Home » US Visa Stamping Experiences » H4 Visa Stamping by Dropbox for Kid (Child Under 14 years ) Experience –India, 2013

H4 Visa Stamping by Dropbox for Kid (Child Under 14 years ) Experience –India, 2013

One of our readers, Magesh, applied for H4 visa for his kid using the drop box facility offered by US embassy. This is the first experience around drop box for a kid shared by any of our readers. Thanks to Magesh for taking time to write up the experience, Congrats to him and his family for getting visa.

 

Background Information:

————————————–
Submitted the documents: 16th, September 2013.
Received the passport with H4 Visa: 20th September 2013

I have a valid H1B visa and I wanted to get H4 visa for our Kid (7 months old).
I browsed through the internet and found that I don’t need to travel to consulate with the
kid for the interview. Children under 14 years can use the drop box facility available
across India to get their H4 or any other visa stamping done in their passport; no need for them to be interviewed. I confirmed this information with the consulate by writing them an email. The rest of the procedures remain the same.
Steps for Applying H4 Visa for Kid using Dropbox facility

  • Fill up the DS 160 form online
  • Pay the visa fee
  • Walk in to the drop box center with the  required documents

I choose to drop my documents in Bangalore drop box location. The office is close to MG road and Shivaji  Nagar bus stand. Popular landmark is the Empire hotel which is just opposite to the building where you need to drop your documents. This particular office is in the 3rd Level. There’s a booth to take the photograph and photo copies at the same building just in case you need it

Documents Carried for H4 Visa Stamping for Children under 14 years
——————-

1.DS-160 form print out
2.Visa fee receipt
3. I-797 original & copy of mine (principal applicant)
4.Visa copy (H1B) of mine and my wife’s (H4)
5.Kid’s passport
6.My Job Offer letter
7. Pay slips
8.Form 16
9.Experience letters
10. Photos of the kid

Documents Taken at the Dropbox location for H4 visa:
——————————-

1.DS-160 form printouts, confirmation page
2.Visa fee receipt
3. I-797 copy of H1B Visa holder (principal applicant)
4. H1B Visa copy
5. Kid’s passport
6. 2 Photos of the kid

I insisted the guy at the counter to include the copy of my wife’s visa and he said
its not required. That means you can only submit the documents which the counter guy asks you to submit.

I received my Kid’s Passport with H4 Visa Stamped within 4 days from the submission date.

Do you have any similar experience to share? Please share it here

 

   

Other Articles

78 Comments

  1. what about 14 and above aged kids,

    when i booked an appointment(H1B,H4 stamping) along with mykids ages are (15,11) in dropbox without any issues it allows me to do. i don’t have valid stamped visa, yet to get H1B -I797 extension approval. i am planning to travel india around mid july so i booked an appointment.

    Please help me this situation do i need to separate another profile for my 15year old kids and again book an appointment with an interview ?

    Reply
    • I am in kind of same situation now, My kids who are 14 yrs older visa got refused , I am waiting for passports so don’t know exact reason but I recommend you to book separate interview appointment for your 15 years old. Hope this helps.

      Reply
  2. Hi ,
    1. My Visa is valid through Sept and traveling India in Sept and got DROPBOX for my visa renewal.
    2. Due to limited slots I have to create separate account for Me, spouse and Son(12) .
    3. Since I created separate account and my VISA is going to expire hence my Son got the VISA interview so I am not sure if it is good to attend for the interview or wait till I get VISA. Since his school will start by than hence I have to travel back US by SEPT.
    Any suggestion or came across this issue and how it is resolved?

    Reply
  3. Hi Kumar,

    My Wife H1B VISA stamping completed. My H1B Petition approval is still pending this year.
    I have two kids planning for H4 stamping to go to US along with my wife. Can we book slot for two kids(12 years and 6 years) only if that is the case who should carry their documents to the consulate as they are not eligible for dropbox as I did not have any valid visa.

    And also, will there be any issue if I get h4 stamping while h1b petition is still pending and will there be any issue for consultancy for the transferring my immigration status from h4 to h1

    Reply
  4. Hi ,

    My 3-year-old son is currently in India with my wife.

