The U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the U.S. Consulate General in Dubai will be transitioning to a new visa appointment and information system starting May 30, 2025. This change includes a new service provider for appointment scheduling and aims to make the process smoother for all nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applicants.
A transition period has been set from May 15 to May 29, during which time no new visa appointments or visa fee payments will be accepted. This break is necessary to switch over to the new system without overlapping services or data errors.
If you already have a confirmed visa appointment, there’s no need to take any action. Your appointment will remain valid after the new system launches. However, if you’ve paid the visa fee but haven’t yet scheduled your interview, you’ll need to secure your appointment by May 19 using the existing platform. For those who haven’t started the process yet, it’s important to act quickly and complete both your payment and scheduling before May 15 to avoid being caught in the blackout period.
For applicants who were instructed to submit documents or who plan to use drop-off services, all submissions must be completed by May 24. After that date, no documents will be accepted until services resume under the new system on May 30.
If an urgent visa need arises during the transition period—such as for a family emergency, medical treatment, business travel, or an academic start date—there will still be options to request expedited appointments through direct contact with the embassy or consulate.
