Access limitation US Visa Scheduling Error: Reason, Solutions

As part of the process to apply for US Visa Stamping at a US Consulate or US Embassy, you must use the US Visa Appointment Online booking system. Depending on the country, it can be different website. For countries like India, the US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs rolled out new US visa appointment booking system, which is USVisaScheduling.com, starting from July 29th, 2023. 

The new website had many issues, starting with creating a new account to book a US Visa appointment, and many continue to exist. Beginning in July 2024, one of the new features of the appointment booking website is aimed at cracking down on agents, automated appointment booking extensions, crowdsourcing extensions, etc. As part of this new feature, many users are encountering an error that reads “Access Limitation…your attempt to view….”

In this article, we will review the exact error details that many users are facing, solutions based on the official guidance from the US Department of State, and also solutions from the community shared across social media channels.

Access Limitation Error on the US Visa Scheduling Website

When you try to book a US Visa appointment using the US Visa Scheduling website for visa interview in countries like India, you may encounter an error message that exactly reads as below:

Access limitation

Your attempt to view the calendar section was blocked due to violation of prohibited conduct clause of terms and conditions of use of appointment system. Please visit “Terms and conditions page” on ustraveldocs.com site of the country you wish to apply and check “Prohibited conduct” section to learn more. Please refrain from using means highlighted in Prohibited conduct section to avoid being blocked again.

Below is a screenshot of the exact error/ warning message that you would see on the US Visa Scheduling website.

Let’s first look at the US Department of State official guidance given to its users.

Official Guidance by US Dept of State for Access Limitation Error

The US Department of State as part of the rolling out this new security feature that may give the “Access Limitation” error gave guidance to all the users on the USTravelDocs website on how to overcome the error. Below are the reasons and solutions provided on the USTravelDocs official website.

Reason for the “Access Limitation Error”

As per the US Department of State’s guidance, the main reason to get the “Access Limitation” error is due to the installation of browser extensions or plugins that interact with the USVisaScheduling.com website. They say that the installed extensions/ plugins in your browser are designed for robotic automation to either book appointments or check the availability of the US Visa slots across consulates.

There are many Chrome extensions that facilitate automatic appointment booking, checking of slots, crowdsourcing the appointments availability data, etc. As per the US Department of State, installing and using any of these website is against the terms and conditions of their website and users should not use them.

Below is the screenshot of the exact guidance on the reason for the error. This message appears as a pop-up for anyone accessing the USTravelDocs.com website for countries like India.

How to fix “Access Limitation” Error by the US Dept of State

As per the guidance given by the US Department of State, in order to get out of the error and avoid the same in the future, you must follow the below steps:

• Step 1 – Remove Extensions/ Plugins: Remove all the extensions or plugins that interact with the US Visa Scheduling website. If you believe, there are extensions or plugins that you installed by mistake that interact with the USVisaScheduling.com website, you must remove them. You can check Chrome Manage Extensions Help on how to do that, if you are using Chrome Browser.
• Step 2 – Wait for 24 hours: After removing the extensions/ plugins, you must wait for at least 24 hours before you try to access the US Visa Scheduling website. Behind the scenes, they would be likely tracking the error and time when you got it and then have a timer. So, do not be tempted to check before 24 hours. If you can wait longer than 24 hours, it is even better.
• Step 3 – Avoid Prohibited Conduct: As per the USTravelDocs.com terms and conditions, they have a new “Prohibited Conduct” section, where they clearly tell, you cannot use any crawlers, bots, scripts, etc. on the US Visa Scheduling website. You must avoid using all of these prohibited practices and avoid installing any extensions/plugins on the browser too. Check the screenshot below on the exact message on the prohibited content.
• Step 4 – Access the US Visa Scheduling website after 24 hours: After you followed the above listed step 1, 2 and 3 and waited for over 24 hours from the time you got the “Access Limitation” Error, you can login to the US Visa Scheduling website. The error or warning message should not appear. If the error still appears, then try the incognito mode of the browser, it should work.

Other Reasons for getting the “Access Limitation” Error, Solutions

While the “Access Limitation” error should ideally go away as per the official guidance, but the reality is far from it. Many users have reported that the error may still appear at time despite the above steps.

Below are some of the other reasons and solutions shared by the users of our community.

