Are you planning for a vacation in USA? Are you wondering how to process your tourist visa for USA from India? The article will substantiate you with all the information and pre-requisites for tourist visa processing.
What can you do with a tourist visa for USA?
The Tourist visa for USA from India permits you to perform the following activities:
- A holiday for visiting tourist destinations in the USA
- Visiting relatives or family members and even friends
- Any treatment for medical ailments
- Engage as a participant in any events related to sports, music or any kind of social gatherings and even voluntary contests
- Attend any course related to any recreations which do not demand any credit for achieving the relevant credentials
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Where can you apply for a tourist visa for USA from India?
The tourist visa for the USA mandates it to be applied at the designated US consulates and embassy in India. In India, the US embassy is located in Delhi and the other consulates are located in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai.
The details of each of them along with their addresses, directions and phone numbers are available on the US embassy website.
What are the documents required for applying for a tourist visa for USA from India?
Before applying for an appointment with the US embassy or the US consulates, it is important to fill up the online DS-160 visa application form. The documents required for US tourist visa and to complete the application form are mentioned below:
- Passport with validity for the next six months from the date of application of the visa
- Details of previous visits to the USA (maximum five) and any other international travels undergone during the last five years. You must have the dates, countries, and purpose of the visit recorded in the application form
- Educational qualifications with details of the pass out years and the attained degrees
- Information about the current and previous work experiences and details
- Itinerary for the travel, if available. It is better to have the address, phone numbers, duration of the stay and return tickets available for a smooth hassle-free application
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What are the photograph specifications for applying a tourist visa for USA from India?
The photograph for the DS-160 application must meet the specified criteria as mentioned by the US Department of State. The Department has strict guidelines on the specifications needed for US tourist visa requirements, as mentioned below:
- The photograph should not be more than six months older from the date of US tourist visa application from India
- The applicant must not be wearing any glasses which is a strict mandate for US tourist visa requirements starting November 1, 2016
- The face must be towards the camera with no tilting of the head and with normal expression. There must be no shadow obstructing the visibility of the face
- The eyes of the application must not be covered or closed
- There must not be any headgear or hat covering the head or the hair unless mandated for any religious needs
- The photograph must be coloured in an off-white or simple white background
- The size of the photograph should be 51 X 51 millimetres, with the head centred. The size of the head must be between 25 and 35 millimetre
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The photographs must not be a scanned image from any other personal or official documents of the applicant. The photos must not be clicked from a mobile phone and must not be full length. The detailed photography guidelines for US tourist visa applications from India are mentioned here.
What are the steps to complete DS-160 online application form for the tourist visa for USA from India?
The application needs to be vigilant while filling up the DS-160 application form required for US visa documents. He/she should be attentive to the documents required for a US tourist visa. The detailed guidelines on the procedures for filling up the DS-160 form are mentioned here.
TheFind the visa application form here .
The steps for completing and submitting the electronic form are mentioned as follows:
Step 1: Select a location from where you are applying the tourist visa for USA from India. Enter the captcha code and then proceed to the next page
The available options for the locations are
- Delhi
- Chennai
- Hyderabad
- Kolkata
- Mumbai
Step 2: Creation of the Application id and selecting the security question and answer
The application id is generated automatically. You need to select a security question and answer for retrieving the application once saved in the system. Click on Continue when done.
Step 3: Fill up personal, travel, work, family and educational information for US visa documents
1 .Personal Information – It has two parts Personal 1 and Personal 2.
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- In Personal 1, enter given the name, surname, marital status, date, place, city, state, and country of birth, sex on this page. The information entered must match the details mentioned in your passport.
- In Personal 2, select the country of nationality i.e. India. There are two checkboxes to mention Yes or No. One is to understand you hold any other nationality other than India. The other is to understand whether you hold permanent residentship of any other country other than India. There is three other information for National Identification Number, US Social Security Number, and US Taxpayer Id Number. If you do not have any of these, click on the checkbox “Does not apply”.
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2. Address and Phone – Enter your Home and mailing address and phone numbers.
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- In the Home address section, provide your street details, city, state, postal code, and country in India
- If your home address and mailing address are different then enter the mailing address in India
- Provide your personal as well as work phone numbers in case the consulate wants to connect with the applicant.
3. Passport – Enter all the correct details from your passport carefully
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- Select “Regular” from the Passport/Travel document type dropdown list. Provide your passport number against the field Passport/ Travel Document Number field. Click the checkbox “Does not apply” beside the field Passport Book Number
- Select “India” from the Country/Authority that issued passport/travel document dropdown list
- Provide the city and state from where the passport has been issued and mention the country as “India”
- Mention the issuance and expiration dates of the passport
- Select Yes or No for the question “Have you ever lost a passport or had one stolen?”
