete and submit the DS-160 at ceac.state.gov (60–90 minutes)
2. Create an account on your consulate's scheduling platform and pay the MRV fee (15–30 minutes)
3. Select your consulate and book an appointment date (5–10 minutes)
4. Attend your OFC biometrics appointment, if required at your consulate (15–30 minutes)
5. Attend your visa interview at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate (3–5 minutes)
6. Receive visa decision at the embassy (same day, usually)
7. Collect your passport with the visa stamp by embassy pickup or courier (3–7 business days)

Steps one through three are covered in detail below.

Step 1: Complete and submit the DS-160

Fill out the DS-160. The form covers personal information, travel plans, employment history, and security-related questions.

Save your application ID as soon as you start, because the system times out after 20 minutes of inactivity. Once you submit, print the confirmation page with the barcode. You'll need it at your interview.

The DS-160 is valid for one year from submission. If your appointment is more than a year away, you'll need to resubmit before your interview date.

If you're not ready to submit immediately, some platforms require you to log in at least every 30 days to keep a draft active. An incomplete form can expire if left untouched.

Step 2: Create an account and pay the MRV fee

Create an account on your consulate's scheduling platform using your passport details. Make sure everything matches what you entered on the DS-160 exactly.

Then pay the $185 MRV fee (as of March 2026, fee subject to change) through the platform's payment system. The fee is nonrefundable, even if your visa is denied. Your receipt is valid for 365 days from the date of payment.

If the payment fails or times out, wait before trying again. Duplicate payments are not refunded, and resolving them can take weeks.

Step 3: Select your consulate and book a date

Once your fee is paid, you can view available dates at your selected consulate. At high-demand consulates, the earliest slot may be 12 months or more away.

It's tempting to wait, hoping a slot closer to your travel date appears on its own. It rarely works that way. Book the first available date now. You can always move it earlier if a cancellation slot opens up, and waiting to book only pushes you further back in the queue.

B-1/B-2 visa appointment wait times by consulate

Wait times vary dramatically by consulate, from a few weeks to well over a year. The official wait time tool at travel.state.gov is the best starting point for checking current estimates.

How to check current wait times

Visit the wait times page on travel.state.gov. Select your country and consulate to see the current estimated wait for visitor visa (B-1/B-2) interviews. The tool updates regularly based on consulate workload and staffing levels.

Countries with the longest waits

India consistently has the longest B-1/B-2 wait times, ranging from 12 to 15 months or more across consulates in Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai. Brazil follows, with waits of six to 12 months at consulates in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

The October 2025 interview waiver changes made these backlogs longer. Applicants who previously qualified for the dropbox now need in-person interviews, adding to an already strained queue.

Countries with shorter waits

European consulates tend to move much faster. London, Paris, and Frankfurt often show waits of just a few weeks, which makes them worth considering if you're able to travel to Europe for your interview.

How to get an earlier B-1/B-2 visa appointment

Monitor for cancellation slots

Cancellation slots are the fastest way to move up your date without paying anything extra. Other applicants cancel or reschedule constantly, and those freed-up slots go back into the system immediately.

Slots at high-demand consulates appear and disappear within minutes. Check the scheduling platform every three to four hours if you're actively looking. Some applicants report the best results checking just after midnight, when batch releases are more common, though release schedules vary by consulate and can change.

If you get locked out of a regular session, try an incognito browser window.

Consider a third-country consulate

If your home consulate has a 12-month wait and you'll be traveling somewhere with shorter queues, you can apply there instead. Consulates in the Caribbean, Europe, and parts of the Middle East often have significantly more availability.

A consular officer may ask why you're applying outside your home country, so this works best when you have a genuine reason for being there: work, study, or existing travel plans. Applying at a consulate with no connection to your situation may raise questions.

One practical note: applying at a consulate in a different country typically requires a new DS-160 submission, since the DS-160 is linked to the consulate location you select during the form.

Book first, optimize later

The most effective strategy is to book the first available date immediately, then keep monitoring for cancellations. This gives you a confirmed appointment while leaving room to move it earlier. Checking at least twice daily significantly improves your chances of catching a slot.

Rescheduling your appointment

Every consulate has a reschedule limit. In India, that limit dropped to one reschedule per application in late 2024. At other consulates, limits vary, so check your specific embassy's policy page before using yours.

There is no fee to reschedule. Your MRV fee receipt covers the change and remains valid for 365 days from payment.

At some consulates, cancelling without immediately rebooking counts against your reschedule limit. Always reschedule rather than cancel and rebook as separate actions.

Save your reschedule for a meaningful improvement. Several months earlier is worth using it. A few weeks is not, because you don't want to use your only reschedule on a small gain and miss a much better slot the following week.

How to request an expedited appointment

The State Department grants expedited appointments for a limited set of circumstances. Approval rates are low, and requests for convenience are not considered.

Qualifying reasons:

• Urgent medical treatment in the U.S. that cannot wait
• Death or serious illness of an immediate family member in the U.S.
• Urgent business travel with a documented deadline

These do not qualify:

• Weddings or family celebrations
• Graduation ceremonies
• Conferences or non-essential business events
• Tourism or vacation plans

To submit a request, you must already have a completed DS-160, a paid MRV fee, and a regular appointment booked. The embassy will not process a request from someone who has not completed those steps first.

