US visa appointments 2026: how to check the next available slot for B1/B2 and O-1 yourself

Egor · April 20, 2026, 3:00pm

Making a US visa appointment in 2026 is not a lottery: you can check the nearest interview date at any consulate yourself, without paying agents or subscribing to dubious Telegram bots. The process is the same for tourist B1/B2 and work O-1 visas (both visas are scheduled through the same AIS system and follow the same queue rules). Below is a step-by-step guide on how to view available slots in Warsaw, Belgrade, Astana, Vilnius and other locations popular with Russian-speaking applicants, plus a list of countries where appointments were opening the fastest in April 2026.

TL;DR (in 30 seconds):

First check which of the four portals your country uses. Most Central Asian and Latin American countries are on ais.usvisa-info.com, Turkey and India on usvisascheduling.com, China, Brazil and much of Europe on ustraveldocs.com.
Complete the DS-160 on the State Department site and save the number.
On the portal site click “Apply”, create an account, choose visa type (B1/B2 or O), enter the DS-160 number.
Proceed to the Payment step. On that screen the right column already shows the “First Available Appointments” block with the nearest dates for all consulates in the country.
Look, close the tab. You don’t need to pay anything.

What you need to understand before opening the portal

This guide is about the O-1 visa. For EB-1A see another guide.

Since autumn 2025 the scheduling policy has changed. Previously many applicants chose any US consulate in the world with a short queue and booked there. Under the current State Department rules it is recommended to apply for nonimmigrant visas in your country of citizenship or lawful residence.

The exact wording matters: applying in a third country has not formally disappeared entirely, but it has become noticeably more risky. A consulate may refuse to accept the case at the place of application, and the paid MRV fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.

Timeline:

August 28, 2025: The State Department announced a similar rule for immigrant visas (effective November 1, 2025). This was the first signal.
September 6, 2025: The State Department extended the rule to nonimmigrant visas (B1/B2, F-1, H-1B, O-1, J-1, L-1). The official announcement took effect immediately.
December 12, 2025: The State Department clarified that residence must be provable with documentation.

Morgan Lewis, September 2025, on the scope of changes: “The Department of State’s policy changes significantly impact consular nonimmigrant visa processing by requiring applicants to schedule visa interviews in their country of nationality or country of residence. Applicants who schedule interviews outside these locations may be denied processing or face greater scrutiny.”

What this means: major law firm Morgan Lewis explains: the rule is not just a “recommendation”, it changes the approach to scheduling. You can apply outside your country, but the officer will require additional explanations and there is a high probability of refusal to process the case.

Berry Appleman & Leiden (BAL), August 28, 2025: “Effective November 1, 2025, all immigrant visa applicants must schedule interviews at a U.S. consulate in the country where they reside. This is a significant departure from prior practice, where applicants could often choose to interview at any consulate.”

What this means: BAL, one of the largest corporate immigration firms in the US, described the rule for immigrant visas in August 2025. Exactly one week later the State Department applied the same logic to nonimmigrant visas.

At which consulate you can apply

From here we are talking only about nonimmigrant visas: tourist B1/B2 and work O-1. Immigrant visas (employment-based green cards EB-1/EB-2/EB-3, family-based, DV lottery) follow different rules. If you need an immigrant visa, follow your case number through the National Visa Center.

The rule is the same for B1/B2 and O-1: O-1, despite being petition-based, is tied to the country of residence just like H-1B and L-1.

Fragomen on third-country applications for petition-based visas: “The State Department is limiting nonimmigrant visa appointments to an applicant’s country of nationality or residence… This policy applies to all nonimmigrant visa categories, including employment-based petition categories such as H-1B, L-1, and O-1.”

What this means: until September 2025 it was believed that with an approved I-129 petition you could apply at any consulate for a quick slot. Now O-1 follows the same rules as B1/B2. Source: Fragomen, one of the world’s largest immigration firms.

