In order to get a U.S.A. visa, an in-person interview is required in most cases. However, some people may qualify for an interview waiver. It is called a visa by drop box.
Eligibility
There are two categories of people who may apply for a U.S. visa using the interview waiver:
- Age:
The following categories of people may use the drop box service:- Children under 14 years of age, as long as they have not been previously found ineligible for a U.S. visa.
- Applicants who are 80 years of age or older and have not been previously found ineligible for a U.S. visa.
(Applicants must be a citizen or resident of China and be physically present in China)
- Children under 14 years of age, as long as they have not been previously found ineligible for a U.S. visa.
- Renewal:
If the following conditions are met, you must apply using the drop-box service:- You can provide a previous, original U.S. visa that was issued to you. In other words, you must be able to submit your original passport that contains the visa.
Exception: If you are a Chinese citizen and are applying for a U.S. visa with your personal passport now, but your previous visa was in the official passport issued by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) or the Foreign Affairs Office (FAO). You may provide a photocopy instead.
If you are renewing your visa with your official passport now, you need to submit your application via the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) or the Foreign Affairs Office (FAO). - You were at least 14 years of age or older and your fingerprints were collected when your prior visa was issued.
- Your previous U.S. nonimmigrant visa is valid or has expired within the past year.
- No ineligibility was found in your most recent visa application.
- You must be a citizen or resident of China.
- You are applying in the place where you usually live. In other words, you must be physically present in China. If you are not a Chinese passport holder, you must have legal permission to reside in China, usually indicated by a Taiwan/Macau/Hong Kong residence book or a Chinese Z, X, D, or J-1 visa with residence approval.
However, if your previous visa was issued outside of China, you will still need to appear at the Consulate for fingerprinting or an interview. You will be provided with an appointment time once you submit all the documents. - You are applying for the exact same type of visa. E.g., if your previous visa was a B Visa, you must be applying for a B Visa again.
- If you had multiple visas in your passport, you can apply using an interview waiver for any of them, as long as the one you are renewing is currently valid or has expired within the last 12 months.
- You are not applying for any of the following visa types:
- H-2A Visa (seasonal agricultural workers)
- H-2B Visa (skilled and unskilled workers)
- H-3 Visa (trainee visa)
- I Visa (journalist and media visa)
- L Visa (intra-company transferee)
- P-3 Visa (entertainment/performance visa)
- For specific visa types:
- F-1 Visa: Applicants must plan to continue attending the U.S. school or institution in which they are already enrolled.
- J-1 Visa: Applicants must plan to continue an exchange program in which they are already participating.
- H-1B Visa: Applicant must plan to return to the same employer as in their previous application.
- If your previous visa is marked “clearance received”, you can use the interview waiver program only if you are renewing a B, F, J, or H Visa.
- B Visa: The clearance date listed on the visa must be within the past 12 months.
- F, J, H Visa: The clearance date listed on the visa must be within the past 24 months.
If the child was previously under 14 years of age and got the visa through the drop box, and the child is now not under 14 years of age, the child is required to appear for fingerprinting and an interview.
- You can provide a previous, original U.S. visa that was issued to you. In other words, you must be able to submit your original passport that contains the visa.
Documents
In addition to the common documents, the following category-specific documents should also be submitted:
- Child under 14 years of age:
- A copy of the child’s birth certificate. If an applicant’s biographic information (name, birth date, etc.) in the passport is different from the birth certificate, proof of a name or birth date change issued by a government agency must be provided.
- Copies of parents’ national ID cards and/or passport biographic pages.
- Copies of the parents’ current and/or previous U.S. visas, if available.
- A detailed description in English of the child’s intended purpose of U.S. travel that includes contact information for the U.S. inviter and a description of his/her relationship to the child.
- The planned U.S. travel itinerary in English.
- If joining group travel, including summer and winter camps
- A list of the group’s travelers’ names, birth dates, and passport numbers.
- A copy of the chaperone’s U.S. visa, if available, or the chaperone’s interview appointment confirmation.
