Can I schedule a U.S. visa interview in Johannesburg before finalizing the DS-160 form?

United States (B1/B2)
1

Hi everyone, hoping to get some advice from the community here. I’m currently filling out my DS-160 for a B1/B2 visa application to attend a marketing conference in the US.

The issue is, appointments in Johannesburg are disappearing fast, and I’m still waiting to confirm some specific travel dates from a trip I took a few years ago to complete the travel history section. I have my Application ID (the AA00 number), but I haven’t clicked “Submit” yet.

Can I go ahead and book the appointment slot now using that ID to lock in a date, or will the system reject it if the form isn’t in “Submitted” status?

I really don’t want to miss out on these slots while hunting for old passport stamps!

2

Realizing this is not about the specific visa type but the appointment system mechanics, here is the situation.

3

Has anyone from Johannesburg or Cape Town actually tried this recently with the current backlog?

4

I would like to document my experience regarding a similar procedure to warn others.

5

Just clarifying the technical flow here to prevent the ‘compile error’ mentioned above.

6

You’ll need to submit the DS-160 first.

The appointment system doesn’t accept the AA00 Application ID from a draft form. It only accepts the DS-160 confirmation number, which is generated after you click submit and get the confirmation page.

So the order is:

  1. Submit the DS-160

  2. Get the confirmation number

  3. Use that number to book the appointment

If you’re still missing exact travel dates, it’s generally fine to estimate older trips as long as the information is reasonably accurate. Minor date discrepancies usually aren’t an issue for B1/B2 interviews.