The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India reminded applicants on Sunday that, effective 1 January 2025, non-immigrant visa (NIV) appointments may be rescheduled only once without incurring a new Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fee. A second change—or a missed appointment—will require paying a fresh fee and booking a new slot.
The policy aims to shorten India’s notoriously long wait times, which currently hover around 430–480 days for B-1/B-2 visitor visas across major consulates. Consular officials say multiple no-shows and serial reschedulers have clogged the system, wasting scarce interview slots.
![US Embassy in India Limits Non-Immigrant Visa Rescheduling to One Free Change]()
Business-travel coordinators should counsel employees to commit firmly to their chosen dates. The embassy will still allow applicants to pick any post in India for the initial appointment, preserving flexibility for those who can travel domestically.
Existing appointments booked before 6 September 2025 remain valid under the old rules. Emergency and diplomatic visas are exempt. The embassy has not ruled out extending the one-free-change policy to other high-demand countries if pilot results are positive.
The policy aims to shorten India’s notoriously long wait times, which currently hover around 430–480 days for B-1/B-2 visitor visas across major consulates. Consular officials say multiple no-shows and serial reschedulers have clogged the system, wasting scarce interview slots.
Business-travel coordinators should counsel employees to commit firmly to their chosen dates. The embassy will still allow applicants to pick any post in India for the initial appointment, preserving flexibility for those who can travel domestically.
Existing appointments booked before 6 September 2025 remain valid under the old rules. Emergency and diplomatic visas are exempt. The embassy has not ruled out extending the one-free-change policy to other high-demand countries if pilot results are positive.