    Both my H1b visa and my wife’s H4 visa have expired, but my I-797 is good for another year.

    Does my son qualify for drop box? It is the first time we are applying for his H4

    Reply
    • rohith,
      Usually, both parents need to have approved visa to get stamping as usually both parents are together in India. But, if you are in US, at least your spouse need to have Visa stamped. Email the USTraveldocs and double check on this to be sure. Do update here how it goes.

      Reply
  5. Hi –

    I am in US with valid H1B Visa. My spouse having an appointment in April 2022, for which I have paid the money and documents are ready to be submitted. we have an infant 6 months old and he just got passport after confirming appointment for my spouse. now how to apply for drop box for my infant ? should I look for separate appointment for my infant or is it possible to include with spouse upcoming appointment ? Please advise

    Reply
    • Tamy,
      In this case, first, get your both stampings done and then apply for dropbox for your infant. It is far less complicated if you do it this way.

      Reply
      • Thanks Kumar. I did obtained the visa for both of us now. waiting on dropbox appointment for my baby boy. just wondering any possible ways to book an appointment sooner.

        Reply
      • I am in USA and my wife is in India and we both have our H1B and H4 Visa respectively.

        Now for my kid when I want to book an appointment i tried Booking through my profile but at time of fee payment it is by default taking all 3 of us for few payment where as i need to book Dropbox only for my Child ( minor ).

        Other way is i tried creating a seperate profile for my child with different email but same telephone number. So at time of personal details page it says your details matches existing profile .

        Can anyone suggest a way forward ?

        Reply
          • Hi, If i remove child from dependent then how shall i pay visa fee for my kids to proceed further for them for dropbox?, Please let me know that how to handle this situation? Thanks

  6. When the child is in US , can one of the parent while stamping there H1B Visa , can drop the Child passport for H4 stamping (when the child is in US)

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Hello,
      I’m also in the same situation. Where you able to drop your child’s passport and get it stamped?

      Please do let me know. I need to travel immediately without my child and have to go through stamping before returning.

      Thanks,
      Julie

      Reply
  7. Hi,

    I have scheduled drop box for me and my son. At the time of application he is 13 however at the time of interview he will turn 14 . Interview is in March and he turns 14 in Feb. Is this going to cause any issues with the drop box interview ?

    Please help.

    Reply
    • Namrata,
      The age of the child on the day of the interview is what matters as they will use that for the issuance. So, double check with consulate and then only plan for it.

      Reply
      • You able to stamp or booked a slot separately for your son? Please let me know your input will help a lot, I am also in same situation

        Reply
  8. Hi,
    Me(H4visa-visa expired )And my 2kids (3+yrs -Applied for 1st time visa).We are in india. My husband H1visa in usa.
    Me and my 2kids want stampig-
    1)I m applicable for dropbox but after paying visa fee jointly(Me and kids) its showing me for both biometric and CA appointment.
    How i can spilt my appointment separate.

    2)My kids is not eligible for dropbox as my husband is in usa and his stamping pending.
    So for my kids biometric and CA appointment. I need to carry both kids with me?

    Reply
    • Hi Jyo,

      Can you pls tell me what happened with your case ? I am facing similar situation now and it would be of great help to me. Thank you

      Reply
  9. Hi,

    I am in US on H1B visa. My wife and son are in India whose H4 visa expired in Jan 2020.
    My questions are :
    1. Can I schedule H4 drop box appointment only for my son ? If Yes,
    2. What documents are required to be submitted for my son ?
    3. My wife’s H4 visa is already expired( and not planning to renew). Will that be a problem for my son’s H4 visa stamping ?

    Thanks,

    Reply
  10. Hi All,
    I need to apply for H4 visa for my Daughter who is currently in India. My H1B Visa is going to expire on August 17th, 2021. I am planning to do the DropBox during the month of March this year.
    I want to know, how my months before my H1B visa expires, can i apply for H4 via DropBox.

