United States visa guideThe US tourist visa is the B-2 visitor visa, normally issued to Indians as a combined B-1/B-2. It covers holidays, visits to family and friends, and medical treatment, and can be valid for up to 10 years with multiple entries. How long you stay on each trip is set by the officer at the US airport, usually up to 6 months.
Indians cannot use ESTA. You complete the DS-160 online, pay $185 in rupees, give fingerprints at a Visa Application Centre and attend an interview, for Punjab usually at the US Embassy in New Delhi. The decision is often given at the interview; the long wait is for the interview date itself.
Do Indians need a visa for the USA, and which one?
Yes. Indian nationals are not eligible for the Visa Waiver Program, so ESTA is not an option and every trip needs a visa stamped in the passport. For a holiday, a family visit or medical treatment, that visa is the B-2 visitor visa. In India it is normally issued as a combined B-1/B-2, which also covers short business trips.
There is no e-visa. You fill in the online DS-160 form, pay the fee, give fingerprints at a Visa Application Centre (VAC), and then attend an interview at the US Embassy or a Consulate. A consular officer decides, usually at the end of a short interview, and the law starts from the presumption that you intend to immigrate. Your job is to show otherwise.
Two dates on a US visa get confused all the time. The visa's validity is the period in which you may travel to a US port of entry; for Indians, a B visa can be valid for up to 10 years with multiple entries. How long you may stay on each trip is decided separately, by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer when you land.
US visitor visa at a glance
- VisaTourism, family visits, medical treatment
- B-2, usually issued as B-1/B-2
- Visa feeChildren pay too; not refundable
- $185 per person, paid in rupees
- InterviewNarrow waiver for some renewals
- In person, at the Embassy or a Consulate
- Nearest for PunjabVAC and Embassy; other Indian posts allowed
- New Delhi
- ValiditySet by the officer for each case
- Up to 10 years, multiple entry
- Length of each stayRecorded on your electronic I-94
- Decided at the US airport
US Embassy India, U.S. Travel Docs India and CBP, checked 14 Oct 2026
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
There is no US consulate in Punjab. The closest post is the US Embassy in New Delhi, and its VAC is at the Shivaji Stadium Metro Station in Connaught Place. You need two appointments: biometrics at the VAC first, then the interview, and the VAC visit must be at least 2 business days before the interview.
You are not tied to Delhi for an ordinary interview. The appointment service says the post you choose must be in India (New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad or Kolkata), and the Embassy asks applicants to apply in their country of residence or nationality. So if New Delhi's dates are far off, you may book at another Indian post; the documents you need are the same.
Chandigarh and Jalandhar matter for the later steps. Both have offices of the appointment service where you can drop documents for an interview waiver or a 221(g) request and collect your passport, and Blue Dart counters in Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Ambala Cantt also return passports. The appointment service lists Chandigarh and Jalandhar under the New Delhi Embassy's jurisdiction.
Who has to turn up, and where:
- VAC (fingerprints and photo): everyone aged 14 to 79. Applicants under 14 or over 79 do not attend; a family member or representative can submit their documents.
- Interview: everyone, including children under 14 and parents over 79. Missing it makes you a "No Show", and you pay a new fee and start again.
- Alone: friends, relatives, lawyers and business contacts are not let in with you.
- Travel light: no mobile phones, smart watches, large bags, food or sealed envelopes. There is nowhere to store them.
Families can book together. Spouses, children, parents, siblings and grandparents may apply as a group through the "Dependent" option, but each person still needs a separate DS-160 and fee. To follow how interview dates are moving, see our US appointment availability page.
Which documents depend on your situation?
The official list is short: the DS-160 confirmation page, a passport valid at least 6 months beyond your stay, the appointment letter, and a printed photo only if the upload failed. On interview day, bring your current passport and all old ones. Beyond that, the appointment service says you may bring whatever supporting documents you believe back up your application. An invitation letter or affidavit of support is not required, and there is no official minimum bank balance.
The officer decides mostly from your answers and may look at only one or two papers. Carry the documents that prove what you will say:
Salaried
- Papers worth carrying
- Employer's letter with designation, salary and approved leave dates; recent salary slips; ITR acknowledgements; salary account statement
Business owner or farmer
- Papers worth carrying
- GST registration or firm papers; ITRs; business and personal bank statements; jamabandi or fard for agricultural land
Retired parents visiting children
- Papers worth carrying
- Pension statements; property papers; your son's or daughter's US status document and address; a letter from them about the visit
Student on a holiday
- Papers worth carrying
- College ID and a letter confirming enrolment and vacation dates; a parent's income papers if they pay
Medical treatment
- Papers worth carrying
- Diagnosis from your Indian doctor; the US hospital's letter on treatment, duration and cost; proof you can pay for treatment, stay and travel
Child under 18
- Papers worth carrying
- Birth certificate; parents' passports and visas; if one parent stays behind, that parent's written consent
If you were refused before, you must complete a new DS-160, and your file should show what has changed since. One more practical point: answer truthfully about relatives in the US, including their immigration status. Officers ask, and a false answer turns a weak file into a misrepresentation case.
How much is the US visa fee for Indians?
