U.S Embassy and Consulates in India Extend Validity on Visa Fee

Last Updated on Nov 20th, 2025 by Priyanka Jadhav, 1 comments

The U.S Embassy and Consulates in India come as a bearer of good news for Indian travelers and other non-immigrant applicants who were trying to seek a US visa but were unable to schedule an appointment due to the suspension of routine consular services.

This move was initiated in response to the significant worldwide challenges related to the pandemic due to the spread of coronavirus. 

The US Embassy and Consulates in India sent an announcement to the non-immigrant visa applicants about the extension of validity of visa payment called the Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee until September 30, 2023.

The non-immigrant visa application is issued by international travelers (foreign nationals) pursuing to enter the United States on an interim basis. 

These sectors include tourism, business, medical treatment, and other fields of temporary work. Non-immigrant applicants must pay the MRV fee unless exempted from it.

The MRV application fee is non-refundable, non-transferable, and is a mandatory requirement issued by the US Government which must be paid whether or not the visa is issued. 

Individuals that are not required to pay the fee are Type A Visa holders (ambassadors, diplomats, government officials, and support staff), Type G Visa holders (representatives of a foreign government recognized by the US), Type J Visa holders (partaking in exchange visitor programs sponsored by U.S. Government). 

Statement of the US Department of State Visa Appointment Service

The US Embassy and Consulates in India acknowledge the fact that the visa application process fee is paid by the non-immigrant visa applicants and that these individuals have been waiting to arrange for a visa appointment for a long time.

According to the US Department of State Visa Appointment Service, the U.S Mission states that “We are working diligently to restore all routine visa operations as quickly and safely as possible. In the meantime, rest assured that the US Mission will extend the validity of your payment (known as the MRV fee) until September 30, 2023.”

Non-immigrant visa applicants, including infants and children, must pay a Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee to initiate a U.S. Visa application. 

This move helps all applicants that weren’t able to schedule a visa appointment. This is an opportunity to schedule/ attend one with the already paid feed. With the spread of coronavirus in India, the pandemic situation in India had worsened and the cases were rising every day.

Due to this reason, the routine non-immigrant visa appointments at the US Embassy in New Delhi and the consular services officer present in major Indian cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad were extremely limited, exemption situations with emergency visa services only.

However, last month the US Government decided to lift all international air travel bans related to Covid-19 for fully vaccinated passengers from November 2021.

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Priyanka Jadhav is a travel writer, who is inclined to explore different cultures and countries. When she is not writing, she is either reading fiction novels or surfing the internet for the next best place to add to her bucket list. Her interests piqued at a young age when she traveled across India and witnessed a variety of cultures, languages, foods, and people. If you're craving for an adrenaline rush, or need an instant travel update - Priyanka has a way with words to help you in every aspect possible. Bring quirky articles and the latest travel updates your way through MyTicketsToIndia, she aims to provide travelers with the necessary information possible.