The DS-160 nonimmigrant visa application is filed online at ceac.state.gov/genniv through the Consular Electronic Application Center. Every foreign national applying for a U.S. nonimmigrant visa has to submit one, and the barcoded confirmation page it generates is the document you bring to your consular interview.
Starting the Application
Open ceac.state.gov/genniv, select the U.S. embassy or consulate where you plan to apply, complete the CAPTCHA, and click “Start an Application.” The system immediately assigns a unique application ID and asks you to pick and answer a security question. Write both down. The application ID is the only way back into your form, and the security question is how you recover the ID if you lose it.
The form saves each time you click “Next” at the bottom of a page. Sessions time out after 20 minutes of inactivity, and anything unsaved on the current page is lost when that happens. You have 30 days to come back to a partially completed application using your ID and security question. After 30 days the online version expires. To avoid that, use the “Save Application to File” button to download the file to your computer; you can reload it later.
What the Form Asks For
The DS-160 runs to roughly ten pages of questions. Most fields are mandatory and the system will block submission if you skip one. Where a question genuinely doesn’t apply, you can mark it “Does Not Apply.” Leaving a relevant question blank will trigger an error.
Biographical and Passport Information
Your full legal name, date of birth, and nationality must match your passport exactly, character for character. Then you enter the passport number, issuance date, and expiration date. A transposed digit or a middle name spelled inconsistently can cause a denial or a delay at the interview, so proofread against the physical document. If your name contains non-English characters, the help icons next to each field explain how to transliterate.
Travel, Employment, and Education
You provide your intended arrival date, the U.S. address where you will stay, and the purpose of your visit: business, tourism, medical treatment, study, or another category. The visa classification you receive turns on how you answer that purpose question, so accuracy here matters more than anywhere else on the form. The employment and education sections ask about your current job, your employer’s address, and your educational background. Consular officers use those details to gauge your ties to your home country and whether you are likely to return after your authorized stay.
Social Media Identifiers
You must disclose every social media username you have used in the past five years across the platforms listed on the form. If you have never used social media, “None” is an acceptable answer. If you have accounts, list every identifier on every listed platform, not just the ones you use most.
Photo Requirements
You upload a digital photograph directly into the DS-160. The State Department specifications are strict:
- JPEG (.jpg) format only.
- Square aspect ratio, minimum 600 × 600 pixels, maximum 1,200 × 1,200 pixels.
- File size no larger than 240 kilobytes.
- Face centered, both eyes open, taken within the last six months against a plain white or off-white background.
If the upload fails, the confirmation page prints an “X” where the photo should appear. When that happens, print a physical photo meeting the same composition requirements and bring it to the interview along with the confirmation page.
Signing and Submitting
The final page is a certification. You click the box labeled “Sign Application” to attest, under penalty of perjury, that everything you entered is true and complete. This electronic signature carries the same legal weight as a handwritten one under 22 CFR § 41.103.
Before you sign, review the entire application one more time. Once you submit, the form is locked. You cannot edit a submitted DS-160.
After You Submit
Paying the MRV Fee
Submitting the DS-160 does not trigger the fee payment. You pay the non-refundable Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee separately, usually through the embassy’s visa appointment website. The amount depends on your visa category:
- B1/B2 visitor, F/J student and exchange, and most non-petition categories: $185.
- H, L, O, P, Q, R petition-based work visas: $205.
- E treaty trader or investor: $315.
- K fiancé or spouse of a U.S. citizen: $265.
Payment methods vary by country. Some posts accept online bank transfers, others require payment at a designated bank branch. Check your specific embassy’s instructions before assuming a credit card will work.
Scheduling the Interview
Once the MRV fee is paid, book the interview through the embassy’s appointment system using the barcode number from your DS-160 confirmation page. Wait times vary sharply by location and season. The State Department publishes estimated wait times by post at travel.state.gov, but those figures shift week to week.
What to Bring
At a minimum: the printed DS-160 confirmation page with the barcode and application ID visible, your valid passport, the MRV fee receipt, and a physical photo if the digital upload failed. You do not need to print the full DS-160; the consulate retrieves your application electronically from the barcode. Supporting documents such as financial statements, employment letters, travel itineraries, and ties-to-home evidence are not uploaded through the DS-160. You bring them to the interview.
If you lose the confirmation page, reprint it at ceac.state.gov/genniv by selecting your consulate, choosing “Retrieve Application,” and entering your application ID.
Fixing a Mistake After Submission
There is no edit function once the form is submitted. If you find you entered the wrong passport number, misspelled your employer, or made any other error, your only option is to complete a brand new DS-160 from scratch. Bring both confirmation pages to the interview and explain the discrepancy upfront. Consular officers see this often, and a straightforward correction reads far better than an unexplained inconsistency between two submissions.
If Your Interview Is Waived
Some categories qualify for an interview waiver, though eligibility has narrowed. As of late 2025, waivers are generally limited to diplomatic and official visa holders in A, G, NATO, and related categories; B1/B2 renewal applicants renewing within 12 months of their prior visa’s expiration, if that visa was issued for full validity and the applicant was at least 18 when it was issued; and H-2A agricultural workers renewing within 12 months of expiration who meet standard eligibility. All waiver applicants must apply from their country of nationality or habitual residence, have no prior refusals, and have no apparent ineligibility. The consular officer retains discretion to require an in-person interview anyway. And even when the interview is waived, you still have to file the DS-160. Waiving personal appearance does not waive the application.
Consequences of Misrepresentation
Lying on the DS-160 reaches far beyond a denied visa. Under federal immigration law, anyone who uses fraud or willfully misrepresents a material fact to obtain a visa or admission to the United States is permanently inadmissible, barred from receiving any U.S. visa or entering the country for life.
A fact is material if it would have influenced the consular officer’s decision. Fabricating an employment history, hiding a criminal conviction, or concealing a previous visa denial all qualify. The permanent bar applies even if the visa was never issued; the attempt alone triggers it. A waiver exists but is difficult to obtain. The electronic signature at the end of the form places every answer under penalty of perjury, so treat each field that way as you fill it in.