Russian passport, residing in Russia (B1/B2 and O-1)

Where: Designated posts for nonimmigrant visas: Warsaw (Poland) and Astana (Kazakhstan). The Embassy in Moscow has not been processing since 2022, see The Moscow Times.

What you need: internal Russian passport for proof of identity. To schedule in Warsaw you first need a Schengen visa to get there. Queues at both posts are lengthening; check dates in advance.

Russian passport, residence permit in another country (B1/B2 and O-1)

Where: For nonimmigrant visas you apply in your country of residence: Turkey (Ankara or Istanbul via usvisascheduling.com), UAE (Abu Dhabi or Dubai), Serbia (Belgrade), Georgia (Tbilisi), Armenia (Yerevan), Kazakhstan (Astana or Almaty), Cyprus (Nicosia), Thailand (Bangkok), Indonesia (Jakarta).

Proof of residence: residence permit plus at least 6 months of physical presence (lease or property deed, utility bills, bank statements, employment contract, tax documents). For Turkey this is ikamet and e-Devlet extract, for UAE Emirates ID and Ejari, for Serbia boravišna dozvola.

Belarusian passport, residing in Belarus (B1/B2 and O-1)

Where: Designated post for nonimmigrant visas: Vilnius (Lithuania). For immigrant visas Belarusians are usually assigned Warsaw. The Embassy in Minsk has been closed since February 2022.

What you need: Belarusian passport or a residence permit from another country.

Ukrainian passport (B1/B2 and O-1)

Where: The case depends on where you live. Inside Ukraine: Kyiv is functioning in a limited capacity since October 2025. From the EU: Krakow or Warsaw. If you have temporary protection or an EU residence permit, apply in the country of residence.

Ogletree Deakins on Ukrainian applicants: “Ukrainian nationals residing outside of Ukraine may apply at a U.S. embassy or consulate in their country of residence. Applicants should be prepared to provide evidence of lawful residence, such as a residence permit or temporary protection documentation.”

What this means: if you hold a Ukrainian passport and are in Poland, Germany or Czechia, apply there, not in Kyiv. Bring proof of lawful status: temporary protection (“Pobyt czasowy” in Poland, “Aufenthaltstitel” in Germany) or residence permit. Source: Ogletree Deakins.

Passports of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan (B1/B2 and O-1)

Where: For nonimmigrant visas apply at home: ais.usvisa-info.com (Kazakhstan), Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

What you need: internal passport.

Passports of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan (B1/B2 and O-1)

Where: For nonimmigrant visas apply at home: Tbilisi, Yerevan, Baku.

What you need: internal passport.

EU passport holders (Poland, Germany, Czechia, Lithuania, Latvia) (B1/B2 and O-1)

Where: For tourism up to 90 days B1/B2 is not needed at all, use the Visa Waiver via ESTA. If you still need B1/B2 (long stay, business) or O-1, apply in your country of citizenship: Warsaw, Frankfurt or Berlin, Prague, Vilnius, Riga.

What you need: EU ID or passport.

Israeli passport (B1/B2 and O-1)

Where: Israel joined the Visa Waiver Program on November 30, 2023, so for tourism up to 90 days B1/B2 is not required. If you need O-1 or a long B1/B2, apply in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.

What you need: Teudat Zehut.

If none of the combinations above apply to you, check your designated post on the State Department page about the residence rule or consult an immigration lawyer. The old “fly wherever you want” scheme no longer works.

What you will need to check dates

A completed DS-160 form and its Application ID (format AA + 8 characters, e.g. AA00ABCDE1, per the official CEAC description).
A valid international passport whose details are entered in the DS-160.
For O-1 additionally the approved petition number I-129 (USCIS Receipt Notice, format EAC, WAC, LIN or SRC plus 10 digits).
15 minutes of time.

