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The US visa portal has glitches, it is slow, and there are multiple steps spread across two completely different websites. In five years of helping applicants get their visa interviews, this is the part that causes the most unnecessary panic. So let me walk you through the entire process — from your DS-160 form to your appointment confirmation page — and flag the mistakes I see people make along the way.
The two portals you need to know before you start
The entire booking process requires you to work with two separate portals. The first is the DS-160 portal at ceac.state.gov, where you fill and submit the official application form. The second is usvisascheduling.com, where you create your visa account, pay the fee, and book your biometric and interview appointments. You need to complete the DS-160 first. As of 1 April 2026, this is a firm requirement — you cannot proceed to booking without a valid DS-160 confirmation number.
Step 1: Filling your DS-160 form
Go to the DS-160 portal and select your location first. All five Indian consulates are listed — pick the one closest to where you live. You will not know your final interview location yet, so do not overthink this choice. After entering the CAPTCHA, click 'Start an Application'.
Once you land on the application information page, save two things immediately: your application ID and the security question you chose. I always take a screenshot of this page. If you close the browser halfway through, you will need that application ID to retrieve your form. Choose a security question whose answer you will never forget — your favourite food works perfectly.
The DS-160 is a lengthy form with six to seven tabs covering your personal details, travel history, education, and work history. It is the only form the visa officer has in front of them during your interview, so filling it carefully and accurately matters more than most people realise. Once you have completed every section, use the Review tab at the top to check every page before you submit. After submission you will receive a confirmation page — keep this safe because you need it for both your biometric appointment and your visa interview.
What if you need to make changes after submitting?
There is good news here. In India, if you realise after submitting that something needs correcting, you can fill a fresh DS-160 and bring both the old and new confirmation pages to your biometric appointment to get the record updated. So if you filled the form in a hurry and you are not confident about it, do not let that stop you from proceeding — you can fix it at biometrics. That said, I strongly recommend starting the DS-160 well in advance so you have enough time to review it properly.
How to log back into an unfinished DS-160
If you need to pause and come back, go to the same DS-160 portal, select the same location, enter the CAPTCHA, and this time click 'Retrieve an Application' instead of starting a new one. Enter your alphanumeric application ID, answer your security question along with your surname and date of birth, and you will be taken straight back to where you left off.
Step 2: Creating your US visa portal account
Head to usvisascheduling.com. Before you register, have three things ready: your DS-160 confirmation number, your passport, and a valid email address. That email address is where your OTP will arrive, so make sure you can access it immediately.
Click 'Don't have an account? Sign up now'. Choose a username — your name with a few added numbers works well. Your password must contain at least one capital letter, one number, and one special character. Enter your given name and surname exactly as they appear in your passport. Pick security questions with answers you will genuinely remember. Once you enter the verification code from your email and click Create, your account is live.
After logging in you will be asked to confirm a few details before proceeding. Pay attention here: beyond this screen you cannot change your password or security questions. Also confirm your first name, last name, and email. I recommend using one single email ID throughout the entire process — it keeps everything clean and avoids confusion if you apply again in the future.
Step 3: Entering your applicant details and visa category
Click 'Start Application' from the left-hand menu. The portal will pre-fill some information from your registration. You then need to provide two valid phone numbers — both must be numbers where the embassy can actually reach you, so do not enter numbers you cannot access. Next, enter your current mailing address, which is the address where you are living right now.
Then comes the most critical input in this entire form: your passport details. Once you enter your passport number and proceed past this point — especially after paying the visa fee — the passport number cannot be edited by you. If there is an error, you have to contact customer support to fix it, which is a painful process. Open your passport, read the number carefully, type it in, and double-check it before clicking submit.
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Book a Mock InterviewChoosing B1, B2, or B1/B2
When you reach the visa category section, select Non-Immigrant, then Business/Tourism. You will then see three options: B1, B1/B2, and B2. My recommendation is to be specific. If you are travelling for meetings, client visits, conferences, or business events, select B1. If you are visiting family, friends, or travelling as a tourist, select B2. Only pick B1/B2 if your purpose is genuinely dual. Here is something worth knowing — regardless of which you select, the physical visa printed in your passport will say B1/B2 either way. Being specific in your application is still better practice because it aligns with your stated purpose of travel.
