In this guide6 sections
Two different US government systems get confused constantly by Indian applicants: one shows your booked appointment date, the other shows what happened to your case after you attended it. This page covers the second one — ceac.state.gov, the actual post-interview status tracker — and exactly what it asks for.
Where to check, and what it needs#
CEAC's Visa Status Check (ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx) splits into two application types at the top of the page: Immigrant Visa (IV) and Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV). Almost every Indian B1/B2, F-1 or similar case is NIV. Choosing NIV changes what the form asks for — checked directly on the live page, 25 August 2026:
Field | What it asks for |
|---|---|
Location | A dropdown of every post worldwide — India's five options are Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi, the same five posts covered in this site's own appointment cluster |
Application ID or Case Number | See the two formats below — either one is accepted |
Passport Number | As printed on the passport used for the application |
First 5 Letters of Surname | As entered on the DS-160 |
A displayed code | Standard captcha entry |
CEAC's own note for older cases: "For applicants who completed their forms prior to January 1, 2022, please put NA into the Passport and Surname fields" — a real gap that trips up anyone re-checking an old application against current instructions.
Application ID or Case Number: two different formats, either works#
CEAC accepts one of two identifiers, and the page gives its own examples for both:
- Application ID — the barcode number from your DS-160 confirmation page, formatted like AA0020AKAX.
- Case Number — assigned by the embassy or consulate instead, 14 digits with no letters, formatted like 2012118 345 0001. CEAC's own instruction: "enter a space after the 7th and 10th digits as in the example."
You only need one of the two, not both. If your visa has already been issued, CEAC's own guidance points to where the case number lives afterwards: printed in the top right of the visa sticker as the Control Number, same 14-digit format — useful if you have the visa in hand and want to confirm the number matches what you were told, rather than searching back through old emails for the original case number.
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Immigrant Visa (IV): a different case-number format#
If your case runs through the National Visa Center rather than a DS-160 — most family- or employment-based green card cases — select Immigrant Visa (IV) instead. CEAC's own example format for an IV case number looks different again: MTL1999626025, paired with the same passport number and first-5-letters-of-surname fields as NIV. The September 2026 Visa Bulletin dates that govern when an IV case can even move forward are covered separately on this site — see US Visa Bulletin, September 2026 if that is the queue you are tracking.
What CEAC will not tell you#
CEAC returns a status word, not an explanation. Neither ceac.state.gov nor travel.state.gov publishes a plain-language glossary of every status string on a single page, so treat the common ones as reported meaning rather than official definitions:
Status | What it generally means |
|---|---|
Administrative Processing | Under Section 221(g) — the case needs further review before a final decision; most clear within 60 days per travel.state.gov, with no published outer limit. Full detail on 214(b) vs 221(g) |
Issued | The visa has been printed and is being prepared for return |
Refused | A final decision was made at the interview; for the two most common refusal grounds and what to do next, see the same 214(b)/221(g) page |
Ready | The case is ready for the next step in its process, not necessarily a final decision |
If your status has not moved and you are inside the normal Administrative Processing window, the honest answer is that repeated CEAC checks will not change the outcome or reveal a hidden reason — the same pattern documented for the UAE's own status portals on check UAE visa status.
CEAC is not your appointment scheduler#
CEAC only becomes relevant after your DS-160 is filed and your interview has happened, or is about to. Everything before that — booking the OFC/VAC appointment, seeing your scheduled date, rescheduling it, and the MRV fee receipt that makes booking possible — runs through a completely different system, ustraveldocs.com, covered in full on ustraveldocs explained for India and paying the MRV fee from India. Checking CEAC before an interview has happened will simply return nothing useful; checking ustraveldocs after issuance is the same mismatch in reverse.
Not the same as a USCIS case#
One more mix-up worth heading off: CEAC tracks a consular visa application — the DS-160 or DS-260 process handled by an embassy or consulate. It has nothing to do with a USCIS petition — an I-130 family petition or an I-129 employer petition, for example — which is filed inside the US with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and tracked on USCIS's own case-status system instead. Some immigrant-visa journeys involve both, in sequence: a USCIS petition approval first, then a CEAC-tracked consular case once it reaches the National Visa Center. If your search is really about a petition your US employer or relative filed, CEAC is the wrong system to check.
VisaGyan is not affiliated with the US Department of State, CEAC or USCIS; we do not collect or ask for your case number or passport details. Fields and formats quoted directly from ceac.state.gov, checked 25 August 2026.
Sources cited only — expert review pending. For individualized advice, consult a licensed professional. Portal behaviour changes without notice — verify against ceac.state.gov directly before relying on any figure here.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I check my US visa status from India?
- At ceac.state.gov's Visa Status Check, run by the Bureau of Consular Affairs. Choose Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV) for a B1/B2 or similar case, select your post from the dropdown — India, Chennai / Hyderabad / Kolkata / Mumbai / New Delhi are the five listed — then enter your Application ID or Case Number, passport number and the first 5 letters of your surname, checked 25 August 2026.
- What is the difference between an Application ID and a Case Number?
- The Application ID is the barcode number from your DS-160 confirmation page, formatted like AA0020AKAX. The Case Number is issued by the embassy or consulate instead, 14 digits with no letters, formatted like 2012118 345 0001 — CEAC's own form asks you to enter a space after the 7th and 10th digit. Either one works at the CEAC status check; you do not need both.
- Where do I find my visa''s case number after it is issued?
- On the visa sticker itself. CEAC's own guidance states that once a visa is issued, the case number is printed in the top right corner as the Control Number — 14 digits, no letters, the same format the status check accepts.
- Is CEAC the same system that shows my interview appointment date?
- No. ustraveldocs.com is the scheduling system — it shows your booked appointment date and lets you reschedule, covered in full on ustraveldocs explained. CEAC tracks what happens to the application after that appointment: administrative processing, issuance or refusal. They hold different information and neither substitutes for the other.