DS-160 Barcode Match rule. Since 2025 the U.S. State Department has implemented a rule that the DS-160 number (starting with “AA”) entered when scheduling the interview must exactly match the DS-160 you bring to the interview. If it does not match, you will not be allowed into the interview and will need to schedule again. The rule was first announced in Turkey (US Embassy in Turkey press release of April 25, 2025 in English), but it applies across all portals: AIS, USTravelDocs and USVisaScheduling. A fake number will not pass registration; your full name and passport must match the DS-160. Fill out the DS-160 using your real international passport, not a “draft for the sake of a draft.”

Step 0. Find out which portal your country uses

The State Department never created a single unified scheduling portal. Today there are four different systems, and every country is tied to one of them. Below is an overview of each system with practical pros and cons, based on analysis by New York immigration lawyers Daryanani Law Group (September 2024).

1. AIS (Yatri), ais.usvisa-info.com

A cloud portal developed by GDIT (General Dynamics Information Technology). Used in Canada, Mexico, South America, parts of Europe, Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East. According to immigration lawyers, the most convenient of the four: clean interface, no strict login limits, you can freely monitor dates and easily change email and log in from different devices.

Pros:

No lockout for “too many” logins within a day
You can log in from phone, tablet, laptop simultaneously
Email account is easy to change
Easy search for earlier dates after initial booking

Cons:

On an expedite request you cannot attach documents, only text up to 500 words
Only one expedite attempt is allowed; if denied you cannot reapply even with new evidence

Tip: if you can choose between countries on different portals, choose the one on AIS.

2. “Old” CGI / US Travel Docs, ustraveldocs.com

Portal by CGI (global IT consultancy working with US defense and civilian agencies). Covers much of Europe, China, Japan, Korea, UAE, Israel, Serbia, Poland, Germany, Czechia, Lithuania, Latvia, Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine.

Pros:

You can attach supporting documents to an expedite request

Cons:

24–72 hour lockout for “too frequent” logins. Exactly what constitutes “too frequent” is not disclosed
You cannot automatically transfer an account between countries on the same portal
MRV fee often must be paid through a local bank, not online
Difficult to change email, fix errors, or make group bookings

James Hollis (Consular Intelligence) on the old CGI: “After fighting with a number of other countries’ CGI portals, I once booked a client based in Korea for an appointment in London to avoid all of the issues with this scheduling portal.”

What this means: immigration attorney James Hollis, author of Consular Intelligence, honestly notes that in some cases prior to the September 6, 2025 rule it made sense to deliberately choose an AIS country instead of the “Old” CGI. That strategy is now limited by the residence rule.

3. “New” CGI, usvisascheduling.com

Launched in summer 2023 by the same CGI. Used mainly in India, and embassies in Asia and the Pacific are gradually migrating to it. Turkey and Australia moved there in 2025.

The goal of the new system is to block bots and third parties who in India mass-purchase slots and resell them. The problem is that the portal blocks real applicants and their lawyers along with bots.

Main problems:

Only the person who created the account can log into it, and only from that device. VPN does not help
You are often placed in a virtual “waiting room” on login
CAPTCHA is so difficult that logging in takes an absurd amount of time
Cloudflare anti-bot checks wipe entered data and block expedite requests
Uploaded files are rejected without explanation

Tip: if possible, avoid countries on the “New” CGI.

4. E Visa Forms

The old portal, used mostly in African countries. Simple logic: fill DS-160, enter a 10-digit barcode, pass CAPTCHA, schedule. No MRV fee payment required before scheduling.

Pros: simpler than both CGI portals, no major problems reported.
Cons: outdated interface, but it works.

Summary table

Reddy Neumann Brown on migration to the new platform: “Starting in September 2024, the Department of State began transitioning select U.S. consular posts to a new online visa appointment scheduling platform, usvisascheduling.com. Applicants in affected countries must create a new account on the new platform; existing accounts on the old system will not transfer.”

What this means: if you previously scheduled via ustraveldocs.com in a country that has since migrated to usvisascheduling.com (India from September 2024, Turkey from May 2025, Australia in 2025), the old account won’t work. You must register anew. Source: Reddy Neumann Brown.

