A B1/B2 visitor visa costs $185 to apply, paid to the U.S. Department of State before you can book a consular interview.1U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services Depending on your nationality, you may owe a second charge called a reciprocity fee after the visa is approved, and most applicants also spend something on photos, couriers, or translations before the process is done.
What the $185 Covers
The Department of State calls this the Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee. It pays for the review of your application, not for a visa. Every applicant owes it, regardless of age. A toddler listed on a parent’s passport still needs a separate $185 payment. The fee rose from $160 to $185 on May 30, 2023, and no further change has been announced.2Federal Register. Schedule of Fees for Consular Services – Nonimmigrant and Special Visa Fees
The B1 side of the visa covers temporary business travel such as attending conferences or negotiating contracts; the B2 side covers tourism, family visits, and medical treatment.3U.S. Department of State. Tourism and Visit The fee is the same either way, and the same whether you’re approved or denied.
The Reciprocity Fee After Approval
Some nationalities owe a second charge called a visa issuance fee, or reciprocity fee. It mirrors what your home country charges Americans for equivalent visa services, so the amount is set by your citizenship, not by the U.S. side of the transaction. The exact figure is published in the Department of State’s Visa Reciprocity Tables by country.1U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services For many nationalities it’s zero. For others it can be substantial.
Unlike the MRV fee, the reciprocity fee is only owed if your visa is actually approved. Denied applicants pay nothing beyond the original $185. Certain travelers are exempt from reciprocity fees entirely, including official government representatives, applicants transiting to the United Nations, and participants in U.S. government-sponsored programs.1U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services
How to Pay
Before you can pay, you need a DS-160 confirmation number from the online nonimmigrant visa application, a valid passport, and a registered profile on the visa appointment website for your embassy or consulate. The portal varies by country, but the general flow is the same: create an account, enter your DS-160 number, and choose a payment method.
Most portals accept credit or debit cards and bank deposits. Card payments clear immediately, so you can move straight to scheduling. Bank deposits generate a slip with a reference number that you take to a designated local bank; allow at least one business day for the payment to post before the system lets you book. Once payment clears, you get a receipt number tied to your profile. That number unlocks the appointment calendar. Keep it. You’ll need it to reschedule or to fix any problem with your booking.
When the Fee Is Gone for Good
The MRV fee is non-refundable under all circumstances.1U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services If a consular officer denies your visa, the $185 is gone. If you never schedule an interview, it’s still gone. If you’re denied and want to try again, you pay a new $185 for the new application.
Paid fees also expire. The receipt is valid for one year from the date of payment. Don’t schedule and attend an interview within that window and you forfeit the money. The receipt is also locked to the country where you paid: once you complete payment in one country, you can’t use it to book at an embassy or consulate elsewhere.
Interview Waivers Don’t Reduce the Fee
Renewing a B1/B2 within 12 months of your previous visa’s expiration can qualify you for an interview waiver, sometimes called the dropbox process. Your prior visa must have been issued for full validity, and you must have been at least 18 when it was issued. You also need to apply from your country of nationality or usual residence, have no unresolved prior refusals, and no apparent grounds for ineligibility.4U.S. Department of State. Interview Waiver Update September 18, 2025
The waiver saves you the in-person appointment, not the money. You still pay the full $185 and submit your passport through a courier or drop-off location.
When You May Not Need the Visa at All
If you hold a passport from one of the roughly 40 countries in the Visa Waiver Program, you can travel to the U.S. for business or tourism for up to 90 days without a B1/B2, as long as you have an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before departure.5U.S. Department of State. Visa Waiver Program An ESTA costs far less than $185 and stays valid for two years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.
The tradeoff: a hard 90-day cap with no extension, and no changing status while you’re in the country. If you need longer than 90 days, are coming for extended medical treatment, or want the option to apply for an extension once you’re here, the B1/B2 is worth the higher cost.
Other Costs to Budget For
The $185 MRV fee and any reciprocity charge are the only fees the Department of State collects, but the real out-of-pocket cost is usually higher. You may pay for U.S.-spec visa photos, courier fees for document delivery, and travel to the embassy or consulate if there isn’t one in your city.
B2 applicants coming for medical treatment carry an extra paperwork load: a letter from the U.S. physician confirming appointment dates, expected duration, and cost of treatment, plus evidence that you or someone else can cover the medical, living, and travel expenses. None of that carries a government fee, but assembling it does. Certified translations of a single-page civil document typically run $20 to $60, and notarizing invitation letters or financial affidavits costs a few dollars per signature.