US Embassy in India Announces a New Visa Processing System

On September 5, 2012, the United States Embassy in India announced it is implementing a new visa processing system throughout India that will simplify fee payment and appointment scheduling.  Beginning September 26, 2012 the new system will allow U.S. visa applicants to pay application fees via Electronic Fund
Transfer (EFT) or with their mobile phones.  The new system will be accessible via a new website www.ustraveldocs.com/in which is available in English and Hindi.  This new website will answer all questions about visa applications and will also be used to fill out application forms, schedule biometrics collection or visa interview appointments, and pay visa application fees.  Also under this new system, applicants will be able to contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate call centers between 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday through Friday via phone, email them directly in English or Hindi at support_india@ustraveldocs.com, or chat with them directly from their website www.ustraveldocs.com/in during the call center hours.  Call center agents will answer questions in Hindi, English, Gujarati, Punjabi,
Tamil, and Telugu.

A major change under the new system would be that each first time visa applicant will have to schedule two appointments on two separate days; one for the biometrics (fingerprints and a photo) collection, and the second one for a visa interview.  Biometrics will be collected at Offsite Facilitation Center (OFC) that
will in turn help reduce congestion at U.S. consular facilities.  Once a visa applicant has submitted his/her fingerprints at the OFC, he ‘may’ be able to skip this step for subsequent visa renewals. 

Also under this new system, passports, and other documents will be shipped to 33 document pick-up locations across India within a week at no extra charge to the visa applicant.  Once the documents are ready for pickup, the visa applicant will be notified via email and/or SMS.