Portal	Example countries
ais.usvisa-info.com (Yatri / GDIT)	Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, United Kingdom, South Africa, Kenya, UAE
usvisascheduling.com (new platform)	India, Turkey, Australia and a number of other countries are gradually migrating
ustraveldocs.com (CGI Federal)	China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Israel, Serbia, Poland, Germany, Czechia, Lithuania, Latvia, Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine and most of Europe
Local embassy website	Russia (Moscow closed, directed to pl.usembassy.gov or kz.usembassy.gov), Belarus (by.usembassy.gov), Iran

The easiest way to find your portal: open the US embassy site for the country you need (format XX.usembassy.gov, e.g. pl.usembassy.gov) → Visas → Nonimmigrant Visas.

Attention for Russians. The URL ais.usvisa-info.com/en-pl/niv returns 404; Poland is serviced via ustraveldocs.com, not AIS. To schedule in Warsaw go through pl.usembassy.gov. For Astana use AIS: ais.usvisa-info.com/en-kz/niv.

Step-by-step instructions (example: AIS portal, ais.usvisa-info.com)

AIS stands for Appointment Information Service; it’s one of the four official scheduling portals run by GDIT under contract with the State Department. The logic of the three main portals is similar, so we’ll explain AIS in detail and note differences for usvisascheduling.com and ustraveldocs.com where relevant.

Step 1. Open the portal for your country

For example, for Kazakhstan: ais.usvisa-info.com/en-kz/niv

You will see two big buttons:

“Apply”, for first-time users. Click this.
“Continue”, to return to an existing account.

Step 2. Create an account

After “Apply” the site will ask you to choose a language (English, Russian or Kazakh for KZ) and accept terms. The registration form requests:

Email and password
Full name in Latin letters (as in the passport)
A security question for recovery

A confirmation email will arrive. Confirm it and log in.

Step 3. Click “Schedule a New Appointment” in the left menu

After logging in a navigation panel appears on the left. Click “Schedule a New Appointment”. On the dashboard there is also a green “Continue” button to the right of the “Pay Visa Fee” status block.

Step 4. Select the visa type

The following screens:

Visa Category: “Nonimmigrant Visa”.
Post Selection: choose the consulate (e.g. Astana or Almaty).
Visa Class: tourist is B1/B2, O-1 is O.
Visa Priority: for B1/B2 select “Visitors for Business or Pleasure”, for O-1 select “Aliens of Extraordinary Ability”.

Step 5. Enter passport and DS-160 details

Next screen, “Personal Information” and “Application Details”:

Full name, date of birth, gender, citizenship
International passport number, issuing country, expiration date
DS-160 number (format AA00ABCDE1, must match the one you completed on ceac.state.gov)
For O-1: I-129 petition receipt number (format EAC, WAC, LIN or SRC + 10 digits)

The site validates DS-160 details in real time under the DS-160 Barcode Match rule. If name, passport or date of birth do not match the DS-160 the registration will not proceed.

Step 6. Complete the “Address & Phone” and “Courier” steps

The site will ask for your address in the country of application and the passport delivery address (choose the nearest courier office from the list).

Step 7. Reach the “Payment” screen and do not click “Pay”

This is the final screen before paying the MRV fee. The top shows the sequence: Applicant Information → Courier → Payment → Schedule → Instructions. You are on the Payment step. On the left are payment details (185 USD for B1/B2, 205 USD for O-1). On the right in the sidebar the header “First Available Appointments” and a list of consulates in the country with dates are shown.

This is the information you need. Remember or screenshot it, then close the tab. No payment is required.

Step 8. If you want to check another country, repeat using that country’s portal

Create a separate account on the other country’s portal (you cannot use one account across different countries). For example, to compare Almaty and Warsaw you need to register separately on ais.usvisa-info.com (Kazakhstan) and on ustraveldocs.com (Poland).

Action limits. AIS will block an account for 24–72 hours after roughly ~12 actions per day or when using VPN/extensions. Don’t poke the system too often.

