If you have been notified that you are ready to apply for a visa and you should book a visa interview appointment, please make sure you have first obtained the supporting documents that you will need to take to your visa interview, completed and electronically submitted your application form, and booked your medical appointment. Click here for details.
Due to unavoidable backlogs and unprecedented demand caused by the ongoing impact of COVID-19, appointment availability is extremely limited. Important: In fairness to applicants in the same situation who all wish to apply for a visa and travel as soon as possible, we will only be able to approve expedite requests relating to humanitarian (life-or death) critical need of travel, such as terminal illness of the petitioner or applicant. Such expedite requests can only be submitted through your Visa Appointment Service account after an appointment has booked.
If you have an interview scheduled, check your email and your Visa Appointment Service account for appointment status. It is not currently possible for applicants aged 18 or over to be accompanied to their visa interview unless they are elderly or disabled and require an assistant/carer or they are unable to speak English and require a translator.
- If your interview was booked for you by NVC or KCC, see below for information about how to register your appointment and prepare for your interview.
- If your petition was processed by USCIS London (before April 1, 2020), by the Immigrant Visa Unit under Exceptional Circumstances, or if you are applying for a fiancé(e) visa then you will need to book your own visa interview appointment. See below for step-by-step instructions.
No same-day visa issuance is possible, and there is no expedited or premium issuance service. We cannot predict how long processing may take as it varies in each and every case.
It is not possible to collect your passport from the Embassy in person. Passports are delivered according to the arrangements made through the Visa Appointment Service before the visa interview appointment takes place.
Important: Visa issuance is not guaranteed. You should not resign from work, give up accommodation, book travel tickets, or make other final plans to move to the United States unless you have received your passport containing a valid immigrant or fiancé(e) visa. No expedited visa processing service is available.
Keep reading for the answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
1) My interview appointment was booked for me. What should I do next? (NVC and Diversity Visa cases)
Due to unavoidable backlogs and unprecedented demand caused by the ongoing impact of COVID-19, appointment availability is extremely limited. Therefore, we will be unable to offer you an earlier or later appointment date. You should attend the scheduled date unless you are self-isolating due to being exposed to or contracting COVID-19, or because you are quarantining due to recent overseas travel.
You are required to register your appointment through the Visa Appointment Service. You must do this even if you cannot attend the date that was given to you.
Make sure your computer is connected to a printer because you will need to print your confirmation page.
How do I register my visa interview appointment?
- Go to the Visa Appointment Service website.
- Click ‘Register.’
- Select ‘I have received a Consular interview appointment date from the National Visa Center (NVC), Kentucky Consular Center (KCC), or the Consular Section and I have been instructed to register my appointment on this site.’
- Sign up to register an account.
- Once your account is created, add the details of the primary visa applicant.
- If your spouse and/or children are applying for visas, add their information by clicking the green ‘Add Applicant’ button.
- Once every visa applicant’s details have been provided, select a courier depot. If your visa application is successful, your passport can be delivered for free to a courier depot where you can collect it from. There are 32 depots located around the country.
- Complete the registration of your appointment and print the confirmation page. You can find this in the ‘Print Instructions’ section.
- You may then choose to pay an additional fee to the Visa Appointment Service for home or office delivery if you would like to. You are not required to do this. If you do not pay the additional fee, your passport will be delivered for free to the courier depot location you selected in Step 7 if a visa is issued to you.
Important: You are required to complete the registration process even if you cannot attend the scheduled appointment. If the appointment date is not suitable, see the FAQs below for information about what to do next.
The Visa Appointment Service website is https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-gb/iv. No other website, company or organization is authorized to provide visa or appointment booking assistance on behalf of the U.S. government.
2) How do I book my visa interview appointment? (fiance(e) visa and immigrant visa cases filed with USCIS London or the Immigrant Visa Unit under Exceptional Circumstances)
Due to unavoidable backlogs and unprecedented demand caused by the ongoing impact of COVID-19, appointment availability will be limited for the foreseeable future. If no appointments are available when you first look, you should keep checking the calendar regularly for any newly released appointments. We cannot offer you an appointment by email, telephone, or social media.
Important: In fairness to applicants in the same situation who all wish to apply for a visa and travel as soon as possible, we will only be able to approve requests relating to humanitarian (life-or death) critical need of travel, such as terminal illness of the petitioner or applicant. Such expedite requests can only be submitted through the Visa Appointment Service account after an appointment has booked.
- Go to the Visa Appointment Service website.
