The US B1/B2 Visa from India in 2026
The fees have gone up, the interview queue is measured in months rather than weeks, and the dropbox route closed for most people last year. What that means if you are applying now.
What the B1/B2 is
The B-1 covers business travel — meetings, conferences, negotiating contracts, settling an estate. The B-2 covers tourism, visiting family, and medical treatment. Almost every Indian applicant is issued the combined B-1/B-2, which does both.
It does not permit employment in the United States, study towards a degree, or journalism. For Indian passport holders the visa is issued with multiple entries and ten years of validity.
Validity is not permission to stay. The visa lets you travel to a US port of entry and ask to be admitted — the officer there decides how long you may remain, usually up to six months.
What it costs in 2026
| Item | USD | When you pay |
|---|---|---|
| MRV application fee | 185 | Before booking the interview |
| Visa Integrity Fee | 250 | On issuance |
| Reciprocity / issuance fee, Indian nationals | None | — |
| Total for an approved applicant | 435 | ≈ ₹42,000 |
The MRV fee of $185 is the application fee. It buys you the processing and the interview slot, and it is non-refundable whether you are approved or refused. It is valid for one year from payment, within which you must schedule an appointment.
The $250 Visa Integrity Fee is the new one, created by legislation and charged in addition to the application fee at the point a visa is issued. It is described in the law as refundable if the holder fully complies with the terms of the visa, but no refund mechanism exists in practice — treat it as a cost, not a deposit.
Rupee figures move with the exchange rate. The MRV fee is paid in rupees through the official payment portal at the rate set there, which will not exactly match the mid-market rate.
Nobody can sell you a faster appointment. Interview slots are released by the consular section and cost nothing beyond the MRV fee you have already paid. Agents charging for "guaranteed early slots" are charging you for refreshing a page.
The interview queue is the real cost
This is the part that catches people out. Not the money — the calendar.
| Post | Next available B1/B2 appointment |
|---|---|
| New Delhi | ≈ 8.5 months |
| Mumbai | ≈ 8.5 months |
| Hyderabad | ≈ 10.5 months |
| Kolkata | ≈ 2 months |
Those are the State Department's own published figures as at July 2026. They move every month, sometimes sharply, and Chennai has periodically shown no availability at all.
A US trip planned six months out is, for most first-time applicants in Delhi or Mumbai, already too late. If you know you will need a US visa within the next two years, the sensible move is to pay the fee and take the appointment now — the visa is valid ten years, so an early application is never wasted.
Two things worth knowing about the queue. Waits differ enormously between posts, and you may apply at any post in India rather than the one nearest you — Kolkata at two months against Hyderabad at ten is a difference worth a flight. And emergency appointments exist for genuine medical emergencies, a death in the family, or urgent business, but they are granted narrowly and a holiday is not an emergency.
Dropbox: what changed, and whether you still qualify
The interview waiver — universally called dropbox in India — was significantly narrowed with effect from 1 October 2025. Most categories that previously qualified now require an in-person interview regardless of age or history.
For a visitor visa, you may still qualify if all of the following are true:
- You are renewing a B-1, B-2 or B-1/B-2 visa
- You apply within 12 months of the previous visa's expiry
- The previous visa was issued for full validity
- You were at least 18 when that visa was issued
- You have never been refused a US visa, unless the refusal was later overcome or waived
- You have no apparent or potential ineligibility
- You apply in your country of nationality or usual residence
The 12-month window is the one that costs people the most. A visa that expired 14 months ago means a full interview and the full queue. If yours is approaching expiry and you travel to the US with any regularity, renew inside the window rather than when you next need it.
Note also that even an approved dropbox submission can be converted to an interview at the consulate's discretion.
How the process runs
Complete the DS-160 online and keep the confirmation page with its barcode — it is required at every subsequent step, and an error on it is corrected only by filing a fresh form. Create a profile on the official visa appointment service, pay the MRV fee, and schedule two appointments: biometrics at a Visa Application Centre, and the interview at the consulate. Attend both, in that order.
The interview itself is short — commonly two to four minutes. The officer has your DS-160 in front of them and is testing one thing: whether your stated purpose and your life in India are consistent. Answer what is asked, briefly and truthfully. Do not volunteer material you were not asked for, and do not carry a folder of documents expecting them to be read; they usually are not, though you should have them with you.
If approved, the passport is collected and returned with the visa. If refused, you will normally be handed a slip citing section 214(b) — a finding that you did not demonstrate strong enough ties to India. There is no appeal, but you may reapply, and reapplying with nothing changed produces the same result.
Documents worth having in order
There is no official list for a B1/B2, which surprises people. The application is decided on the DS-160 and the interview. What supporting documents do is help you answer confidently, and cover the case where the officer does ask.
Have your passport and any previous passports with old visas; the DS-160 and appointment confirmations; bank statements covering six months; income tax returns for the last two or three years; proof of employment, or business registration and filed returns if self-employed; property documents; and, if you are visiting relatives, their status in the US and an invitation letter.
What the officer is weighing is not the size of your balance but the coherence of your life — a job you return to, a business that needs you, family that stays here. A large deposit that arrived last month argues against you, not for you.
We publish a complete, current US document checklist — the DS-160 fields that most often cause trouble, what to carry to the interview, and the questions Indian applicants are most commonly asked. It is a ₹500 download, and included when we assist with your application.
Common reasons for a 214(b) refusal
- Weak ties to India — no clear reason the officer can see for you to return
- An answer that contradicts the DS-160, however minor
- A trip whose purpose or funding is unclear — someone else is paying and it is not explained
- Vague plans — no idea where you are going, staying, or for how long
- An immigration intent the officer reads into your answers, such as a spouse or fiancé in the US on a visitor application
- Previous overstays or violations, anywhere
- Anything that looks like misrepresentation — the consequences here are permanent, not temporary
In closing
The US visa rewards two things: applying early, and telling a story that is simply true. Nothing you can buy shortens the queue, and nothing you can rehearse survives an officer's second question if it is not your actual life. Pay the fee, take the first slot you can get anywhere in India, and prepare to answer plainly.
If you'd rather not do this alone
Our desk prepares US visitor visa applications end to end — the DS-160, the fee payment, finding you the earliest workable appointment across Indian posts, document review and interview preparation. We'll tell you honestly if your profile looks thin before you spend $185. If you only want the paperwork sorted, the US document checklist is a ₹500 download.
This guide is for general information and is not immigration advice. Visa rules, fees, wait times and interview waiver criteria change without notice. Always confirm current details on travel.state.gov and the official US visa information service for India before applying. No agent can guarantee a visa approval — the decision rests solely with the consular officer.