WHAT IS A US TRANSIT VISA?

The American transit visa is issued for people who have to transit through the US on their travels to other countries for different purposes. 

AM I ELIGIBLE FOR A US TRANSIT VISA?

In order to be able to apply for the transit permits, you will have to meet certain eligibility criteria as required by the US embassy – 

• You must possess a passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry. 

• You must apply for a visa from India. 

• You must be only passing through the US on your way to your final destination (a third country).

• You must have no intentions of taking part in tourism or business.

HOW DO I APPLY FOR A US TRANSIT VISA?

The application for the US transit visa from India is done through the US embassy and consulates. The US transit visa application form is the DS-160 form (Non-Immigrant). The application process can be explained as below –

• Visit the US Department of State Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) website, and fill in your details in the DS-160 form. Make a note of the DS-160 form barcode as you will need it for the rest of the procedure.

• Proceed to pay the application fees. Make a note of the receipt number.

• Log on to your account and proceed to book your appointments. You will have to book 2 appointments. The first one is for the biometric submission at one of the five VACs, and the second one is for your interview at the US Embassy or Consulate.

• On the day of your first appointment, visit your VAC along with a passport, appointment confirmation page, documents, and a DS-160 confirmation page. You will be subjected to a fingerprint scan, and a digital photo will be taken.

• For your visa interview, you will have to visit the embassy or consulate along with a valid passport, documents, appointment confirmation page, and the VAC stamped DS-160 page.

• Note that the application form has to be filled correctly. The documents that are submitted have to be valid and legitimate. Fake or invalid documents can get your application rejected. A visa denial can deem you ineligible for other US visas as well.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT US TRANSIT VISA CATEGORIES?

There are 3 types of transit visas issued. These are as follows –

• C Category – This category is issued for people who have a flight or ship layover in the United States.

• D Category – This permit is issued for crew members of commercial ships or international aircraft who have to travel through the US on their normal operations.

• C-1/D Category – In certain cases, the C1 and D are combined and issued. This happens when the person has to enter the US first before boarding the aircraft or vessel to travel through the US.

• US Transit Visa Requirements