US Visa OFC Appointment Documents, Process
OFC appointment documents - Original passport, Appointment Confirmation Page, DS-160 confirmation Page. Fingerprint and US visa photo taken at OFC center.
Offsite Facilitation Center (OFC) is set up by the US embassy to enable faster processing of visa applications by taking your fingerprints and visa photographs before your US visa interview.
This process of giving fingerprints is known as ‘Biometric’ and you need an appointment to visit the OFC center.
This biometric is different than what is being done at USCIS – ASC center in the USA.
This article will discuss:
Documents Required
You should carry these documents for your OFC center appointment:
- Original Passport (All old/expired passports should also be carried)
- Appointment Confirmation Page – Printed Hard Copy is mandatory. They won’t let you enter if you do NOT have a hard copy with you. This is strictly enforced in India, at-least.
- DS-160 confirmation Page – Printed Hard Copy is mandatory. They won’t let you enter if you do NOT have a hard copy with you. This is strictly enforced in India, at-least.
Process
There is no visa interview done at the OFC center. You will just be asked to show your passport, DS-160, and appointment confirmation.
Once you are at the center:
- You will wait for your turn to be called.
- Once you are called, your all 10 fingers are scanned (fingerprints). This is also known as ten printing.
- Your photo for Visa is clicked by OFC center executives. No need to carry your visa photos with you.
Once done, you can leave the OFC center and then visit the US embassy to appear for your visa interview on the scheduled appointment date.
After the visa interview at the US consulate, you will have to visit the same OFC center again to collect your passport irrespective of visa is approved or not.
You may be eligible for a visa interview waiver and can use the DropBox facility. In that case, just drop your documents in dropbox and wait for your visa approval confirmation. Most dropbox locations in India are the same as OFC centers.
You will need your DS-160 printed form again to collect the passport.
Note that this happens in a separate visit to the OFC center.
Fees
There are no separate fees for the OFC appointment. The visa fees that you pay for a US visa interview include the OFC Bio-metrics fees too.
This means that you pay a single fee for DS160, Biometric, and US visa interviews in India.
Appointment
The OFC appointment is scheduled along with your visa interview appointment. The only thing to keep in mind is that the OFC appointment should happen before your visa interview.
FAQ
You are not allowed to take any bag, mobile, or anything else with you inside the OFC office.
All individuals entering the facility are thoroughly checked and scanned.
There are no options to keep mobile safely anywhere at most centers. There is no guarantee that it will be available.
Some nearby shops may offer a mobile locker for a fee. Be prepared to pay in cash.
You will find local language-speaking staff members at the OFC center as it is mostly managed by third-party local consulting companies.
The OFC facility is managed by a local company and you won’t find/see anybody from the US embassy there. Nobody can help you with getting a US visa here.
Your visa interview is NOT carried out at the OFC center. You have to visit the US embassy separately for the Visa interview process.
