If you are planning a trip to the United States from India, and you are not a citizen of one of the visa waiver countries, then you’ll need to arrange a visa before you can travel. The US visa process is relatively simple but recent changes have affected the way the process works. The US visa interview and visa processing will now take two days instead of one, according to the US consulate last week.

US consulate staff say splitting the visa process over two days will make the procedure smoother and faster for applicants. On the first day, photographs are taken and fingerprints are collected. On the second day you will have the visa interview. In this way, you need to visit the consulate twice but you won’t need to spend more than an hour there on each of the days.

Embassies and consulates in India, who have introduced the new system, say that previously applicants had to spend one full day at the consulate. It was impossible to speed up the process when photograph taking, fingerprints and interview all happened on the same date.

In order to apply for a visa you can call and make an appointment by using one of the consulate call centers. You don’t need to visit on two consecutive days – the appointments can be between a day and 10 days apart, according to your convenience. Consulate officials hope that the new process will make life easier for travelers. As well as a US visa, US visitor insurance is essential. Visitor insurance protects you from unexpected medical bills if you fall ill or are injured when visiting the United States. Once you have arranged your visa, look online for travel insurance to protect your trip.