- Click ‘Register.’
- Select ’I have received a letter from the consular section with instructions to register or schedule a K visa appointment’ if you are applying for a fiance(é) visa.
Choose ‘I have received a letter from the consular section with instructions to schedule an immigrant visa appointment’ if you are applying for an immigrant visa. - Sign up to register an account.
- Once your account is created, add the details of the primary visa applicant.
- If your spouse and/or children are applying for visas, add their information by clicking the green ‘Add Applicant’ button.
- Once every visa applicant’s details have been provided, select a courier depot. If your visa application is successful, your passport can be delivered for free to a courier depot where you can collect it from. There are 32 depots located around the country.
- Choose an interview appointment date.
- If you are applying for a fiancé(e) visa, pay the visa appointment fee of $265. (If you are applying for an immigrant visa, you will pay the fee at the Embassy on the day of your interview).
- Print the appointment confirmation page. You can find this in the ‘Print Instructions’ section.
- You may then choose to pay an additional fee to the Visa Appointment Service for home or office delivery, if you would like to. There is no requirement to do so. If you do not pay the additional fee, your passport will be delivered for free to the courier depot location you selected in Step 7 if a visa is issued to you.
The Visa Appointment Service website is https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-gb/iv. No other website, company or organization is authorized to provide visa or appointment booking assistance on behalf of the U.S. government.
You should not expect to receive a letter confirming your appointment as the information in the ‘Print Instructions’ section of your account serves that purpose.
3) Who should attend the interview?
- All visa applicants, including children, must attend the interview.
- Your petitioner is not required to attend. However, if your petitioner is related to you, they can choose to attend. Please see the FAQs below to find out how to arrange this.
- Other than visa applicants and the petitioner, it is typically not possible for visa applicants aged 18 or over to be accompanied to the interview, and there is no waiting area for family and friends.
- Attorneys and employers cannot attend the visa interview.
4) What should I do if my child's appointment is on the same day but a different time to mine, or on a different day?
If you and your child have appointment in different timeslots on the same day, please attend the earliest appointment together and explain to the consular officer that you are applying at the same time.
If you and your child have appointments on different days, please contact us to request that the appointments be rescheduled to the same day.
5) What should I take to my appointment? What am I not allowed to take?
When you arrive at the Embassy, you will go through airport-style security.
What can I bring?
- You can bring your mobile phone, e-reader and/or tablet device. Key fobs can also be brought inside the Embassy
- Small bags (no larger than cabin-baggage size) are also permitted.
- Cycle and motorcycle helmets can be brought into the Embassy.
- You may bring a pushchair/pram and a bag with supplies for babies or toddlers.
What am I not allowed to bring?
- Laptops cannot be taken into the Embassy.
- Suitcases and large bags (bigger than cabin-baggage size) are also not allowed.
- Other items that cannot be brought into the building include perfume and cologne (above 30ml) and weapons.
- Animals (other than service animals) cannot be brought to the Embassy. Prohibited items cannot be stored at the Embassy so leave them at home or store them securely before you arrive. Left luggage facilities are available for a fee at several airports, coach stations, and mainline train stations, including Waterloo and Victoria.
Please also note that there is no café or vending machine in the waiting room. You may bring snacks with you and water or juice in a sealed plastic bottle. No glass bottles are permitted.
6) What is the Embassy's address? How can I get there?
The Embassy’s address is 33 Nine Elms Lane, London, SW11 7US.
What are my transport options?
- The closest Tube/rail station is Vauxhall. Battersea Park station is also nearby.
- The Embassy is 10 minutes’ walk from Vauxhall station. You may wish to take the scenic river walk from Exit 1 of the Tube station.
- If you arrive on foot or you are dropped off at 33 Nine Elms Lane, you can walk down Viaduct Gardens street and then follow the blue signs to the Visa Services entrance.
- Alternatively, buses 156, 344 and 436 leave from stop E outside Vauxhall station (2 stops away). When you get off at the U.S. Embassy stop, you can follow the path in front of the Embassy past the water feature and then follow the blue signs to the Visa Services entrance. We recommend that you use public transportation if possible because no parking is available on site.
7) What time should I arrive at the Embassy? How long will it take?
- Please try to arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment to go through airport-style security.
- Expect to be at the Embassy for 1-2 hours.
8) What should I expect during and after the interview?
- When you arrive you will go through airport style security.
- In the lobby, you will be given your ticket number. You will then take the elevator to Floor 1.
