Rohan is a 31-year-old backend developer in Pune. His company wants him in Austin for a two-week client workshop next spring, and his wife would love to tag along and see New York afterwards. He opens the US visa website, sees "DS-160", "MRV fee", "OFC appointment" and a wait time that's measured in months, and quietly closes the tab.
If that sounds familiar, this guide is for you. It walks through the US visa for Indians from the first form to the passport coming back with a visa in it, with the 2026 changes that actually matter: fewer interview waivers, a new fee that's still rolling out, longer queues at some consulates, and a few rules on where you can apply.
The short version
- Most Indian visitors need a B1/B2 visa. India isn't part of the US Visa Waiver Program, so ESTA isn't an option on an Indian passport.
- The application fee (MRV fee) for a B1/B2 is $185, non-refundable, paid before you book an appointment.
- A separate $250 "Visa Integrity Fee" is law and is collected only if your visa is issued. Collection has been uneven across consulates, so check what your post says before your interview.
- Almost everyone is interviewed now. Since 1 October 2025 the interview waiver ("dropbox") is limited mainly to certain B1/B2 renewals.
- Wait times are long. State Department figures updated on 17 September 2026 put the next available B1/B2 interview at roughly 7.5 to 12 months across Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.
- If approved, Indian B1/B2 visas are usually multiple-entry and valid for up to 10 years, with no extra reciprocity fee.
Which US visa do you actually need?
The US has dozens of visa categories, but most Indian travellers fall into one of a handful. Pick the right one before you start the DS-160, because the form, the fee and the documents all change with the category.
| Your reason for travel | Usual visa | Application (MRV) fee |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday, visiting family, medical treatment | B-2 (issued as B1/B2) | $185 |
| Business meetings, conferences, client workshops (no US payroll work) | B-1 (issued as B1/B2) | $185 |
| Full-time study at a US university | F-1 | $185 (plus the separate SEVIS fee) |
| Exchange programmes, research scholars | J-1 | $185 (plus SEVIS) |
| Employer-sponsored work (H-1B, L-1, O-1 and similar) | Petition-based visas | $205 |
Rohan's client workshop is classic B-1 territory. His wife's sightseeing is B-2. In practice, Indian applicants are usually issued a combined B1/B2 visa that covers both, so they don't need separate visas. What a B1/B2 visa won't cover is doing productive work for a US company or getting paid from a US source. If your "business trip" is really a three-month project at a client site, talk to your employer about the right work visa instead.
What changed for Indian applicants in 2025 and 2026
A lot of advice online is out of date. These are the changes we see tripping people up most.
Interviews are back for nearly everyone
From 1 October 2025, the State Department narrowed the interview waiver. Most applicants, including children under 14 and adults over 79, now need an in-person interview. The main exception for visitors is a B1/B2 renewal within 12 months of the previous visa's expiry, where the old visa was issued for full validity and you were at least 18 when you got it. You also need to apply in your country of nationality or residence, have no unresolved previous refusal, and have no apparent ineligibility. Even then, the consular officer can still call you in for an interview.
Apply where you live
Since 6 September 2025, nonimmigrant visa applicants are expected to apply at a US embassy or consulate in their country of nationality or residence. The old trick of flying to Bangkok or Dubai for a faster appointment doesn't really work any more, unless you actually live there and can prove it.
The Visa Integrity Fee
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed in July 2025, created a $250 Visa Integrity Fee on most nonimmigrant visas, including B1/B2. It's charged at the time of issuance, so you don't pay it if you're refused. The law says it may be refunded after the visa expires if you followed all the conditions, but there's no working refund process yet. Implementation has been patchy: some posts reportedly began collecting it in 2026, and as of early October 2026 we couldn't find a single official start date that covers every consulate. Our honest advice: budget for it, and read the fee instructions for your post the week before your interview.