Potential Reason 1: Chrome or Edge Browser Issues

Some users indicated that they were not able to get rid of the error despite removing all the chrome extensions/ plugins. Whatever they tried like incognito mode or re-installing browser, it did not work. Many users shared feedback that it did not work on Brave browser too. Potentially, it could be something to do with browser on your laptop/ PC.

Solution 1: Try with Safari or Other browsers

One of the solutions that worked for many users is using of the Safari browser either on a MacBook or an iPhone. You must ensure, no extensions are installed on it. One of things you can also try is to use the Cellular Mobile Data, instead of Wifi when using this browser.

If Safari browser is not working, try using it in other browser such as Opera. Some users said that it worked for them in Opera mini browser on Android phone with a mobile data connection. Some said, Mozilla firefox worked for them. There is no clear pattern, you need to try different browsers and test. Again, one of the main condition is, you need to wait for 24 hours before try these options.

Below is the screenshot of some of the solutions as shared by users on social media.

Potential Reason 2: Other Extensions/ Plugins that have access to a Website

Other Extensions or plugins that are not related to US Visa Scheduling website directly, but can access a website from the browser are causing the issue. You may be using one or more extensions that can access a website. Some of these extensions maybe trying to do something behind the scenes and this can be flagged as an attempt of not meeting the terms and conditions of the website.

Solution 2: Remove all the Chrome Extensions, Use Incongnito Mode

Remove all the extensions from your browser or create a new profile of the browser that is clean and try to access the US Visa Scheduling website. If the error still appears, then try in the incognito mode of the browser, where no extensions or plugins are loaded. This worked for some users and they were able to get rid of the “Access Limitation” Error.

Potential Reason 3: Cache & Cookies Issues, Tracking Scripts

Sometimes there can be issues with scripts or content that is part of the Cache and cookies. Many a time these cookies and background scripts can be causing the issues by interacting with the US Visa Scheduling website and giving rise to the error.

Solution 3: Remove Cache, Cookies

You can delete all the cache and cookies, that may have scripts and launch the cleaner version of the browser without any cache. Some users were able to get the issue fixed after they cleaned up the cache and cookies and accessed the US Visa Scheduling website. Also, you can try the incognito mode of the browser after clearing cache and cookies as well, if this does not work.

Potential Reason 4: Network Issues, Geo Location Issues

Some users reported that it did not work for them when they were on Wifi or on a particular network. This could be due to many potential requests from the same IP or group of IP addresses. Also, sometimes, some users said they had no luck and got the same “Access limitation” error due to geo location issues like accessing from a particular city or country.

Solution 4: Try different Networks, Mobile Data, VPN

Some users suggested that accessing the website using Mobile Data worked for them. For some, they said using a VPN worked for them. Some said using a VPN with a US IP address worked for them. You can try one by one to see if these options work for you.

Note: Using a VPN could also be a violation of the terms and conditions of USTravelDocs. The reason is VPN providers use all kinds of anonymization. So, use it at your own risk. Just sharing as community members had it resolved.

Below are some of the experiences as shared by them on social media websites.

Final Option – Email / Call Customer Support

If none of the options listed above work, you must reach out to the Customer Support of USTravelDocs.

• For India, the support email is support-india@usvisascheduling.com.
• You can also call +91 22 62011000 for solving the issues
• If you are calling from the US, use the number +1 703 520 2239
• You can use the Live Chat Option as well on Contact page
• You can check Contact Info, Phone Number of US Consulates, USTravelDocs India for more info.

What was your experience trying to solve the “Access Limitation“ error? Share your experience in the comments section below.

You can also check out the below articles related to US Visas Appointments and Tracking

• How to Check US Visa Status Online? CEAC Website, Errors Info
• How many times can I reschedule my US Visa Appointment? India? Others?
• Your Group Size is larger than the Current Allocation – U.S. Visa Error, Fix ?
• Error occurred while loading a Visualforce Page – US Visa Appointment
• Your personal details match the profile which already exists – US Visa Error
• Change US Consulate interview location on DS-160 after Submission?
• User Could not be created – USTravelDocs Error
• US Visa Stamping: Passport Tracking Statuses Meaning, Flow
• Sorry, you have been blocked – USTravelDocs, USVisaScheduling Error, Solution
• Petitioner Name, Info in US Visa Appointment – H1B, H4, L1, L2?