Submit through your scheduling platform's expedite portal with supporting documents and a brief explanation. Most embassies respond within five business days. There is no appeal if your request is denied.

Interview waiver and dropbox appointments

The interview waiver program narrowed significantly on October 1, 2025. If you're renewing a B-1/B-2 visa, check your eligibility before assuming you can use the dropbox.

Who qualifies after October 2025

A dropbox appointment allows qualifying renewal applicants to submit documents at a collection center without attending an in-person interview. After October 1, 2025, the eligibility criteria are:

• Your prior B-1/B-2 visa expired within the last 12 months
• You were 18 or older at the time your prior visa was issued (not just at the time of renewal)
• The consulate issued your prior visa with full validity for your nationality
• You are applying in your home country

Full validity means the maximum duration your country of citizenship receives. Indian nationals typically receive 10-year B-1/B-2 visas. If your visa was issued for a shorter period than the standard for your nationality, it may not meet the full-validity requirement.

Here is how the 12-month window works in practice. If your previous visa expired in June 2025 and you are applying in March 2026, that is nine months since expiration, so you qualify. If it expired in December 2024 and you are applying in March 2026, that is 15 months, so you do not qualify and need a full in-person interview.

What changed in October 2025

Before October 2025, the waiver program covered more applicants. Children under 14 were exempt from in-person interviews, seniors over 79 were exempt, and many renewal applicants with visas expired for years could still use the dropbox.

All of those exemptions have been removed.

The result is a significant increase in demand for interview slots worldwide. Applicants who previously used the dropbox now compete for the same dates as first-time applicants, contributing to longer waits at already backlogged consulates like those in India and Brazil.

What is an OFC appointment

The OFC, or Offsite Facilitation Center, is a separate biometrics appointment where your fingerprints and photo are collected before your visa interview. The visit takes 15 to 30 minutes, but missing it will result in your interview being cancelled.

In India, the OFC is typically scheduled one to two days before your interview. At other consulates, biometrics may be collected at the embassy on the day of your interview, so no separate OFC visit is needed.

Check your consulate's instructions after booking. If an OFC appointment is required, the scheduling platform will prompt you to book one.

Bring the following to your OFC appointment:

• Valid passport
• DS-160 confirmation page with barcode
• Visa appointment confirmation letter
• MRV fee payment receipt

B-1/B-2 visa travel restrictions in 2026

Proclamation 10998 restricts visa issuance for nationals of 39 countries and took effect January 1, 2026. If your country is affected, your B-1/B-2 appointment may already be suspended, and the $185 MRV fee is nonrefundable if you pay before checking.

Countries affected

The proclamation divides the 39 designated countries into two groups.

Nineteen countries face a partial ban, which suspends B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visa categories while leaving work visa categories like H-1B and L-1 open.

The other 19 face a full ban, which suspends all visa categories.

Check your country's current status using NAFSA's proclamation tracker before paying the MRV fee.

Countries under partial ban (B-1/B-2 suspended, work visas still open):

Countries under full ban (all visa categories suspended):

Who is exempt

The restrictions apply to nationals who do not already hold a valid B-1/B-2 visa issued before the proclamation took effect. If you already have a valid visa, it remains usable for travel. Dual nationals traveling on a passport from a non-designated country are also exempt.

Certain traveler categories are excepted regardless of nationality: lawful permanent residents, approved asylees and refugees, diplomatic visa holders, and athletes traveling for the 2026 FIFA World Cup or Olympic events.

What to do if your country is affected

If your country is on the partial ban list, your B-1/B-2 category is suspended but work visa categories like H-1B, L-1, and O-1 remain open. If you're considering a work visa, the ban may not affect your plans at all.

For complex situations involving dual nationality, a pending application, or an existing valid visa, consult an immigration attorney before taking any action.

After your B-1/B-2 visa interview

After your interview, you'll receive one of three outcomes:

• Approved
• Refused under Section 214(b), or
• Placed under additional review under Section 221(g)

Possible outcomes

If approved, the officer keeps your passport and returns it with the visa stamp within three to seven business days by courier or embassy pickup. Once you have it, review the B-1/B-2 length of stay rules so you understand how long you can remain in the U.S. after each entry.

If refused under Section 214(b), the officer determined you did not demonstrate strong enough ties to your home country or a clear temporary purpose for your trip. A 214(b) refusal does not permanently bar you from reapplying. You can submit a new application when your circumstances change, though you will need to pay the $185 MRV fee again.

If placed under Section 221(g) administrative processing, the consulate needs more time or documentation before deciding. This can mean two very different things: a simple document request that resolves in days to weeks, or a full security review that can take up to 180 days before you are even permitted to contact the embassy.

Track your case status

After your interview, track your application at ceac.state.gov using your DS-160 barcode. The status will show as Issued, Refused, or Administrative Processing.

A Refused status can appear temporarily even during administrative processing, which does not necessarily mean a final decision has been made. Check back as the status will update once the case is resolved.

Planning your trip after approval

Once the consulate stamps your B-1/B-2 visa, you're cleared to book travel. Most approved applicants receive their passports back within three to seven business days.

Before you travel, review the B-1/B-2 work rules. The B-1 business visa prohibits U.S. employment, and knowing which activities are permitted will help you stay compliant during your stay.

Frequently asked questions