July 18, 2016
When to arrive for my interview
Each applicant is assigned an appointment time, and the Embassy strictly adheres to this schedule. Therefore, applicants should arrive only within 15 minutes of their scheduled time. There is no need to arrive at the Embassy before the sun rises or hours before your appointment time to ensure you will be seen. The Embassy’s appointment system ensures all applicants are seen as close to their appointment time as possible. If you arrive well before your assigned appointment time, you will not be seen any sooner than if you had arrived within 15 minutes of your appointment. Ours is not a first-come, first-served system. For applicants traveling from afar, we suggest travel arrangements be made to arrive as close to your appointment time as possible, eliminating long wait time outside the Embassy. In short, please arrive to the Embassy within 15 minutes of your scheduled appointment to ensure you are well-rested and to avoid long wait times.
Security considerations for visa appointments at the Visa Application Center and the Embassy
The Embassy has strict guidelines on what can be brought on site. Electronic equipment, cellphones, sealed envelopes, and carry-on-sized bags are all examples of things that should not be brought to the Embassy. Applicants often find they have something valuable such as a cellphone and don’t have anywhere to keep it while they are on site for their interviews. If you do not want to leave your phone with someone else, it may be better to leave it at home. If you absolutely must bring your phone, you may want to come with a family member or friend who can hold it for you outside while you go in for your interview. A complete list of what not to bring is available on our Embassy website in the non-immigrant visa section under “Prohibited Items.”
