Indian Consulates Discontinue DropBox
Posted Jun 25, 2004

The Vice Consul of the American Consulate General in Chennai, India, sent a preliminary announcement to certain companies that are members of the Business Exchange Program (BEP) stating that the U.S. Consulates in India will discontinue their dropbox procedures for nonimmigrant visa (NIV) applications at the consulates. In Chennai, the dropbox service is expected to end for most visa applicants on June 30, 2004. It is not clear whether the other consulates in India will discontinue this service at the same time or at a later date, though it is likely that they also will end their dropbox procedures around that time, since personal interviews will be required for biometric purposes for all NIV applicants.
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The dropbox program does not accommodate the consulates' need to obtain biometric data from every applicant who is between 14 and 79 years of age. These fingerprints will be compared to those collected through US-VISIT to ensure that the same person who applies for the visa, travels on that visa. The fingerprints will also be used to conduct criminal background checks.
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All consulates throughout the world are expected to begin requiring biometric data by October 2004. It is unclear how this new process will impact visa appointments and processing times at the consulates. Those in need of new visas should set their appointments online as soon as possible to ensure the ability to apply during a planned trip. Unfortunately, with the elimination of the dropbox system and the revalidation process in the U.S., the waiting times for obtaining visas is likely to increase.