India is the highest-volume B1/B2 tourist visa corridor into the United States, and it’s also the corridor where interview backlogs bite hardest. Unlike most destinations, the single biggest variable for an Indian applicant isn’t the paperwork — it’s which consulate you interview at and when you book.
Wait times vary enormously by consulate
The US Department of State’s own visa wait-time tool tracks appointment availability separately for each consular post, and the five posts serving India — New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata — routinely show very different wait times for the same visa category at the same time. Through 2026, B1/B2 visitor visa interview wait times have run roughly:
- Chennai: shortest of the five, commonly in the 3-month range
- Kolkata: around 6–6.5 months
- New Delhi and Hyderabad: typically in the 5–8 month range
- Mumbai: consistently the longest, sometimes exceeding 7–9 months
These figures move month to month based on staffing and demand, so always check the official, current numbers on the State Department’s visa wait-time page before planning travel dates — don’t rely on a number you saw even a few weeks ago.
You can interview at any of the five posts
A frequently missed detail: Indian applicants aren’t required to interview in their home city. The visa is issued by the US government, not the consulate, so you can generally book your interview at whichever of the five posts has earlier availability, then travel there for the interview — a common tactic is booking Chennai even when the applicant lives in Mumbai or Delhi, if Chennai’s queue is meaningfully shorter. Weigh the wait-time saving against the travel cost and time to reach that city.
Ways to move your appointment earlier
- Recheck the scheduling portal regularly. Earlier slots open up as other applicants reschedule or cancel; checking every few days (rather than once) is how most people who move their date forward by weeks or months actually do it.
- Emergency appointment requests exist for genuine, documented emergencies (medical, funeral, urgent business) — not for routine travel plans — and are reviewed case by case.
- Apply well ahead of your travel dates. Given multi-month waits are common, don’t assume a tourist visa application can be turned around in weeks.
What doesn’t change with wait times
A long queue doesn’t change the underlying requirements: a completed DS-160, a valid passport, the visa application fee, and — most importantly for B1/B2 — credible evidence of ties to India (employment, property, family, an intent to return) that a consular officer will assess in a short interview regardless of which post you attend.
This isn’t legal or immigration advice — appointment wait times change frequently and are set by the Department of State, so check the official wait-time page for current figures before booking. For the general process, see our US visa processing times guide and the India visa hub. VisaMet is building AI-powered application screening to help you get your DS-160 and supporting evidence right the first time — before you’re staring down a months-long queue for a second attempt — join the waitlist for early access.
Sources: US Department of State — Visa Appointment Wait Times, US Department of State — Nonimmigrant Visa (B1/B2) information.
Always confirm current consulate-by-consulate wait times directly at travel.state.gov before booking travel around an interview date.
VisaMet provides preparation guidance, not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with the official source before applying.