The US Embassy in India has announced that its office in New Delhi and the five consulates located in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru will remain closed from Wednesday, 24 December, to Friday, 26 December.
The closure comes following a newly issued Presidential Executive Order by Donald Trump, which provides for the closure of federal executive departments and agencies on these dates.
While Christmas Day, 25 December, is a standard federal holiday, the executive order grants federal employees additional holidays on Christmas Eve and the next day of the festival, creating a five-day break for US government staff, according to an official notice.
In an official statement on X (formerly Twitter), the US Embassy in India confirmed that routine consular services, such as visa processing and citizen services, will not be available during this period.
Additional delay for H-1B visa renewals
While the closure provides a reprieve for federal workers, it will lead to further delays in the renewal of H-1B visas for Indian professionals who are currently stuck in India.
The timing of this three-day shutdown coincides with an already delayed period for visa processing in India. The disruption follows a series of aggressive policy shifts by the Trump administration aimed at targeting the H-1B programme.
Hundreds of Indian H-1B visa holders who travelled from the United States to India for visa renewals have found themselves ‘stranded’ in the country after US consular offices abruptly cancelled their renewal appointments.
While the bulk of the renewal appointments are now being pushed to between March and June 2026, with one applicant given a new date as late as 2027, the additional delay could further extend their separation from their jobs and homes in the United States, Mint reported earlier.
India has historically been the largest beneficiary of the H-1B programme, accounting for 71% of visa holders, according to a report from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released in April 2025.
When will the US Embassy and consulates reopen?
The US Embassy and Consulates are expected to resume normal operations on Monday, 29 December 2025. Applicants are encouraged to monitor their registered email addresses and the official embassy website for further updates on rescheduled appointments.
US citizens requiring emergency assistance have been advised to use the emergency contact numbers provided by the embassy and consulates. These numbers will remain available during the holidays.