    Thanks
    Raghu

    Reply
      • I am same boat but little different scenario.
        All of our visa expired last year and I
        Interview waiver is extension for 48 months so we should be good for drop-off option but my case is only my son who 13 is planning to visit India so is I-797 extension approval of parents is enough ? Criteria say should have parents valid Visa, does this mean parents need to have vaild visa stamped on their passport or I-797 extension is enough to get kids visa stamped via drop-box ? What is valid Visa means is not clearly defined. Any experience suggestions will be appropriated.

        Reply
      • Children under 14 must submit photocopies of both parents’ passports’ biographic information and valid U.S. visa page.
        But it is mentioned as valid visa .

        Reply
        • Hi Sruthi,

          When kids go for drop box appointment, do they expect valid visa (I797) or visa stamped page? I am planning to go for visa stamping dropbox appointment along with kids. is drop box allowed for kids?

          Reply
  11. Hi I’m Kavya , I & my husband having valid h1b visa & h4 visa … now we r trying to get h4 visa for our daughter how is 5 months old… we got to know that she is eligible for Dropbox facility.. we are planning to go for Bangalore US consulate ..do we need to take an appointment for drop box to submit the documents ??

    Reply
  12. Hi pals,

    My son is 14 months old and he is in India with my wife currently. I have got an appointment for his H4 Visa drop box for Oct 23rd 2020. I have following questions on the same:
    1) The confirmation e-mail says as the “drop box appointment”, hence shall i assume that the biometric is not required for him. we just need to go there and submit the docs on the appointment date ?
    OR
    2) The biometric will also happen for him on the same day and after that the drop box document will be taken?

    Any help will be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks!

    Reply
      • Thanks Kumar for the quick response!

        On receiving the appointment confirmation mail i thought the same what you just mentioned. But when i checked on the internet, i found that kids are not exempted from biometric. Hence i was little confused that why they have given the drop box appointment directly without the biometric ? Hence i have raised this query here.
        Note: I have sent a mail to the USCIS support too and waiting for their reply.

        Regards

        Reply
        • Vishal,
          Do update here how it goes, for community benefit. No need to send to USCIS as they are not really related to visa stamping.

          Reply
          • Vishal,

            Can you please share your experience? How did it go?
            Also can you help with the info – who submitted the documents at drop box ?
            Which center did you choose for the dropbox?

            Regards,
            Mohan

  13. My daughter has valid H1 Visa till March 2021. She is in India and just turned 14. in India Since she has Valid visa, does she need to go for Biometrics finger printing when she turn 14 outside USA? Or can she travel now and fingerprinting will be done next time H4 visa is renewed?

    Reply
  14. As per USTravel document site, below are the documents needed for Child below 14 years.
    —————————————————————————————————–
    Applicants ( – Child below 14 years or – Applicants over 80 years of age)

    1) Photocopy of each parent’s current passport biographic information page (applicable for child below 14 years)
    2) Photocopy of each parent’s valid U.S. visa page (applicable for child below 14 years)
    3) Applying on or after 80th birthday (applicable for Applicants over 80 years of age)
    4) Most recent visa application was not refused (applicable for Applicants over 80 years of age)
    —————————————————————————————————–

    I am stuck with point (2) ” Photocopy of each parent’s valid U.S. visa page”.
    if we are going for a drop box, means our visa got expired (in most cases); How can this be possible to submit valid US visa page? If any one know, please comment…

    Reply
    • Hi Kishore,

      Even I am also in the same situation, me and my wife are eligible for visa drop box and we recently blessed with a kid and planning to apply for her H4. So I am thinking first we need to get the visa before applying H4 visa to my new born? Please share your experience.

      Thanks!
      Praveen

      Reply
      • Praveen,
        Yes, you need the visas to be done first. Check https://www.ustraveldocs.com/in/in-svc-visachild.asp , they clearly tell in the parenthesis that parents visa is required. I am not sure, if they allow it do it all together. Check with the embassy.

