Visa Scheduling Guide · India · 2026
Every year, thousands of Indian applicants lose weeks (and sometimes their entire interview window) to scheduling mistakes on ustraveldocs.com. This is the no-fluff walkthrough we wish every student had before they started.
ustraveldocs.com is the official US Department of State scheduling portal for non-immigrant visa applicants in India. It's where you pay the MRV fee, book your OFC biometrics appointment, schedule your consular interview, and (for renewals) check Dropbox eligibility.
It is not the place where you fill the DS-160 — that lives at ceac.state.gov. The DS-160 confirmation number is what links your application to this scheduling portal.
Fees are quoted in USD and collected in INR at the portal's exchange rate. Always confirm the current amount on the portal before paying — this guide is a reference, not a substitute for the official site.
Sign up at ustraveldocs.com with a personal email you own long-term. Pick the right consular post — Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, or New Delhi — based on the city where you actually live. The portal ties every action to this profile, so use the exact spelling on your passport.
After selecting your visa class (B1/B2, F1, J1, etc.), the portal generates an MRV fee receipt with a CGI reference number. You can pay via NEFT/IMPS, debit card, or in cash at any Axis Bank branch listed in the portal. The receipt is valid for one year from payment date.
Once the MRV fee is confirmed, the portal unlocks OFC slot booking. The OFC is where the Visa Application Centre takes your photo and fingerprints — typically 1–3 days before the consular interview.
After OFC scheduling, the consular slot booking screen appears. Slot availability varies wildly by city and season — Hyderabad and Chennai are typically the most crowded for F1 students in May–August.
Once both appointments are locked in, download both confirmation pages. You'll need them — along with your DS-160, passport, and supporting documents — at both the OFC and the consulate.
Each fee receipt is locked to one visa class. If you pay for B1/B2 and later realise you need F1, you'll pay again.
Your DS-160 confirmation number is what binds the appointment to you. Submitting a fresh DS-160 after booking can desync the records.
Many applicants don't realise OFC and consular can be in different cities — and then scramble for flights at the last minute.
US Travel Docs has a rate limiter. Use the portal at a sensible pace — getting locked out for 24 hours during slot season is painful.
The portal will ask a short screening questionnaire to determine if you qualify for the Interview Waiver (Dropbox). You're typically eligible if you previously held the same visa class and it expired within the lookback window, and you have no prior refusals.
If you qualify, you drop documents at a VAC instead of attending an interview. If not, the portal routes you to the standard OFC + consular flow.
Start the moment you know your travel window. For F1 students aiming for a Fall semester, payment and DS-160 should be ready by March; for B1/B2 visitors, 3–4 months ahead is comfortable.
No. Each receipt is bound to one applicant (CGI reference number) and one visa class. Family members each need their own.
Check the other 4 consular posts and consider travelling. Slots are released in waves — try midnight, 8 AM, and 2 PM IST. Don't trust unofficial 'slot bot' services.
Scheduling itself you do on the official portal. Our coaching plans handle everything that comes after — DS-160 review, document checklists, mocks, and refusal analysis.
Now the real work begins — DS-160 review, mocks, document checklist, and your interview story. That's what we do.
