A: Your email address will serve as your login. The system will also automatically send you the payment confirmation and appointment confirmation emails to your email address. Your email address will not be distributed to any outside parties.

A: No. The online information and appointment process requires an active email address. When you register online, we will send you an email message with a link in it. You need to click on the link in the email to finalize your registration. If you do not have an email address, you can obtain visa information and make an appointment by calling the Visa Information Service Call Center.

To speak with a Live Service Operator to learn how to apply for a visa, inquire about the status of an Immigrant Visa Application and/or make an appointment to apply for a Visa please use one of the following methods:

Call and pay for the service via your phone bill
•  Within Germany: 0900-1850055 (1,86 Euro/Minute)

Call and pay for the service using a credit card
•  Outside Germany: +49 (0)9131-772-2270 (15 Euro per call)

A: No. The email address is a one-way mail service. It cannot accept incoming emails.

A: Nonimmigrant visa information will NOT be available through the U.S. Consulates' phone numbers.  Please use the Visa Information Service for all nonimmigrant visa questions, although you may still access the Embassy and Consulate General websites for general information.

A: Your login/PIN will allow you to access the website as often as you need.  You can continue to access the website using your login information, but you will only be able to reschedule or cancel your appointment up until 3 business days before your scheduled appointment date. If no appointment is scheduled, or the appointment is cancelled, the PIN will expire 90 days from the date of purchase.

A: No, you may schedule an appointment for yourself and up to 4 immediate family members, for a total of 5, who reside in the same household using the same PIN.  “Immediate family members” implies: husband, wife, mother, father, child, brother or sister.

A: Please note that when using certain email clients, for example Hotmail and Yahoo, the email formatting may not appear as intended.  Your information has been stored correctly and the strange characters do not indicate any errors in your data.

A: You should attend your interview as scheduled with all the required application documents. You can also log back into the website to reprint the appointment confirmation document, electronic DS-156, DS-157 and/or DS-158 forms.

A: You can attend the scheduled appointment and present the new passport.  If you are not able to obtain a new passport before your appointment date you must contact the Visa Information Service again and cancel or reschedule your appointment.  You will not be able to apply for a visa without a valid passport.

A: For general customs information relating to importing, exporting and the expatriate community as well as the traveling public, contact the U.S Customs web site:  http://www.customs.gov/xp/cgov/travel.

A: If it is impossible to attend the interview on the date you scheduled you can log in to your account again to cancel or reschedule your appointment.  Another person cannot attend your appointment.  The appointment is non-transferable.  Only the person(s) scheduled will be allowed to enter the Consulate.

A: Yes, if you will be entering the United States for a reason consistent with the type of valid visa you have. You should carry the old passport that contains the valid visa and your current (new) passport. You will use both for entry into the United States.

A: You must reapply and have a second interview for the case to be reconsidered. A refused applicant may reapply at any time should circumstances change or should he/she become able to present additional evidence of compelling ties to his/her home country.

A: Consular officers evaluate applications on a case-by-case basis. There is no one document that guarantees issuance (or refusal) of a visa as each case is different and what may demonstrate strong ties in one case may not do so in another.

A: You can enter the US no earlier than 30 days before the start date listed on your I-20 Form.

A: Yes, fingerprints will be collected during the interview process.  The fingerprinting of both index fingers is done using an inkless, electronic process.  This requirement will not increase significantly the length of your interview.

A: When you purchased and activated your web based PIN, your profile was set up and you were notified of the number of scheduling and rescheduling opportunities.  Every time you “schedule” or “reschedule” or “cancel” your appointment, your profile is updated to reflect the remaining number of opportunities for scheduling and rescheduling.  If you have used your 3 available opportunities you will receive this message.  To proceed further, you must buy a new PIN.

A: For scheduling, rescheduling and cancellations, you have three total opportunities.

A: If you have a Web account, log on again and if you have not yet scheduled an appointment please look again at the calendar.   Availability can change often, due to other applicants having canceled their appointments.  However, if you have booked an appointment already, and now wish to have an earlier appointment, you must cancel your current appointment in order to view the calendar to see if there is an earlier date for which you would like to schedule. If you feel your situation is an emergency, please read the Emergency Procedures.

A: The Web PIN allows unlimited access for up to 90 days after purchase if no appointment is made.  If you schedule an appointment, your PIN will remain active until the appointment date (for rescheduling purposes) and only for information for 10 days after your scheduled appointment.

A: No.  Your PIN is not refundable.

A: No.  Your PIN will only allow access for information purposes after the interview date, for up to ten additional days.  If you need to make another appointment, you must purchase a new PIN. Appointments can be rescheduled up to three business days before the appointment date.

A: Your personal information and transactions on this web site are secured with a web server certificate through Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption. SSL secured sites are generally slower than similar sites without encryption.

A: It can take over 30 minutes to schedule your interview and fill out all the appropriate application forms. If necessary, you are able to save your information and return at another time to finish later.