- A list of the group’s travelers’ names, birth dates, and passport numbers.
- Children traveling with other relatives/chaperones:
- A certificate or description of the relationship between the relative/chaperone and the child.
- A copy of the relative/chaperone’s U.S. visa, if available, or their interview appointment confirmation.
Note: If parents are applying in person for a visa not through an interview waiver but at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate General, they may book an appointment in the child’s name and drop off the child’s application at the time of their own interview. An adult applicant may bring up to five minor applications to the interview. In case there are more than five minors in the group, those applications must be submitted through an interview waiver. - A certificate or description of the relationship between the relative/chaperone and the child.
- A copy of the child’s birth certificate. If an applicant’s biographic information (name, birth date, etc.) in the passport is different from the birth certificate, proof of a name or birth date change issued by a government agency must be provided.
- F-1 and J-1 Visa:
- F Visa: An original I-20, signed by the school official within one year.
- J Visa: An original DS-2019.
- Resume/CV that includes:
- Specific advanced academic, business, research, or study interests
- Complete educational history including university/institution name, address, program of study, degrees attained, specialties of study, and dates of attendance
- Current employer or position and all past employers. For each employer, include their street address, phone number, supervisor name, dates of employment, and a specific description of your duties at work and what products or technologies were involved in your daily duties.
Sample resume
- Research/study plans with detailed information about your planned research or studies in the U.S., including the name and email address of your advising professor and/or the head of your department in the U.S.
Sample research proposal/study plan - Official transcripts covering coursework at U.S. institutions.
- An advisor’s biography, CV, or web page printout (for graduate students who have already been assigned an advising professor at their US institutions).
- B-1 Visa:
A copy of the invitation letter, itinerary, and your resume. All documents must be in English. - C-1/D Visa:
- A current joining letter. Original preferred, but photocopies are acceptable.
- Photocopies of the following documents:
- Chinese Seafarer’s Passport Holders: copies of pages 1 (biography page and observations) and 32 (amendments).
- Chinese Seafarer’s Identity Document Holders: copies of pages 1-3 (biography page and observations) and all used pages from beginning to present.
- H, O, P, Q, R Visa:
- Photocopy of Form I-797
- Employment letter that confirms current employment
- Resume that includes:
- Specific advanced academic, business, research, or study interests
- Complete educational history including university/institution name, address, program of study, degrees attained, specialties of study, and dates of attendance
- Current employer or position and all past employers. For each employer, include street address, phone number, supervisor name, dates of employment, and a specific description of your duties at work, including what products or technologies were involved in your daily duties.
How to Apply
If you meet the visa interview waiver requirements above, please follow the steps below:
- Complete Form DS-160 and print out the confirmation page.
- Create a profile and choose “Schedule Appointment”. Answer the interview waiver questions to evaluate your eligibility to apply for a visa without an interview. Print the “Interview Waiver Confirmation Letter”, as you will need to submit it along with your visa application.
- Collect all the documents as specified in the document checklist in the Interview Waiver Confirmation Letter and supporting documents, depending on the visa category.
- Visit the CITIC Bank Location drop-off center. Along with the documents, take a mailing envelope (unsealed) to enclose your documents. They will give you a receipt with the tracking number. There is no charge for this service.
For the return of the documents and passport, you can choose either free a CITIC Pick Up or a paid Premium Delivery Service. Please note that a Premium Delivery Service is only for the return of the documents, not to drop off the documents. - CITIC Bank will deliver your documents to the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou.
- Once your visa application is processed, your documents and passport will be returned to you by the delivery option you choose. If you have chosen a premium delivery service, every document request or Pass-back will always go through it, and you will need to pay for every delivery.
Fingerprint Reuse
If you have visited the consulate on or after July 15, 2019, and have provided all 10 fingerprints, they can be reused. Otherwise, you must bring fee receipts to the consulate to be fingerprinted. In either case, you are not required to attend the interview.
