The US Embassy in Riyadh and consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran will switch to a new online system from Aug. 16 for obtaining visa information, scheduling visa applications and paying application fees. An announcement to this effect was made by the embassy here yesterday.
In a statement issued here, the embassy said Aug. 6 will be the last day to schedule appointments through the current system, which is called Visapoint.
“All applicants wishing to schedule and pay for visa appointments on or before Aug. 6 using Visapoint must ensure that both scheduling and payment are completed on or before Aug. 6, the date that system will go offline,” the statement said.
Applicants seeking interviews after Aug. 6 must use a new system once activated, it said, adding that applicants should not pay prior to Aug. 6 for a visa appointment after Aug. 6.
It further said that consular sections at the US Embassy and consulates in the Kingdom will begin using the new online system for visa information and appointment scheduling after the Eid Al-Fitr holiday.
It said that scheduling of appointments for Aug. 18 onward must be done through the new visa system, which is thus far not active, as the work is in progress and further details on it will be announced later.
The new online system implemented by the embassy is part of an ongoing effort to improve customer service and offer an alternative way to schedule visa appointments.
The new system will offer flexibility in scheduling and can be accessed 24 hours a day around the year. It also allows applicants to view a wide range of available interview dates and times.
US online visa appointment system from Aug. 16
