A number of United States consulates have been contacting nonimmigrant visa applicants to notify them that they must make sure that their Forms DS-160 Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application are “signed and submitted” no later than 48 “working hours” before the scheduled date of their interview. A “working hour” is an hour of a business day and does not include hours of weekend or holiday days. This practice began in late March 2025 at the United States consulate in London and has been adopted by several other consulates, including Lisbon, Nassau, and Paris, regardless of the visa classification sought. This change has apparently been implemented to allow consular officers enough time to review applicant information in advance, and “ensure proper security vetting, and streamline interview processing.”

The 48 working hour requirement means that a visa applicant who has an appointment on Monday at 9 a.m. must sign and submit his/her Form DS-160 no later than 8:59 a.m. on the prior Thursday. An applicant whose Form DS-160 is signed and submitted within the 48-hour window could be turned away from the consulate.

Based on the current electronic system, it is possible for a nonimmigrant visa applicant to schedule a visa interview before formally submitting the Form DS-160 application. To do this, the applicant only needs a DS-160 confirmation number, which is generated as soon as the application is started. This allows the applicant to secure an interview date in advance and to complete the form later (at least the first page of the Form DS-160 must be completed, and the applicant’s last name, year of birth, and security question answer must be saved).

All nonimmigrant visa applicants, regardless of the consulate at which they are applying and the type of visa they are seeking, should be mindful of the 48 working hour requirement and should make sure that their Forms DS-160 are signed and submitted at least two business days before the date and time of their scheduled interviews.