US Suspends Routine Visa Services in the UAE — What Applicants Should Do

The U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the U.S. Consulate General in Dubai have suspended routine visa services in the United Arab Emirates. According to the mission's official notice (ae.usembassy.gov), "Routine U.S. visa services in the UAE are currently suspended," and applicants whose appointments were cancelled will be contacted to reschedule "when routine services resume." No resumption date has been announced, and the mission has said further updates will be posted as they become available. The embassy and consulate remain open for other services.

For UAE residents who were planning to apply for a US B1/B2 visitor visa in the UAE, routine interviews are not currently being processed here. The official guidance is that nonimmigrant visa applicants "should schedule their visa interview appointments at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their country of residence or nationality." For most UAE residents, the UAE is their country of residence — so while routine services here are paused, applying elsewhere generally means your country of nationality, subject to that post's own rules and wait times.

It is important to keep this in perspective: this is a suspension of routine processing, not a change to who is eligible for a US visa, the visa fee, or the required documents. It is also a developing situation that can change at short notice. Before making any travel or application decisions, confirm the current status directly on the official U.S. Embassy UAE website — a suspension of this kind can be lifted as quickly as it was imposed.

1. 1Check the current status first — the situation is volatile; the official U.S. Embassy UAE website (ae.usembassy.gov) is the authoritative, up-to-date source.
2. 2If your appointment was cancelled, wait to be contacted by the mission for rescheduling; do not assume your slot still stands.
3. 3If you must travel soon, consider whether applying in your country of nationality is realistic, keeping that post's wait times and requirements in mind.
4. 4Do not book non-refundable flights or hotels on the assumption of a US visa until you have a confirmed appointment and, ideally, an issued visa.
5. 5Keep your DS-160 and documents ready so you can move quickly once routine services resume or an alternative post is confirmed.

This update is based on publicly available information from the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in the United Arab Emirates (ae.usembassy.gov) as of 5 July 2026, which states that routine US visa services in the UAE are currently suspended, with no resumption date announced, and that nonimmigrant applicants should apply in their country of residence or nationality. This is a developing situation that can change at any time. This analysis is provided for informational purposes to help UAE residents understand the change; it does not constitute legal advice. For the latest official information, always refer to the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in the UAE.