How to Apply

Let's review the procedures:

Personal Interview.

All visa applicants must schedule an appointment for a personal interview. To do so, log onto http://www.vfs-usa.co.in/. A family can schedule appointments for all family members together in the same slot. When the appointment is confirmed, the applicant will receive a return e-mail within half an hour with the instructions.

The Business Executive Program

Various Indian companies may use this process to expedite processing of visa applications. To learn more about the Business Executive Program click here.

An important part of the mission of the Consulate staff is to facilitate the process of applying for a visa. Please make use of the resources we provide to inform the public about the visa process. Visit our website at http://chennai.usconsulate.gov.

If you require any further clarifications, contact the Visa Information Unit by E-mail at chennainiv@state.gov. You may also call the Consulate. For recorded information, call 2811-2030 or 2811-2031. For an attendant, call 2811-2060.

Applying for a visa is not an easy thing to do. A lot of effort often goes into a visa application. Our primary mission is to safeguard the borders of our country. Additionally, for those persons who have legitimate reasons to come to the U.S., we want to make this process as efficient and customer friendly as possible. Help us do this by learning as much as you can about the process and following the steps in order.

Remember - Apply Early

Recent changes in U.S. visa laws and regulations have increased the amount of time it can take to obtain a visa. You may want to plan on applying for a visa at least four weeks in advance of your intended trip.

Applying for a visa and don't speak or understand English? That's not a problem.

Many persons apply in English, which is the language spoken by all Consular officers. However, we have interpreters that speak Tamil, Telegu, Malayam, Kannada, Hindi and Urdu. If you prefer to have an interview in your native language, schedule an interview in your first language

Are you in the right Consular District?

Applicants who are uncertain about where they should apply can verify their appropriate consular district. Click here for a listing of our consular districts.

Schedule Your interview

All nonimmigrant visa applicants who are required to apply in person at the U.S. Consulate General Chennai must use our appointment system. Applicants can schedule an appointment using the website http://www.vfs-usa.co.in/

To apply for a non-immigrant visa, click here for all the documents you will need to your scheduled interview.

Every applicant, including minor children, must have a scheduled appointment in order to enter the Consulate. Please do NOT bring extra people with you at the time of your interview. Family members or friends of applicants who do not have a scheduled appointment will not be allowed to enter the Consulate gate.

Important things to remember when filling out application forms:

Respond to all the questions. If you have no response for a question, put "none" or "nil" - do not draw a line or write "n.a." or "not applicable." If you fail to answer all the questions, this could create problems with your application, so remember to have an answer for each question.

Respond fully to each question.

For example, No. 27 is "What is the purpose of your trip?" If you are going on a tourist visa to see your son who is working in Detroit, don't just put "tourist" as an answer, put " "going to visit son in Detroit". If you are a student, don't respond to "purpose of trip" with " to study", be specific - for example "going to study for B.E. degree at Louisiana State". Provide details whenever it is useful.

The applicant must sign the application, even if someone else fills it out. Please note that all of these application forms may be downloaded from our consulate website at http://chennai.usconsulate.gov.

There also may be certain suggested documents to bring to your interview. Please refer to the specific visa type for a list of suggested documents.

Getting help from others

The Consulate does not permit interested parties such as friends, relatives or business contacts to assist a non-immigrant visa applicant during an interview. If someone wishes to present facts to the Consulate about a particular visa case, they are free to provide this information directly to the applicant.

Very important:

Remember: though suggested documents may assist you in your interview, the Consular Officer relies primarily on the interview to determine your eligibility for a visa. Documents are of secondary importance.

Caution: Use only valid documents. Fraud or misrepresentation can result in permanent ineligibility for a nonimmigrant visa.

Visa Fees

Please do not fold the DS-156 application form as this may make the information unreadable to our computer systems.

Video on new visa policies and procedures

This brief video explains new visa policies and procedures for visitors to the United States--a nation with secure borders and open doors. (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/obs/vid/c12893.htm)