Where to find “First Available Appointments” on other portals

ais.usvisa-info.com (AIS): right column on the Payment step.
ustraveldocs.com (CGI): after login and selecting Visa Type a “Schedule Appointment” screen with a calendar appears where blocked dates are crossed out. The first active date is the nearest slot.
usvisascheduling.com: similar calendar after registration; on the “Appointment” page the “Next available date” is shown at the bottom.

The logic is the same everywhere: create an account, get to the scheduling step, and you can see the date before paying.

Official State Department guides as of April 2026 (not a guarantee of an actual slot)

Disclaimer. The official Global Visa Wait Times table by the State Department explicitly states: “The information provided is an estimate and does not guarantee the availability of an appointment”. This is a guideline, not a promise of a date. The actual earliest slot on the portal may be earlier or later. The State Department updates data monthly and new slots are added regularly.

Below is a sample of posts popular with Russian-speaking applicants as of April 15, 2026. DOS uses five columns; in the table below two key ones are shown: B1/B2 and Petition-based (for O-1).

Consulate	B1/B2 next available	Petition-based (H/L/O/P/Q)	Comment
Warsaw	under 0.5 months	under 0.5 months	Designated post for Russia, Belarus, Ukraine
Astana	3 months	1 month	Designated post for Russia
Almaty	1.5 months	1 month
Vilnius	under 0.5 months	under 0.5 months	Designated post for Belarus
Krakow	under 0.5 months	under 0.5 months
Yerevan	1 month	under 0.5 months	Only for Armenia residents
Tbilisi	under 0.5 months	under 0.5 months
Belgrade	2 months	1 month	Only for Serbia residents
Tashkent	2 months	under 0.5 months
Bishkek	under 0.5 months	under 0.5 months
Tel Aviv	2 months	2 months	Visa Waiver works for tourism up to 90 days
Frankfurt	1 month	1 month	For EU residents
Berlin	under 0.5 months	under 0.5 months
Prague	under 0.5 months	under 0.5 months
Bangkok	1.5 months	1 month
Istanbul / Ankara	under 0.5 months	under 0.5 months	Portal usvisascheduling.com
Nicosia (Cyprus)	under 0.5 months	under 0.5 months
London	2 months	under 0.5 months
Dubai	12.5 months	2 months	Portal AIS, en-ae
Abu Dhabi	14.5 months	14.5 months
Mumbai	7.5 months	1 month	Portal usvisascheduling.com
New Delhi	7 months	1 month
Toronto	14.5 months	1.5 months
Vancouver	12.5 months	4.5 months
Sydney	15 months	2 months	Portal usvisascheduling.com
Mexico City	1.5 months	1.5 months

A few observations on this table:

Designated posts for Russians (Warsaw and Astana) currently unexpectedly have short slots: under 0.5 months in Warsaw and 3 months in Astana. This is April 2026; the situation may change.
Petition-based categories are shorter than B1/B2 almost everywhere (notably Mumbai, Delhi, Dubai, Toronto). This is good news for O-1.
Longest waits for B1/B2 are in Sydney, Abu Dhabi, Toronto, Vancouver, Dubai.
Shortest waits are Warsaw, Krakow, Berlin, Prague, Vilnius, Tbilisi, Istanbul, Nicosia, Bishkek.

The full table with all ~190 posts is updated monthly on the State Department’s Global Visa Wait Times page. To estimate real-time slots check the scheduling portal itself. Independent aggregators like checkvisaslots.com can give additional insight but are not official sources.

If you are interested not in the “next available slot” but in timelines for administrative processing (AP) after the interview by specific consulates, we have a separate article: 221(g) timelines: real statistics by consulate.

If you are renewing a visa and qualify for an interview waiver or dropbox, the times in the table above may be irrelevant for you. The State Department notes: “Embassies and consulates may waive the in-person interview requirement for eligible applicants. Wait times for these appointments are not reflected in the table.”

