After your H1B Visa petition is approved by the USCIS, your next step will be to obtain an H1B visa stamp if you live outside the US. To apply for an H1B Visa stamping, you must collect and carry many documents for your visa interview at a U.S. consulate or Embassy.
In this article, we will examine all the required documents for H1B Visa stamping that are necessary for providing biometrics at an Offsite Facilitation Center (OFC), attending the visa interview at the US Consulate or Embassy, and the optional ones.
How to get H1B Visa Stamping: High-Level Process
If your H1B Visa petition was filed with USCIS as Consular Processing, you must get your H1B visa stamping done at a US Consular or US Embassy. The process to apply for an H1B Visa stamping is pretty much the same as general non-immigrant visa stamping.
Below are the high-level process steps for H1B Visa Stamping:
- Complete DS-160 form – Online Non-Immigrant Visa application form
- Pay the US Visa Application Fee of $205(USD) online or at a Bank
- Book US Visa appointments for giving biometrics and in-person interview
- Attend the Biometrics appointment, give biometrics at an OFC location
- Attend H1B Visa Interview appointment at a US Consulate or US Embassy
- Wait for the Consulate’s Decision on your visa stamping status
- Collect your Passport with the H1B Visa Stamped (if approved)
You can read complete details on the above steps in the article: How to apply for US Visa Stamping.
You need to carry all relevant documents for the in-person interview and some documents for the biometrics appointment. Let’s look at each of these below.
The first step before you attend the H1B Visa interview is to go to the biometrics appointment and give your biometrics(photo, fingerprints).
H1B Visa Documents for OFC/ VAC/ Biometrics
Below is the list of documents that you would need for the Biometrics appointment at an Offsite Facilitation Center(OFC) or Visa Application Center (VAC).
- US Visa Appointment Confirmation Letter with OFC or Biometrics Appointment info on it.
- Latest Passport (original)
- DS-160 Confirmation page.
- (optional) If your passport has expired recently, it is good to carry the most recent expired passport for additional verification.
There is no need to carry any other certificates or documents. They will verify the name on the passport and compare it with the DS-160 info. If there are any discrepancies, they will ask you to create a new DS-160 form.
Once verification is complete, they will take fingerprints and take your photo as part of capturing biometrics.
H1B Visa Interview Documents Checklist
Below are the various documents that you would need to carry for the H1B Visa interview. We have divided the documents into sections for easy review.
Required H1B Visa Documents
Below is the mandatory list of documents that you must carry for an H1B Visa interview
- Valid Passport (If you have any old passports, carry them as well)
- Online US Visa Application Confirmation (DS-160 Form Submission confirmation).
- US Visa Appointment Confirmation with date, time, and location on it.
- H1B Visa Approval Notice (I-797 Form)
- Copy of H1B LCA
- Employment Offer letter from your H1B Sponsor
- Client letter (if you are going to work at a client location)
- If you have middle vendors, you should also carry agreements between them and any letters supporting them.
- You could also carry SOWs, MSAs, etc.
- Latest Resume
- Original Educational Certificates for Bachelor’s degree. If you have a Master’s degree or Ph.D. you should carry those degrees’ award documents as well.
If you are working for the H1B Company already, you need the below mandatory documents
- Employment Verification Letter from your Company that indicates that you are currently working with them. This is also called an employment confirmation letter or position confirmation letter.
- Most recent 3 months’ pay stubs/pay slips. It does not hurt to carry 6 months’ pay slips
- Your previous W-2 Tax Forms, if any, which are related to the company.
If you were living in the US before going for Stamping, you need to carry the below documents
- Documentation related to your previous US visa status, like a copy of your US visa or your last USCIS approval notices related to your status.
- If you were a student on an F1 Visa, a copy of I-20, OPT EAD Card, W-2 Tax forms
Supporting Documents for H1B Visa Stamping
The documents below are not mandatory but are more supporting evidence and information if the Consular officer requests any information.
- Copy of I-129 Form that was submitted by your H1B Sponsoring Company
- Experience letter from your current company
- If you are working on an in-house project, copy the project details and what you are doing.
- Last 6 months’ bank statement to indicate that you were working for them.
- If it is a small company, company-related tax details, photos, etc.
- Official Transcripts in a sealed envelope from your Undergraduate or Master’s degree at the University
- Copy of all your I-20s, if you studied in the US (if you studied in the US)
- Social Security Card with your SSN Number on it.
- Your Drivers license from the US ( if you have it)
- Your State ID from the US (if you have it)
- Your US Residence Proof Documents like Utility Bills (if you lived in US)
While many of the above are not really asked, it does not hurt to carry them if you have them. You should always check with your immigration attorney and carry relevant documents.
