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Updated on 01.05.2025
When applying for a nonimmigrant visa for the USA, all applicants between the ages of 14 and 79 must appear in person at the US consulate, with a few exceptions. We have summarized below what you can expect at the consular interview appointment and what you need to pay attention to.
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For most applicants, a personal interview at the US consulate is an integral part of the visa process. Anyone between the ages of 14 and 79 must usually appear in person.
Exceptions apply to children under the age of 14, people over the age of 79 and certain visa applicants, for example for visa extensions: Thanks to the Interview Waiver Program, you can waive the appointment at the US consulate under certain conditions and apply for the visa by post. However, the US consular officers reserve the right to schedule a personal interview (at a later date) also in these cases.
First of all, you should plan enough in advance and arrange your visa interview appointment as early as possible; ideally several weeks before your planned trip to the USA.
In the summer months or during peak travel times, there may be longer wait times, so even more preparation time is often required.
After applicants have completed the official online application DS-160 and submitted it to the US authorities, payment of the visa fee and subsequent scheduling of the interview appointment can be made via official external service providers of the US authorities. The appointment can either be made online via the personal visa profile or by calling the call center of the respective provider (e.g. USTravelDocs.com or AVITS).
When making an appointment online, you can view the available visa appointments at the US consulates in a calendar. You will then receive an Appointment Confirmation, which includes the date and time of the appointment.
Since May 1, 2025, an important change in the US visa application process applies: The DS-160 Application ID or barcode number on your DS-160 form (beginning with "AA") must exactly match the number that was provided when you made the appointment for the consular interview and appears on your Appointment Confirmation. If the numbers do not match, the appointment cannot be kept and a new appointment booking is required.
This can happen, for example, if you have submitted your DS-160 form online but still need to make subsequent changes. Unfortunately, this is no longer possible once you have submitted the form. A new form would then have to be completed and submitted, generating a new case number ("AA00...").
The following situations are possible:
Make absolutely sure that the DS-160 confirmation number on your DS-160 barcode sheet and on your appointment confirmation are identical. If this is not the case, your appointment will be canceled in advance by the US consulate. Or you may not be granted access on the day of your appointment.
You should bring your printed appointment confirmation with the latest DS-160 barcode number (Application ID) and the new / valid DS-160 confirmation page to the visa interview. This will help you avoid delays and additional costs in the application process.
If you are unsure, we recommend that you check all details carefully before making an appointment or seek professional support from our US Visa Service team.
Changes to appointments, i.e. canceling or postponing appointments prior to applying for a visa at the US consulate, e.g. due to illness, etc., are not uncommon and are possible without any problems. This also means that changes to appointments have no effect on the granting or refusal of a visa for the USA. However, there are restrictions regarding the permitted number of appointment changes.
Please note that, depending on the responsible US consulate, only one or two postponements are usually permitted without additional costs.
After that, a further postponement is only possible if the consular visa fee is paid again. The application fees for nonimmigrant visas vary depending on the visa category and start at 166.50 € (185 $) per person. It is therefore advisable to plan well in advance.
On the day of your consular interview appointment, you should prepare for the following: Your appointment refers to the admission to the US consulate and not on the actual visa interview with the consular officers. Therefore, please do not arrive too early for your appointment! It is sufficient if you arrive at the US consulate 30 minutes before your visa appointment.
You should have the following documents handy:
Unfortunately, the waiting time in front of the US consulate can take some time. Please also note that some items may not be brought into the building (see for instance security notice of the US consulates in Germany).
In the building you will be given a slip of paper with a waiting number, under which you will be called later.
The actual interview at the counter can usually be conducted either in English or in the national language of the home country (in Germany, for example, in German). The questioning on the part of the US consular officer usually takes only five to ten minutes.
During the interview, the consular officer will review your application documents. In addition, you may be asked questions about your purpose of stay, i.e. the reason for your entry into the USA.
Tip: In any case, you should be able to explain what you intend to do in the United States and in this context it is essential that you also inform yourself about the visa category to be applied for. This means, for example, that you should know that you will not be applying for a B-2 Tourist visa be allowed to apply for a proposed work assignment in the US.
Your passport will then be issued in the US consulate retained and sent with the visa by registered mail after a processing time of about one week.
Sie sollten im persönlichen Visa-Gespräch in jedem Fall erklären können, was Sie in den Vereinigten Staaten vorhaben und sich in dem Zusammenhang unbedingt auch über die zu beantragende Visumkategorie für die USA informieren. D. h., dass Sie z. B. darüber Bescheid wissen sollten, ob Sie mit dem beantragten US-Visum in den USA arbeiten dürfen oder aber touristisch einreisen usw.
Je nach Kategorie sollten Sie glaubhaft machen, dass Sie die USA nach dem geplanten USA-Aufenthalt wieder verlassen und in Ihr Heimatland zurückkehren werden.
If the application is made through The American Dream's US Visa Service, we will handle the appointment and any rescheduling for you.
We also take care of the preparation of the complete application documentation and prepare our clients in detail and individually for the visa interview.
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