- Follow the signs for Immigrant Visas and watch for your number on the screen. First, you will be directed to an appointment window to submit your documents. Later, you will be interviewed by a consular officer.
How long will visa processing take?
We cannot predict how long it will take as it varies in each and every case.
IMPORTANT: You should not give up work or accommodation, book travel tickets, or make final plans to move to the United States unless you have received your passport containing a valid immigrant or fiancé(e) visa. No expedited visa processing service is available.
Frequently Asked Interview Questions
FAQ 1) How can I reschedule my appointment?
This depends on how your interview was scheduled.
Appointment you booked through the Visa Appointment Service
Sign in to your Visa Appointment Service account and choose a new interview date. If no suitable appointments are available when you first check, please check the appointment calendar on your account regularly for any newly released appointments or appointments made available by cancellations. We do not operate a waitlist.
Appointment booked for you by NVC or KCC
Important: In some cases, it will not be necessary for you to reschedule your appointment.
- If you have been unable to locate a document (other than your passport), you can attend your visa interview and discuss the missing document with the consular officer.
- If your appointment date was booked for you by NVC or KCC and you have not been able to book a medical to take place before your interview, you can book the earliest available medical appointment and attend your visa interview as scheduled. You should tell the interviewing consular officer the date on which the medical will take place. Make a copy of your police certificate because you will need to take the copy with you to your medical examination.
- Please note, it is not possible for you to book an earlier date than the interview appointment that was scheduled for you.
- If you cannot attend the scheduled interview date, you first will be required to register the appointment that was booked for you by following the instructions in the section above titled ‘My interview appointment was booked for me. What should I do next? (DV and NVC cases).’
- Wait until after the scheduled appointment date has passed.
- Sign in to your Visa Appointment Service account and choose a new interview date. If no suitable appointments are available when you first check, please check the appointment calendar on your account regularly for any newly released appointments or appointments made available by cancellations. We do not operate a waitlist.
FAQ 2) I need to travel soon! What should I do?
Make sure you have all the supporting documents you will need for your visa interview, and that your medical examination takes place at least five days before your visa interview. Doing this will help avoid unnecessary delays.
We cannot predict how long visa processing will take as it varies in each and every case. No expedited or premium processing service is available.
If your urgent travel is not to the United States, discuss this with the consular officer during your visa interview who will advise you of the options available to you.
FAQ 3) I can't attend an interview before my fiancé(e) visa petition expires? What should I do?
- Once you have been notified that you may schedule a visa interview and you find an available interview date, book it.
- Take to your visa interview a signed letter from your petitioner confirming that you remain legally free to marry and that you will do so within 90 days of your arrival in the United States.
FAQ 4) Will I have to pay a fee on the day?
This depends on the type of visa you are applying for and how your case was processed.
Fianc(é)e visa: You pay the fee through the Visa Appointment Service when you schedule the visa interview.
Immigrant visa case processed by NVC: You paid your fee to NVC.
Diversity visa and immigrant visa case processed by USCIS London: You will pay your fee on the day of the appointment. Click here for details.
Important: If you are interested in paying for home or office delivery, you must do this through your Visa Appointment Service account before the interview takes place. You cannot change your delivery option at the Embassy. If you do not choose to pay for the premium home/office delivery service, then if your visa application is approved, your passport will be delivered to the courier depot location you selected when you registered your interview.
FAQ 5) I can't access my Visa Appointment Service account/I'm having problems using my account. What should I do?
Click here for information about how to sign in to your account or change your password. If you require additional technical assistance with accessing or using your account, click here to contact the Visa Appointment Service directly.
FAQ 6) I need mobility assistance. Can someone accompany me to my interview?/Is the Embassy accessible?
You may be accompanied by any of the following people:
- your petitioner, if they are a relative or fiancé(e)
- a friend or relative if you are elderly or disabled and would like to be accompanied
In order that we can arrange their access to the Embassy, please click here to contact the Immigrant Visa Unit with your name, your case number, the date and time of your interview, and the name of the person that you would like to come with you to the Embassy. Please note, it is not possible for attorneys or employers to attend.
Please note, the Embassy is accessible.
We recommend that you use public transportation or a taxi if possible because no parking is available on site. Information about Blue Badge parking is provided by Wandsworth Council on their website.
FAQ 7) Can I have my interview online/remotely/by telephone?
Immigrant and fiancé(e) visa interviews are conducted in person by attending a pre-arranged appointment.