Arriving one day before the "annotation" date on a US Visa
I recently obtained a US visa (B1/B2) for a week-long vacation. The visa is valid for 3 months, and this fully covers my week-long travel.
However, there is an "Annotation" field on the visa that includes the text "22 Dec - 29 Dec". My flight will be arriving the afternoon of December 21st. Will this cause problems when I enter the US? Even though the visa is valid for that date, I'm wondering if I should reschedule the flight to match the annotation field.
The annotation in full is:
Personal travel
Indianapolis, IN
22 Dec - 29 Dec
My nationality is Thai and it was issued from the US Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. I'm allowed two entries, but I only plan to use one.
Best Answer
A former consular office explained annotations on reddit:
a "borderline" visa issuance in terms of the consular officer's judgment call when the visa was initially issued, but not suspicious enough to deny entry. So they were just making notes to check up on it later.
It was basically one officer communicating to a future officer, "hey, you might want to give this one a second look if they visit again."
So there. Your visa is valid when it says it's valid and it is perfectly normal to present yourself one day early. But if you were to present yourself after 29 Dec for admission then you can expect closer scrutiny, likely a secondary inspection. While secondary inspection is extremely daunting, it is not an automatic denial, I was sent into secondary once and less than a year later I was admitted into a "trusted traveler" program even. For example, if you were presenting paperwork showing your original vacation was an organized tour which was cancelled and they rescheduled you and this new date is still covered by the visa validity then I'd expect they would let you in.
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Can I travel before my US visa expiry date?
You may travel to the Port of Entry during the validity of your nonimmigrant visa up to and including the last day the visa is valid.What if my immigrant visa expires before entering US?
If you overstay the end date of your authorized stay, as provided by the CBP officer at a port-of-entry, or United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), your visa will generally be automatically be voided or cancelled, as explained above.How early should I arrive for US visa interview?
Arrival Time: On the day of your interview, please do not arrive more than 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment. You will be asked to leave the grounds of the U.S. Consulate if you arrive more than 15 early to your scheduled appointment.Can I Prepone my US visa interview date?
To reschedule an immigrant visa appointment, you must call the US embassy and explain your reasons for wishing to reschedule the visa appointment. You must give them your case number or application number, as well as a time that is convenient for you, so that they may make an appointment for you.Variant Annotation
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