Visa Question of the Month – Technical issues scheduling an interview appointment

We have been trying for several days to create a profile or log in so that we can schedule a visa interview appointment. Either the website is completely inaccessible, the login process does not work, or the system repeatedly crashes and displays error messages. Can you help us, and what is causing these issues?

Unfortunately, you are not alone in experiencing these difficulties. At present, there are significant technical issues affecting the official online system operated by the US Consulate's service provider, TravelDocs, both throughout Germany and internationally, via www.usvisascheduling.com.

Applicants are required to create a personal online profile through this portal, pay the applicable consular fees,and schedule the mandatory visa interview appointment agree. Unfortunately, this very process is currently experiencing substantial disruptions.

For some time now and particularly over the past several weeks the number of technical failures has increased significantly. Applicants have reported a variety of issues, including:

• The website does not load at all or loads extremely slowly.
• Login attempts fail or generate error messages.
• Previously created profiles appear to disappear, cannot be edited, or display missing functions and buttons.
• Entered information is not saved.
• Consular fee payment transactions fail.
• Interview appointments cannot be scheduled.
• The system displays technical error messages or unexpectedly logs users out of the portal.

The US consulate and the responsible technical service provider is aware of these problems and are working to resolve them. However, at this time, there is unfortunately no indication of a lasting improvement in the situation.

Because these technical difficulties originate entirely within the official external service provider’s system, the ability of visa agencies to influence or expedite a resolution is unfortunately very limited. We are nevertheless closely monitoring the situation and remain in regular contact with affected applicants.

Especially under the current circumstances, many applicants value the support provided by our agency. We continuously monitor the online system, create and manage applicant profiles, guide clients through the required processing steps, and assist with communication and appointment scheduling. This significantly reduces the time involved and helps minimize unnecessary stress.

Applicants who have already submitted their visa application may submit inqueries directly through the TravelDocs system from within their profile or contact the service provider's techncial support team directly:

To the support page

Unfortunately, support availability is currently limited, and applicants should expect response times of approximately at least one to three business days for inquiries submitted through the portal.

To avoid additional complications, we currently recommend the following:

• Use the English-language version of the website whenever possible.
• Use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge as your preferred browser.
• Open the website in a private or incognito browser window.
• Do not create multiple user profiles, as this frequently causes additional technical conflicts.
• Try accessing the system outside peak usage hours, such as early in the morning, late in the evening, or on weekends.
• If you successfully log in, be patient and allow all profile functions to load completely before proceeding. Avoid repeatedly clicking through different sections of the portal.
• Plan for significantly longer processing times for your visa application than would normally be expected.

We appreciate your understanding that these technical issues may currently delay many visa procedures. As always, we remain committed to providing our clients with the highest level of support and are available to answer any questions you may have.