4. Travel – Enter details regarding your travel plans
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- Select “TEMP. BUSINESS PLEASURE VISITOR” from the dropdown list of Purpose of Trip to the U.S.
- Select “BUSINESS & TOURISM (TEMPORARY VISITOR) (B1/B2)” from the dropdown list of Specify
- Provide the intended date of arrival in the U.S., intended length of stay in the U.S. and address of stay in the U.S., if available
- If you are paying for your trip then select “SELF” from the dropdown list of Person/Entity paying for your trip. If someone else is paying then you need to select “OTHER PERSON”.
5. Travel Companions – If anyone is travelling with you, then provide the surname, given name and relationship with the person in this section.
6. Previous U.S. Travel
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- If you ever been to the U.S. then you need to enter the details of the last five visits or less. Provide the date of arrival, length of stay and U.S. driver’s license number in case you have or remember
- If you have ever before issued a U.S. Visa then you need to enter the details. Provide the issuance date of the visa and visa number
- There are several checkboxes in this section which you need to answer certain questions regarding us visa documents
7. US Contact – You need to provide the details of the person you are visiting and the relationship with the person. In case you are travelling through a travel agent then ensure you have the relevant information from them. For situations where you are travelling on your own then you may enter the Hotel details or click on “Do Not Know”.
8. Family
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- In this section, you need to enter the name, surname, and date of birth of your mother and father. You also need to mention whether your parents are in the U.S. or not
- There are two more checkboxes for you to mention whether you have any other relatives in the U.S.
- If you are married then you need to enter the details of your spouse too
9. Work/Education/Training
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- If you are working, then you need to enter the details of your current employer as well as previous five or fewer employers, if any
- If you are a student then you need to enter your education details. You can add all your educational qualifications in this section
- There are some additional information you need to provide related to your international travel to countries other than the U.S. You need to enter the list of all the countries visited in the last five years
- There are few more checkboxes to answer related to involvement in the military or any other groups
10. Security and Background – This section is divided into five parts. The applicant needs to answer several questions as Yes or No for the U.S. Consulate to collect the background information of the person.
Step 4: Upload your photo
Click on the “Upload your photo” button to upload your photo mandatory for US tourist visa requirements
Step 5: Review the information provided in the DS-160 application form for US visa documents
You can check and rectify every section for the form for any errors and correct them as needed.
Step 6: Sign the form and submit the application for US tourist visa application from India
You need to enter your passport number and the captcha code in this form. Electronically sign and submit the application.
Step 7: A confirmation page is displayed
The confirmation page provides options to print the confirmation, print the application or email the confirmation. It contains a bar code that is unique for each application. The confirmation page must be printed and submitted during the appointment. This ends the DS-160 application fill up activity.
How and where can I pay the American tourist visa fee?
The current non-petition based tourist visa fee for the USA from India is $160. The American tourist visa fee needs to be submitted online through either NEFT or payment via Bank. The steps to be followed for paying the fees for US visa documents are highlighted below:
- Click on the website
- Next, Click on Login from the menu
- Click on New User, if not registered
- The country will be selected as India. Enter your email id, First Name, Last Name, Password.
- After the user id is created in the website, click on Schedule Appointment section
- The different payment options will be displayed on the payment confirmation section. The options available are NEFT, payments at AXIS Bank, Citibank or DRUK bank and payment through mobile phone
- After the payment, the receipt generation may take 1 or 2 business days. The appointment can be scheduled once the receipt is created in the system.
How to schedule an appointment for a US tourist visa application in India?
Applicants aged between 14 – 79 years need to appear for an interview at the US embassy or the consulate. Two appointments need to be selected for Tourist Visa for USA from India. One is an appointment at the Visa Application Center. The other is the visa interview at the US embassy in Delhi or the consulates at Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata or Mumbai.
While scheduling the appointment, you need to provide
- Your passport number
- The receipt number generated after the payment and
- The bar code generated in the confirmation page
Appointment at the Visa Application Center
At the Visa Application Center, the photo and the fingerprints/biometric will be processed. The documents that are required for a US tourist visa are :
- Passport (current and old)
- The print out of the DS-160 application confirmation page
- Photograph clicked as per the specifications of the US tourist visa requirements
Visa Interview at the US Embassy or Consulate
The applicant will undergo an interview at the Delhi embassy or any of the US consulates in India. The documents that are required for a US tourist visa are :
- Passport (current and old)
- The print out of the DS-160 confirmation page
- The print out of the appointment confirmation page
- Any other documents like salary proof, educational certificates, marriage certificates, bank statements, etc.
Ensure you are calm and answer all the questions related to your intended visit to the US. Carry all the necessary documents and double-check before leaving for the interview. Applicants need to attend the interview themselves without any person accompanying them.
You now are equipped with all the necessary information required for Tourist Visa for USA from India. Wish you all the best for your vacation in the US and a safe trip to the US.
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