With the introduction of new nonimmigrant visa process in India, effective September 26, 2012, most nonimmigrant visa applicants will be fingerprinted at an OFC using an ink-free digital fingerprint scan. Children under 14 years and elders over 79 years of age are not required to provide their fingerprints. Some applicants, like officials on government business, are likewise exempt from the fingerprinting requirement. However, personal employees, attendants and servants of A visa holders (A-3 visa applicants) and personal employees, attendants and servants of G visa holders (G-5 applicants) are still required to provide their fingerprints at an OFC.

When this new process was introduced, applicants could get their biometrics done only at the OFC in the same city as the consulate where the visa interview was to be conducted. With the recent change, however, a nonimmigrant visa applicant(s) can complete this process at any of 5 OFCs in India. The list of OFCs and their working hours/holidays can be obtained here.