        Reply
        • Hi Nirmal,

          Last week I scheduled a drop box appointment for all three of us and contacted consulate helpdesk and they suggested me to remove my kid profile and ask me and my wife to go for stamping first. Later schedule appointment for my kid based on the outcome of our visas. The thumb rule is Kids under 14 will be eligible only when the parents have valid visas.

          Thanks!
          Praveen

          Reply
  15. I have dropbox eligibility for me as my visa H1B expired on Dec 2018, however my wife H4 visa expired on Sep2017. I have applied for visa extension now, expected to get the docs in a couple of months, so I am eligible for dropbox facility, can i submit the docs for my wife also in the same dropbox along with me. Or else do we both need to go for PA.

    Reply
    • Usually, you need the dropbox waiver letter to submit in dropbox. If your spouse is not eligible, she would not get that. It is recommended that you submit for dropbox and then after your visa approval, she can go for H4 stamping in person.

      Reply
  16. Hi I am in US with my wife and chikdren. I have my stamped visa expired on Feb,2018 and now my extension petition is approved.I need to send my daughter india on vacation with her Grandma and they will be returning by June 2018. The visa stamped on my daughter passport expired on April,2016.Please let me know if she is eligible for drop box. And if yes, do her original I797 and my I797 is valid to support the drop box as I could read that parents visa copy need to submitted to support H4 Dropbox but my stamped visa have expired on Feb,2018.Please advise.

    Reply
  17. I am in US and my wife and kid (4 year old) plannin to visit india..our visas are expired 9 months back. We have approved petition. My wife got drop box facility as she qualifies all criteria . But for my son did not qualify dropbox as I dint have valid visa stamped. Can my sone also utilize dropbox for visa renewal?

    Reply
  18. I paid fees through Neft, I have never received any receipt, but got Receipt number and thats printed on confirmation page. Do I still need to have payment receipt ?

    Reply
  19. To avail H4 drop box facility for my kid (3 months old), should I submit my passport or I797 original? Also, for drop box, documents can be posted or someone needs to go and provide the documents in drop box facility?
    I am right now in US.

    Thanks

    Reply
  20. Hi ,
    Me and my hubby are in Us with my son , now we need to bring my daughter 1 yr old she is in India..can we get her visa through Dropbox facility by anyone in India if so how. Would we show the original I 797 do ument ……reply plz

    Thanks in advance
    Lavanya

    Reply
  21. Hi, I need to apply for a fresh Visa for my son. I have got a valid visa stamped in my passport. Can you please help me with the documents that needs to be carried to the Dropbox centre in Chennai. Thanks in advance.

    Reply
  22. Hi I want to know that if I am eligible for Visa DropBox then does my child 5 yrs old and my wife also eligible for Dropbox, and our visa were expired in Sep-2015, and i am with the same employer with whom i had my earlier visa.

    Reply
    • Sidarth,

      There are other criteria as well for dropbox, but you satisfy the criteria of visa expiration should be within last 1 year.

      Reply
  23. Hi,

    I am in US with H1 B visa. My wife want to apply for H4 visa for our 7 month kid in India .

    Please tell me the procedure to get visa for my kid, as i am not able to attend visa interview with my wife.

    Reply
  24. Hi Team/Magesh,

    I have question, who can drop the documents in the drop box. Is it need to be parent(s) or anybody can drop off.

    Thanks,
    Basu

    Reply
  25. Hi,

    Do we need to logged in to US travel docs site and pay the fees for H4 (Child bellow 14 year age) or is there any way to pay the fee to get receipt.

    Thanks

    Reply
  26. Hi Team/Magesh,

    I have some queires, kindly assist. I reached US one month ago on my valid H1 and my son is in Bangalore , India with Husband and our parents.

    1. Can I get H4-Visa for my son in India while am in US ? If yes. can we drop the documents and get it done ?

    2. Can he travel to US with my in-laws who will be travelling on Visitors Visa ?

    Regards

    Anisha

    Reply
    • Anisha,
      1. Yes. From your question in Q&A forum, I suppose your husband will be dropping the documents.
      2. He may travel. They may be asked why he is traveling w/ them and not w/ parents, and they should respond truthfully.

      Reply

Leave a Comment