Renew My Visa

Interview Waiver

Certain visa applicants who have previously been issued U.S. visas may apply to renew their visas without attending an interview.

Qualifications for the Interview Waiver (IW)

To qualify for interview waiver, visa applicants must be applying to renew a visa in the same classification as their prior nonimmigrant visa. This service is available to applicants renewing a B1/B2 tourist, F student, J exchange visitor, H temporary worker, L inter-company transferee, and O individual with extraordinary ability or achievement and P for athlete, artist, and entertainer visas.  Applicants must satisfy all of the following criteria for their visa class.  If applying as a group or family, all members must fulfil all criteria to qualify for interview waiver.

  • the applicant must possess a visa of the same type that is still valid or expired within the past 48 months,
  • the applicant must be a citizen or resident of Cote d'Ivoire (legal residents must provide proof of residency),
  • the applicant must have been 14 years old or older at the time of the previous visa issuance, or is currently under 14 years old,
  • the applicant must not have been refused a visa since the issuance of the previous visa, or had a visa revoked, or have ever required a waiver,
  • the applicant has never remained in the United States on a B1/B2 visa for a period longer than six months without an approved extension of stay, and
  • the applicant has never been arrested or convicted of any crime or offense in the United States, even if the applicant has later received a waiver or pardon.

 Applicants who do not qualify for Interview Waiver (IW)

Applicants who do not meet these criteria should schedule regular appointments to ensure they receive the earliest visa appointment available to them. If you apply for IW but do not meet the criteria for this category, you will be turned away and required to schedule a new appointment. This could result in a significant delay in your application.

If someone in your family or group does not meet the qualifications above, please do not request that their interview be waived. Each applicant must meet the qualifications individually. For instance, we cannot waive an interview for a child because the parent qualifies under these guidelines. In that case, the child would need to schedule an appointment and come to the Embassy for an interview.

To remove a dependent that does not qualify for Interview Waiver from your profile, please follow these steps: 

  • Log in to the primary applicant's profile
  • Click New Scheduling Appointment
  • Follow the steps until your reach Step 6.
  • At step 6, check for the dependent's information and click "x" to remove the dependent's information from the primary applicants’ profile.

Scheduled applicants who qualify for the Interview Waiver based on the above criteria can cancel their appointments and re-apply for IW on this link. During the rescheduling process you will be asked questions confirming eligibility for the Interview Waiver Program and provided instructions on how to submit the application at the Embassy. Scheduling instructions can be found on this link

If you do not qualify for IW, please do not cancel your appointment. 

 Applicants should allow for about 2 to 4 weeks for the Interview Waiver process to be completed.

 Applicants can drop off their applications/supporting documents at the US Embassy Monday through Thursday from, 10:30a.m. -11:30a.m. 

Other Information
Apply for a U.S. nonimmigrant visa