Social media handles on the DS-160
The DS-160 asks for the social media identifiers you've used in the last five years on a list of platforms. You give usernames, never passwords. List them honestly, including old accounts you've stopped using. A mismatch between what you declare and what an officer can see is an avoidable problem.
US visa fees for Indians in 2026
Here's the full fee picture for a B1/B2 applicant, based on the State Department's fee schedule for visa services.
| Fee | Amount | When you pay | Refundable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| DS-160 form | Free | n/a | n/a |
| MRV application fee | $185 | Before booking appointments | No |
| Visa Integrity Fee | $250 | Only if the visa is issued (where collected) | Possibly, after the visa expires |
| Reciprocity (issuance) fee for Indian B1/B2 | $0 | n/a | n/a |
You pay the MRV fee in rupees through the scheduling portal, at the consular exchange rate shown when you pay. That rate changes from time to time, so don't trust a rupee figure you saw on a forum last year. The fee receipt is generally valid for a year from payment, which matters when queues are long.
A Delhi family of four, worked example: two parents and two kids all need their own application, so that's 4 × $185 = $740 in MRV fees. If their consulate is collecting the integrity fee when the visas are issued, add 4 × $250 = $1,000. Children pay the same MRV fee as adults.
How to apply for a US visa from India: step by step
1. Fill in the DS-160
The DS-160 is the online application form on the State Department's Consular Electronic Application Center. Set aside two or three unhurried hours. Have your passport, travel dates, US address (hotel or host), employment and education history, and previous travel details ready.
A few things that save headaches later:
- Write down your Application ID on the first page and save the form often. It times out if you leave it idle.
- Upload a photo that actually meets the specs. No glasses, plain light background, recent. A rejected photo means a new upload at the VAC.
- Match your passport exactly. Name spelling, passport number, date of birth. Small typos cause big delays.
- Keep the confirmation page with the barcode. You'll need it to book appointments and at the VAC.
2. Create your scheduling account and pay the MRV fee
Indian applicants book through the official US visa scheduling portal linked from the US Embassy and Consulates in India visa pages. You'll create a profile, enter your DS-160 confirmation number and passport details, and pay the MRV fee. Use the official site only. There are plenty of lookalike pages.
3. Book two appointments: biometrics and interview
First-time applicants usually book a Visa Application Centre (VAC) slot for fingerprints and photo, and a separate consular interview. The VAC appointment normally needs to be at least a day before the interview. You can usually pick a VAC in one city and an interview at another post if that gets you an earlier date, but plan the travel.
4. Attend the VAC
Carry your passport, DS-160 confirmation page and appointment letter. It's quick. Don't bring a stack of documents here, they won't look at them.
5. Attend the interview
This is where the decision happens. More on that below.
6. Get your passport back
If you're approved, the consulate keeps your passport to print the visa foil, and you collect it (or have it delivered) from the pickup location you chose. Check the visa the moment you get it: name, date of birth, passport number, visa type and expiry. Errors are fixable, but only if you catch them before you fly.
Documents for a B1/B2 interview: what to carry
The officer may not ask for a single paper. Carry them anyway, organised so you can find anything in five seconds.
Must carry
- Current passport, plus old passports with any previous US visas
- DS-160 confirmation page and appointment confirmation
- Fee receipt
Good to have, depending on your profile
- Employment letter with your role, salary, approved leave dates and a line confirming you're expected back
- Last three to six months of salary slips and bank statements (our guide to bank statements for visa applications explains what officers look for)
- Income tax returns for two to three years
- For business trips: an invitation letter from the US company and your employer's letter explaining the purpose (see our business visa documents checklist)
- For family visits: your host's status in the US and a short invitation note
- A simple itinerary. You don't need confirmed flights for the interview. A flight itinerary without buying tickets is fine.
Check your passport too. It should be valid for at least six months beyond your planned stay, and if it's close to expiry, renew it first. The Krosz passport photo requirements guide and passport renewal guide cover the Indian side of that.
