H4 Visa Dropbox Documents Checklist, Common FAQs

If you are a spouse or child of an H1B Visa holder and already have an H4 Visa issued in the past by a US Consulate or US Embassy, you may be eligible to get H4 Stamping using the interview waiver option, popularly called the Dropbox stamping. Also, you may be eligible for the H4 Dropbox stamping if you meet the 48-month interview waiver rule put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to be available indefinitely.

In this article, we will look at the document checklist for the H4 Visa stamping using the Dropbox option, what are mandatory documents, what are optional documents, how it works, and common FAQs based on users’ experiences. Thanks to many of our readers for taking the time to share their experiences with the community.

Background: In the past, interview waiver or Dropbox stamping applicants could directly walk into a visa application center and submit their documents. But this changed starting in September 2019. You can read full details at US Visa Dropbox Stamping now requires Scheduling an Appointment.

H4 Visa Dropbox Stamping – High-Level Process

The process to apply for an H4 Visa interview waiver or Dropbox stamping is pretty similar to the H1B Visa Dropbox Stamping. Below are the very high-level steps that you need to go through:

• Step 1: Complete the DS-160 form – Online Non-Immigrant Visa application form
• Step 2: Register for an account on the relevant appointment booking website for your country. In India, it is USVisaScheduling.com; for other countries, check USTravelDocs.com to learn more.
• Step 3: Answer questions on the US Visa appointment booking website to check Dropbox eligibility and pay the US Visa Application Fee of $205 USD online or at a bank.
• Step 4: Book an appointment to drop off documents at either the US Consulate or other designated locations.
• Step 5: Collect the passport with the H4 visa stamped in the passport or follow the instructions if you have received a 221(g) refusal letter.

H4 Visa Dropbox Documents Checklist

Below are the documents that you must submit for the H4 Visa Dropbox Stamping. We have categorized them as required documents and optional documents that you can carry and submit as needed.

Required Documents for H4 Dropbox

• DS-160 Confirmation Page copy
• Copy of Visa Appointment Confirmation Page from appointment booking website
• Your Original Valid Passport with a couple of blank pages
• (if applicable) Copy of most recently expired passport
• Expired H4 Visa Stamp Copy from your passport
• Copy of Spouse’s H1B Visa Stamp Copy from passport (valid or expired)
• Copy of current H1B Visa Approval Notice from USCIS (I-797A Notice)
• Copy of previous H1B Visa Approval Notice from USCIS (I-797A Notice)
• Marriage Certificate
• Employment Verification Letter from the H1B holder’s Company.
• Most recent passport photo as per US Visa Photo requirements

You must carry the original documents and copies. They will verify the documents and only take copies. They will not take any original documents.

Optional Documents for H4 Dropbox

Some of the below documents are applicable during first-time H4 Stamping and may or may not be asked or needed. But you can have them as a backup if they ask.

• Photos of Marriage
• End Client Letter from the H1B Holder’s Employer
• Copy of I-94 of the H1B Visa holder, if currently in the US.
• LCA of the H1B Visa holder
• The most recent 3 months’ Payslips of the H1B Visa holder
• IRS Tax Returns from the last one to two years of the H1B holder

You can read US Visa Stamping Experiences for the latest user experiences.

H4 Dropbox Document Checklist from the Appointment Confirmation Letter

In general, you must carry all the documents that they mentioned in your appointment confirmation letter. Below are the screenshots of the required documents from the H4 appointment confirmation letter from the past. It has a section for H and L Applicants, which you must use for guidance.

Below is the checklist based on the appointment letter printed on the USVisaScheduling.com Website.

Below is the checklist based on the appointment letter from the USTravelDocs.com Website.

Common FAQs