After the National Visa Center (NVC) schedules your visa interview appointment, they will send you, your petitioner, and your agent/attorney (if applicable) an email noting the appointment date and time.  After you receive an interview Appointment Letter from NVC, you must take the following steps BEFORE the interview date.

1. Schedule and Complete a Medical Examination

You (and each family member or “derivative applicant” applying for a visa with you) are required to schedule a medical appointment with an authorized physician in the country where you will be interviewed. This exam must be with an embassy-approved doctor, also referred to as the Panel Physician. Exams conducted by other physicians will not be accepted. The exam results can take up to 96 hours. You must complete your medical examination, along with any required vaccinations, before your scheduled visa interview date. Please visit our List of U.S. Embassies and Consulates for country-specific medical examination instructions.

After your exam, the Panel Physician will either send the exam results directly to the embassy or give you a sealed envelope. If the doctor gives you an envelope, do not open it. Instead, bring it to your visa interview and give it to the consular officer.

2. Register for Courier Service/Other Pre-Interview Instructions

3. Gather Documents Required for the Interview

Every visa applicant, no matter their age, must bring certain documents to the interview, including photographs, and the original or certified copy version of all civil documents submitted to NVC. You do not need to bring your Affidavit of Support or financial evidence you submitted to NVC.

Please Note: You should review the validity of all required police certificates you submitted to NVC.

Applicants must get a new police certificate if:

• They turned 16 years old since their case became documentarily complete or
• They previously submitted a police certificate, but it has expired or will expire before their interview appointment.
• Police certificates are valid for two years from the date of issuance.

Please do not submit your new or updated police certificates to NVC.

You must bring original police certificates to your interview appointment.

What happens if you forget to bring something on this list? The consular officer will not be able to complete the processing of your visa. You will have to gather the missing items and provide them to the embassy or consulate, and may have to come for additional interviews. Failure to bring all items on the above list can delay visa issuance.