The interview: what officers are really checking
Most B1/B2 interviews are short. Two or three minutes isn't unusual. The officer is applying one legal test above all: section 214(b) of US immigration law, which presumes every visitor intends to immigrate unless they show otherwise. Your job is to show that your life is in India and the trip is temporary.
Questions Rohan might hear:
- "What's the purpose of your trip?"
- "Who are you meeting in Austin? How long will you be there?"
- "What do you do at your company? How long have you worked there?"
- "Who's paying for the trip?"
- "Have you travelled abroad before?"
What helps: short, specific, honest answers. "A two-week requirements workshop with our client, then four days in New York with my wife before we fly back to Pune" is perfect. What hurts: memorised speeches, vague answers ("just to see"), and answers that don't match your DS-160.
If you're refused under 214(b), it isn't a permanent ban. There's no appeal, but you can reapply. Just don't reapply the next week with the same profile and the same answers. Our guide to common visa rejection reasons for Indian applicants goes deeper on what to change before trying again.
US visa interview wait times in India
Visitor visa waits are the biggest planning problem for Indians right now. According to State Department data updated on 17 September 2026, the next available B1/B2 interview was about 12 months in Hyderabad, 11.5 months in Mumbai, 10 months in New Delhi and 7.5 months in Chennai. Student (F, M, J) appointments were much shorter, and petition-based work visa waits sat somewhere in between.
Three practical takeaways:
- Book first, plan later. If there's any chance you'll travel to the US in the next year, fill the DS-160 and book now. You can reschedule within the portal's rules.
- Check for earlier slots regularly. Consulates release new appointments, and people cancel. Checking a couple of times a week genuinely works.
- Consider a different post. Chennai was shortest in September, but that changes month to month. Factor in travel costs before you book a flight across the country for an interview.
Not sure how far ahead to plan in general? Our piece on how early you should apply for a visa has a simple backwards-planning method.
Interview waiver (dropbox) in 2026: do you qualify?
You may be able to skip the interview if all of these are true:
- You're renewing a B1, B2 or B1/B2 visa
- Your previous visa expired less than 12 months ago (or hasn't expired yet)
- It was issued for full validity, and you were at least 18 at the time
- You're applying in India as an Indian national or resident
- You've never been refused a US visa (or the refusal was overcome)
- There's no apparent ineligibility
Your parents who got 10-year visas in 2016 and let them lapse in 2026? Their visas expired within the last year, so they might qualify, as long as they apply quickly. If they wait until late 2027, they're back in the interview queue.
After the visa: entry is still up to US border officers
A visa lets you travel to a US port of entry and ask to be admitted. The CBP officer at the airport decides whether you get in and how long you can stay. Carry the same supporting papers in your hand luggage, keep your return ticket handy and answer simply. After entry, you can check your electronic I-94 record online to see your authorised stay. Don't overstay, even by a day. It can void your visa and wreck future applications.
E-visa or sticker? The US is firmly a sticker
Unlike Vietnam, Sri Lanka or Japan, the US still puts a physical visa foil in your passport. If you renew your passport, your valid US visa stays valid in the old passport, and you carry both. Wondering how that compares with other countries? We've broken it down in e-visa vs sticker visa: which one do you need?
Where Krosz fits in
You can do every step above yourself, and plenty of people do. Where people come to us is the bit before the interview: choosing the right category, getting the DS-160 right the first time, and putting together a document set that tells a clear story. If you'd like that help, start with an online visa consultation (we have pages for Pune, Mumbai, Delhi and other cities) to confirm we can support your route. Our managed service is ₹1,999 + 18% GST on the service fee (₹359.82), so ₹2,358.82 per visa. Government fees like the MRV fee are separate and always shown before you pay. Full details are on the pricing page.
And if a US trip feels like a lot of waiting, it's worth knowing how many places don't need a visa at all. Here's our list of visa-free countries for Indian passport holders in 2026.