What this date check DOES NOT show

The date shown on the portal is a snapshot at the current moment. It may change in an hour, a day, or after the next slot release. Specifically, this method does not show:

It does not guarantee the slot will remain available after you pay the MRV. While you are paying, the slot can be taken by another applicant.
It does not guarantee the slot is available for your subcategory (for example, O-1 requires an approved I-129).
It does not replace checking the specific embassy’s own rules.
It does not mean you will be accepted if you are a third-country applicant who does not meet the residence criteria of the State Department rule from September 6, 2025.

Specifics for O-1

Typically the O-1 interview is scheduled after approval of the I-129 petition by USCIS, and you should have the Approval Notice (I-797) in hand. Without I-797 the portal often will not accept the receipt number.
On AIS the category is called “O”; you must enter the petition receipt number (format EAC, WAC, LIN or SRC + 10 digits).
For O-1 consult the petition-based (H/L/O/P/Q) column in the DOS wait times table. In many posts it is noticeably shorter than B1/B2 (for April 2026: Frankfurt under 0.5 months, Astana 1 month, Dubai 2 months), but this is not universal.
Bring to the interview: passport, DS-160 confirmation, I-797, copy of I-129, petition letter, evidence portfolio. Prepare for the interview separately: Interview at the consulate: 10+ real stories and Interview questions: wait time depends on the consulate.

Hidden pitfalls rarely discussed

MRV fee is non-refundable and non-transferable. The nonimmigrant visa application fee (185 USD for B1/B2, F, J, M; 205 USD for O under the State Department fee schedule) after payment is not refunded under any circumstances. The payment cannot be transferred:

between countries (you paid in Serbia, then change your mind and want Poland: you pay again);
between visa categories (you paid for B1/B2, then switch to O-1: you pay again);
between people (you cannot “transfer” a paid fee to another family member).

Under current rules the MRV receipt is valid for 365 days from payment in the same country and for the same visa category.

Boundless on third-country applications: “If you apply for a U.S. visa in a country other than your home country, you should be aware that the visa application fee (MRV fee) is generally non-refundable and non-transferable between embassies in different countries. This means that if you pay the fee in one country and then decide to apply in another, you will typically need to pay the fee again.”

What this means: the Boundless quote highlights what applicants face: MRV payment is tied to a specific country. If you change your mind after payment there is no “second chance.”

Visa shopping increases the risk of refusal under 214(b). “Visa shopping” is attempting to apply at another consulate after a refusal at home or to seek a shorter slot. A consular officer can see your application history in the CCD (Consular Consolidated Database), and if the pattern looks like “I’m shopping for a friendlier officer,” it’s an automatic red flag. Changing consulates itself is not considered “new circumstances.”

Why reapplying in another post rarely works is explained directly in Lunel Law’s guide “How to Overcome a 214(b) Visa Rejection” (November 2025).

Lunel Law, 1, reapplying without changes: “Reapplying immediately without addressing the underlying issues is a common mistake that almost always results in another denial. If nothing has changed since your first application, the consular officer will reach the same conclusion.”

What this means: if you just flew to another country and reapplied there without changing job, income or family circumstances, the refusal is likely to repeat. The officer at the second post sees your history and reaches the same conclusion.

Lunel Law, 2, officer looks for “new and compelling circumstances”: “Consular officers look for “new and compelling circumstances” that were not present at the time of the first application.”

What this means: formally you can reapply immediately, but practically it makes sense only if you have genuinely new facts: new job, new contract, marriage, property purchase, graduation. Changing the city of application does not count as such a change.

Lunel Law, 3, 214(b) vs 221(g): “A 221(g) refusal is not a conclusive denial but rather an administrative hold… applicants have up to one year to provide the requested information. In contrast, a 214(b) refusal is final for that particular application… applicants cannot reverse a 214(b) decision simply by submitting more documents.”

What this means: 221(g) is a pause — you can submit documents within a year. 214(b) is a final decision for that application: new MRV fee, new DS-160, new interview. We discuss 221(g) in detail in our post on administrative processing.

