Group Appointments

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Overview

A group interview appointment may be made for groups of at least eight people traveling together to the United States for the same purpose. Examples of groups include, but are not limited to, professional trainees, performers, business groups and tour groups. The minimum number of group members is eight. Your requested interview date must be at least seven days from the date of your group appointment request. In your request, please include the date your group will travel to the United States and a list of group members (names, dates of birth and passport numbers). Group requests that do not meet these requirements will not be approved.

Please note that the group interview appointment option is only offered to applicants who schedule interviews at U.S. Embassy Hanoi. Applicants applying at U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City must schedule their interview appointments individually by following the instructions here.

How to Apply for Group Interview Appointments at U.S. Embassy Hanoi

Step 1

A designated group coordinator uses the online appointment system to click on Group Scheduling Request and to request a group appointment. Group appointment request must be sent at least 7 days in advance. It is not possible to submit a request through an agent. Once the request is submitted, wait for a response from the U.S. Embassy which will come via e-mail.

Step 2

If the U.S. Embassy approves the request, the group coordinator will receive an approval notification e-mail and another email to confirm the interview appointment date and time, inviting him or her to return to his or her profile to schedule appointments for each member of the group. A call center agent cannot schedule group appointments, but they are able to assist with questions. Should the U.S. Embassy deny the request for a group appointment, a notification will also be sent by e-mail. In this case, each group member must schedule an individual appointment.

Note: The e-mail confirming or denying your request comes from no-reply@ustraveldocs.com. and the e-mail confirming interview appointment date and time comes from visahanoi@state.gov. Some e-mail applications have rules which filter unknown senders into a spam or junk mail folder. If you have not received your e-mail notification, please look for the message in your junk and spam e-mail folders.

Step 3

Each group member must pay the visa application fee. In the case of making a bulk fee payment, you will receive only one receipt number per transaction and will use this receipt number for each valid MRV fee paid.

Visa Types and U.S. Dollar Application Fee Amounts - Sorted by Visa Type
Visa Type Description Fee Amount Select Quantity
B Business/Tourist $185
C-1 Transit $185
C-1/D Transit and Airline Crew $185
CW Transitional Worker CNMI $205
D Ship Crew $185
E Treaty Trader/Investor, Australian Professional Specialty, Long-Term Investor CNMI $315
F Student (academic) $185
H Temporary/Seasonal Workers and Employment, Trainees $205
I Journalist and Media $185
J Exchange Visitor $185
K Fiancé or Spouse of U.S. Citizen $265
L Intracompany Transferees $205
M Student (vocational) $185
O Persons with Extraordinary Ability $205
P Athletes. Artists & Entertainers $205
Q International Cultural Exchange $205
R Religious Worker $205
T Victim of Human Trafficking $185
TN/TD NAFTA Professionals $185
Step 4

Each group member must complete the Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) form and print the confirmation page.

Step 5

The group coordinator returns to his or her profile at the online appointment system and clicks on the Group Scheduling Request button to begin scheduling the group's appointments. He or she should have at hand three pieces of information about each group member:

  • The group member's passport with the applicants full name, passport number, date of birth, passport expiration date, and other important data located on the passport's biographical page.
  • The group member's visa application fee receipt number. Click here for help locating this number.
  • The 10-digit barcode number from the group member's DS-160 confirmation page.
Step 6

The group coordinator selects the approved group appointment date and time corresponding to the date and time specified in the email from visahanoi@state.gov. If the group coordinator frequently schedules group appointments, it is important to select the correct group request.

Step 7

Each group member is added as a "Dependent" to the group coordinator's profile. The group coordinator can choose to be a member of the group or not.

Step 8

The group goes to the U.S. Embassy on the date and time of their visa interviews. Each member must have a printed copy of the appointment letter, DS-160 confirmation page, one qualified photograph taken within the last six months, a current passport and all old passports. Applications without all of these items will not be accepted.

Important Points to Remember

  • Group appointment request must be sent at least seven days before the requested date. Once the group request has been approved, the group has a limited time to complete steps one through six. Typically, it is a timeframe of seven days, but the group coordinator should refer to the confirmation received by e-mail. In case the request expires, the group coordinator must start over and submit a new request.
  • The approval for the request does not mean that the group can come in for an interview on the requested date. The approved date and time will be confirmed in a separate email from visahanoi@state.gov.
  • The group coordinator should perform steps 1, 2, 3 and 5 for group members. Each applicant must complete his or her own Form DS-160.
  • If a group member has already scheduled an appointment, he or she is no longer eligible to be a group member. He or she must attend the visa interview alone.
  • If the group's applicants are applying under an approved I-797 petition, such as H2A, H2B, or H3 visa applicants, in Step One the group coordinator must upload a legible copy of the approved I-797 as part of the request.