After selecting the visa type, you will be asked to enter your DS-160 confirmation number. Be very careful here — this number will also appear on your appointment confirmation page, and both must match. If they do not match, your appointment is not valid.
Interview waiver — does it apply to you?
The portal will then ask a few questions to check whether you are eligible for the Dropbox (interview waiver). This is only available if you are renewing a B1/B2 visa that was issued on or after your 18th birthday, and if the renewal is happening within one year of the visa's expiry. If you are applying for the first time, answer no to these questions and the system will direct you to book both a biometric and an interview appointment.
Step 4: Adding dependents
If you are applying with your spouse or children, you do not need to create separate visa portal accounts for them. You can add them as dependents within your own application. Click 'Find and Add Dependent', then 'Create New Dependent'.
Each dependent needs their own unique email address — you cannot reuse the email you used for yourself. Have their passport open when you fill in their details because the name, passport number, place of issue, and date of birth all need to match exactly. Each dependent also needs their own separate DS-160 form, so you will be entering a unique DS-160 confirmation number for each of them. The fee will be charged per head — 185 USD per applicant. If you are applying for two people, you will see 370 USD on the payment screen.
Step 5: Document delivery and paying the visa fee
After adding dependents, the portal asks how you want your passport returned after the visa is processed. There are three options: premium home delivery (the passport is couriered to your address, with a fee of around ₹1,200 payable on receipt), pickup from a premium location (you collect from a designated point), or direct pickup at any of the five VFS centres. Choose whichever is most convenient for you.
Next is the visa fee payment. You will see three payment options: UPI QR code, Axis Bank cash deposit, and NEFT. I strongly recommend UPI if it is available to you — the payment is instant and the confirmation is instant. Axis Bank cash requires you to visit the bank, deposit the amount, get a reference number, and then come back and enter it, which takes one business day. NEFT can also take up to one business day to confirm. Once you pay, the portal may log you out — just log back in and navigate to Schedule Appointment to continue.
Step 6: Booking your biometric and interview appointments
In India there are two appointments: the OFC (biometric) appointment, where you give your fingerprints and photograph, and the consular (interview) appointment, where you meet the visa officer face to face. You must book the biometric first, then the interview.
When you click on Schedule Appointment, a calendar opens. Select a consulate location and look for available slots. Be prepared for this to take patience and persistence — appointment slots in India are limited and not always available. When I checked during the process, most locations showed no slots available, with the earliest opening in October 2026 in Chennai. You may need to check back regularly across different consulate locations to find availability. Early morning and late evening tend to be slightly better times to use the portal, though late at night it sometimes goes into maintenance.
One more note on language: the portal defaults to English and you cannot change this. If you need a translator for your interview, you must request one on the day of your appointment at the embassy directly — not through the portal.
Step 7: Saving your appointment confirmation
Once you successfully book both appointments, you will land on the appointment confirmation page. The very first thing you should do — before closing the browser, before doing anything else — is click Print and save it as a PDF. This document is mandatory at both your biometric appointment and your visa interview. It also contains your DS-160 confirmation number, so double-check that it matches the confirmation page from your DS-160 form.
Common mistakes to avoid throughout this process
Here are the errors I see most often, so you can sidestep them entirely. First, entering the passport number incorrectly — once the fee is paid, you cannot fix this yourself, and contacting customer support is slow. Second, using the same email address for a dependent as for the main applicant — each person needs a unique email. Third, not saving the application ID when starting the DS-160 — if you close the tab you will not be able to retrieve your form without it. Fourth, rushing through the DS-160 — this is the only document the visa officer reads, so filling it properly is worth your time. And fifth, giving up on slot hunting too quickly — availability does open up, but you need to check consistently across locations.
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