The residence rule of September 6, 2025 formalized practice: even initial submission outside the country of residence now requires justification of why you are not in your country (State Department announcement).

Portal action limits and account lockout. In practice users often face temporary access limits when checking frequently. According to Daryanani Law Group:

Old CGI / US Travel Docs locks users for 24–72 hours after an unspecified number of “too frequent” logins.
New CGI / usvisascheduling.com restricts login to the device that created the account.
AIS / ais.usvisa-info.com is the most lenient, but using a VPN or browser extensions may trigger an “Access Limitation” error.

Practical advice: check dates at most 1–2 times per day, without VPN, from the same device.

Daryanani Law Group on “Old” CGI: “If users log into US Travel Docs “too many” times, and their definition of “too many” is not known, the system will lock out users for up to seventy-two hours.”

What this means: the lockout threshold on the CGI portal is intentionally hidden to prevent bots from calibrating attempts. If your lawyer, a family member and you all log in concurrently, you may hit a three-day lockout.

Daryanani Law Group on “New” CGI: “Only the person who initially creates the account can re-login… the account was restricted to the device of the user who first created the account. No amount of VPN usage could change this.”

What this means: if the country uses usvisascheduling.com (India, Turkey, Australia), create the account on the device you plan to use for the whole process. If an assistant or lawyer creates it on one computer and you log in from another, the system will not let you in.

Proclamation 10998: visa suspensions from January 1, 2026. Proclamation 10998 (details on the State Department page here and full text on the White House site) suspends or limits visa issuance for nationals of certain countries. The State Department states: “Visa applicants who are subject to Presidential Proclamation 10998 may still submit visa applications and schedule interviews, but they may be ineligible for visa issuance or admission to the United States.” In short: you can apply and schedule, but visa issuance or admission may be denied. The proclamation does not affect those whose visas were valid as of January 1, 2026.

At the same time another restriction is in effect: suspension of immigrant visa processing for citizens of 75 countries. This concerns green cards, not B1/B2 or O-1. Detailed analysis: Suspension of visas for 75 countries: who is affected, what to do and alternatives.

For citizens of Russia and Belarus with an approved O-1. See a dedicated forum post: O-1 visa for citizens of Russia and Belarus 2026. How many years they stamp for, what to do after Approval Notice, and how to enter the USA.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to pay to see the date?

No. The “First Available Appointments” block appears before the MRV payment. It’s enough to get to the Payment step. You cannot book a slot without payment, but you can view the date.

Can I just close the tab after the Payment screen?

Yes. This creates no obligation. The account remains and the application status is “Pay Visa Fee”; the MRV is not charged. You can return later and continue or delete the account.

Will my DS-160 be invalidated if I just logged in and looked?

No. DS-160 is stored on ceac.state.gov and does not depend on what you do on the scheduling portal.

I am a Russian citizen — can I schedule in Serbia or Armenia?

Since September 6, 2025, no (except narrow exceptions: diplomatic visas, medical and humanitarian cases). Designated posts for Russian citizens are Warsaw and Astana.

What if I have a Serbian or Turkish residence permit?

Then you apply in your country of residence. You must prove residence: residence permit plus documents covering 6+ months (lease, utility bills, bank statements, employment contract). Without proof the consulate will refuse to schedule.

How long does it really take to fill out the DS-160?

CEAC estimates 75 minutes. In practice the first completion takes 60–90 minutes; with complex travel and work history up to 2 hours (Boundless guide to DS-160). The session times out after 20 minutes of inactivity. Common questions about specific fields: Distance education and US visa: do you need to list it in DS-160.

How long is DS-160 valid after submission?

There is no official expiry, but if your information changes after submitting you should complete a new form. The State Department recommends submitting no earlier than 12 months before the interview.

Can I use one DS-160 in different countries?

Yes. Travel.State.Gov explicitly confirms that a new form is not required when changing location.

Are the dates in the First Available block real?

These are official system data but with a delay. For a precise picture also check checkvisaslots.com or the official travel.state.gov/wait-times page.