The visa application (MRV) fee for a B visa is $185 per applicant, children included, and it is the same for B-1, B-2 and B-1/B-2. You pay in rupees at the consular exchange rate, which the Embassy set at 98 rupees to the dollar from 25 May 2026, by NEFT, UPI, card or cash at the listed banks. The fee is not refunded or transferred if the visa is refused, and the receipt stays valid for 365 days for booking an appointment. From 15 October 2026 the appointment service charges ₹1,500 per application when it hands back a passport at a paid collection point, and the same amount for doorstep delivery. Our filing fee is shown at the top of this page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
The slow part is the interview date, not the decision. When our Knowledge Base last recorded the State Department's wait-time table (updated 17 September 2026), the average wait for a B visa interview was 7.5 months in New Delhi and 11 months in Mumbai. Check the live figure before you plan anything.
After the interview, the appointment service says visa processing typically takes seven to ten working days. If the officer issues a 221(g) letter for administrative processing, it can take much longer: most such cases are resolved within 180 days, and you are asked not to chase before then.
Plan the calendar like this:
- As early as possible. The official advice is at least three months before travel; with current waits, a wedding or a delivery date in the US needs far more than that.
- Pay first, then watch for dates. The fee receipt is valid for 365 days for scheduling, so you can pay, book the first date offered, and keep checking.
- Expedited dates are for emergencies. A medical need, a death in the family, urgent business, a student's start date or an ESTA denial may qualify. Weddings, graduations, helping a pregnant relative, annual conferences and last-minute tourism do not, and you can file only two expedite requests.
- No tickets until the visa is in your passport.
Why do US visas get refused for Indian applicants?
The most common refusal is under section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which presumes every B-1/B-2 applicant intends to immigrate. To overcome it you must show four things: a temporary purpose, a specific and limited period of stay, the funds to cover it, and a residence outside the US with binding social or economic ties that will bring you back.
Ties to India the officer could not see
A young single applicant with no steady job, no property and close family already in the US is the classic 214(b) refusal. Ties are what you would lose by not coming back: a job with approved leave, a running business, land, children in school, parents who depend on you. Be ready to describe them in one or two sentences.
A trip with no clear shape
The law asks for a specific, limited period. "To see my son, maybe a few months" is weak. "Three weeks in New Jersey for my granddaughter's naming ceremony, back in time for the paddy harvest" is a plan. Match the length of the trip to its purpose.
Answers that do not match the DS-160
The officer has your DS-160 open while you speak. Signing it certifies everything in it is true, and misrepresenting facts can make you ineligible. Read your own form before the interview, especially work history, travel history, relatives in the US and previous refusals.
Money with no visible source
You must show funds to cover the trip. A balance built with recent deposits, or a sponsor nobody can explain, raises doubts rather than settling them. If a child in the US is paying, be able to say so and show their status and income.
Leaving a 221(g) letter unanswered
A 221(g) refusal means information is missing or the case needs administrative processing. It is not the end. Read the letter, submit exactly what it asks for at a document drop-off office such as Chandigarh or Jalandhar, and wait for the outcome.
A 214(b) refusal has no appeal for that application. You can apply again with a new DS-160, a new fee and a new interview, and it makes sense to do so when something material has changed: a new job, a business that has grown, a trip with a clearer purpose. Our guide to a 214(b) refusal and what to do next walks through that decision.
Tips for a stronger interview
- Speak for yourself. Short, direct answers in your own words beat rehearsed speeches. Nobody can come into the interview with you.
- Know your DS-160. Your answers, your dates, and your employer's name and address should come out the same way in the interview.
- Organise, do not overload. One slim folder: passports, DS-160 page, appointment letter, then income, ties and trip papers in that order.
- Carry every old passport. Earlier US, UK, Schengen, Canadian or Australian visas used properly are strong evidence that you return on time.
- Photo rules have tightened. Use a photo taken within the last 6 months, and no glasses: they are no longer allowed in new visa photos.
- Plan the day. Leave phones and bags behind, reach on time, and keep the appointment letter printed.
Can you renew a US visitor visa without an interview?
Sometimes. The interview-waiver rules are narrower than they used to be, and you can skip the interview only if all of these are true:
- you are renewing a B-1, B-2 or B-1/B-2 that is still valid or expired within the last 12 months
- you were at least 18 when that visa was issued
- you are applying in the consular district where you live
- all 10 fingerprints were taken for the last visa
- the old visa was not lost, stolen or revoked, and you have never been refused unless that refusal was later overcome
If you qualify, you drop your passport, old passport, DS-160 page and photo at one of the appointment service's drop-off locations, which include Chandigarh and Jalandhar, and you must be in India when you submit. The appointment service asks you to allow up to three weeks, and the officer can still call you in for an interview. Children and parents who do not meet every condition must attend in person.
How long can you stay once you land?
A US visa only lets you travel to the border. The Embassy states that an immigration officer at the port of entry decides if you are admitted and for how long. The officer reviews your passport and visa, takes your photo and fingerprints again, and records your permitted stay electronically on Form I-94, usually up to 6 months for a visitor.
Check your I-94 online after arrival and leave by its date, not the visa's expiry date. Overstaying the I-94 has serious consequences for any future US visa. For other American routes, start at the United States country page, and for business travel see the US business visa guide.
Official sources
- Visas, U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India
- Nonimmigrant Visas, U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India
- Apply for a Nonimmigrant Visa, U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India
- Important Visa Information, U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India
- Arrival in the U.S., U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India
- Arrival/Departure Forms: I-94, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- B-1 Temporary Business Visitor, USCIS