Small Companies, Startups – H1B Stamping Documents
If you work for very small companies or startups with less than 25 people, the US Consular officers may or may not be able to verify all the documents about the company. In such cases, you can check with your attorney and company and carry some of the supporting documents as listed below.
- Company’s previous tax filings in a sealed envelope
- Company’s Photos with work location
- Company’s registration documents and other info in a sealed envelope.
H1B Visa Documents Checklist as per US Dept of State Website
Below is the screenshot of the list of required documents, which appears on the US Dept of State work visa page. You must carry the documents below:
H1B Visa Documents Checklist as per Dropbox Appointment Letter
The Dropbox Stamping Option was removed for H1B visas starting from September 2nd, 2025. You can read more at Dropbox Stamping Ends for H1B, H4, Others from Sep 2nd, 2025
Below are the documents that the consulate typically expects and what they collect from users during H1B Dropbox Stamping submission. It is understood that they expect the same set of documents from the in-person interview applicants as well. So, you can carry the below list of documents, which is in the screenshots below from an actual dropbox appointment letter.
Documents for H1B Stamping with Spouse, Children applying H4
If the H1B applicant is married and has dependents, most of the time, spouse and children attend their H4 visa stamping as well along with the H1B applicant. Below is the list of documents that the dependents need to carry for the H4 visa stamping.
- Passport
- Copy of H1B visa Approval Notice (from their spouse)
- Original Marriage Certificate
- Original Birth Certificate ( for child)
- Photos of the wedding (for newly married )
- Any other documents that have spouse’s name on them.
- Spouse’s Employment Letter
It is always good to carry more documents as you never know what the consular officer may ask and there is no need to scramble at the last minute. You should always check the US Consulate Website in your visiting country if there is any specific checklist that is given by them.
Common FAQs
It is always recommended to carry client letter if you are working at a third-party worksite. If you do not have it for a specific reason such as the client does not give such a letter, have some email copy or some proof that tells that they do not issue client letters. US Consular officers want to validate that you are really employed properly, so it is best to carry all. Not having the client letter will not necessarily result in rejection, but it may lead to administrative processing if the Visa officer is not convinced.
No. The documents listed under supporting documents are really meant as supporting documents and not mandatory. You are fine if you do not have them or are not able to get them on time. Do not worry. It is good to carry them if you can plan and get them on time.
Usually, the H1B Visa stamp validity in the passport would be given according to the validity of the H1B Visa approval notice (I-797 A form). But, there is no mandatory rule that tells that the Consular officer has to give it for the entire duration. It is totally up to them.
Well, most of the time, H1B applicants get multiple entries for visa stamping. But, in certain countries, they may give only a single entry. So, it all depends.
No, usually the H1B visa stamping is not rejected right away unless it is tied to fraud or misrepresentation. The consular officer usually gives a 221g Administrative Processing form with details on what the applicant needs to submit.
No. The documents are required as part of the visa interview. Carrying all documents does not guarantee approval of your H1B Visa stamping. It makes you be prepared for the stamping to answer all the questions.
What was your experience with H1B Visa Stamping? Share the documents you carried and your experiences as well in the comments section below.
Hi,
I transfered my visa from teradyne to amazon and this is my first time stamping. Should I carry the previous employers lCA and i797 ?
I applied for an H-1B visa while in India, and my U.S. employer submitted the petition on my behalf. I now have my visa interview scheduled in the next few days. This will be my first visa interview, and I have never been to the United States before.
My question is: Do I need to carry project documentation or a detailed project description to the interview? Will the Visa Officer ask for these documents? Since project details are usually confidential, I am unsure how the company could provide such information to me before I officially join.
Could you please clarify what is typically expected in this situation?
Thank you very much.
Bupesh,
Well, they usually would not expect you carry all of that confidential information and how it to them. All they would ask in interview is your experience and what you would do in the project and what the project is about. Do not worry about the project related information, mainly the visa officer want to understand your job role and your experience and what you will do for the client. Carry LCA and other approval notices copies.
Thanks alot for the response.
Cheers!
I’m in India and I have scheduled Visa interview for April 15th, 2025. I just realized the LCA expiration date is 12/31/2024. But my I797 validity is till September 2026. Will there be a problem? will the officer ask why I have an expired LCA, and can I convince them? Please let me know
Rajkumar,
You need to get the latest LCA. How can you work without current LCA? Maybe you have older LCA, they dont approve without proper LCA. Ask your employer for it.