US Mission India Closure Over Christmas Week 2025 Affects Consular Services

Indian applicants dealing with the US Mission India face a three-day pause in services, covering Christmas week. The US embassy in New Delhi and the consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata shut from Wednesday, December 24 to Friday, December 26.

During these three days, consular staff do not handle regular public work. Routine visa interviews stop, along with standard passport services, document checks, and other walk-in or scheduled appointments. Applicants needing urgent help may still receive emergency support through dedicated channels.

Operations restart on Saturday, December 27, 2025, when normal consular services return across all locations. Applicants with bookings during the closure window must arrange fresh appointments after that date, following usual online procedures and available appointment slots.

The closure stems from a special executive order signed by President Donald Trump. The order gives federal employees time off on Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas, and applies across departments and agencies. Such orders function as binding instructions for United States government offices.

The executive order, however, permits certain offices to remain open where required. Exceptions cover activities linked to national security, defence duties, or urgent public services. For the US Mission India, authorities decide that only emergency consular tasks will continue, and all routine work pauses for the full three-day period.

US Mission India office	City	Status (24–26 December)
US Embassy	New Delhi	Closed for routine services
US Consulate	Mumbai	Closed for routine services
US Consulate	Chennai	Closed for routine services
US Consulate	Hyderabad	Closed for routine services
US Consulate	Kolkata	Closed for routine services

Similar Christmas-related time off has occurred earlier. President Donald Trump also granted Christmas Eve leave for federal workers in 2018, 2019, and 2020. President Joe Biden continued the approach in 2024, keeping the pattern of short holiday shutdowns.

Christmas is one of eleven federal holidays recognised by the United States government. Other listed days include New Year's Day, Memorial Day, and Labour Day, when federal offices usually close. The current US Mission India consular services closure reflects how these national holidays affect overseas operations.

For finance readers and other applicants in India, the key point is timing. Routine US Mission India consular services closure covers 24–26 December, with emergency help still available. Standard processing picks up again on December 27, 2025, so travel plans should account for this gap.