To pay the DS-160 visa fee, submit your DS-160 form first, then log in to the visa appointment website for the country where you plan to interview, enter your DS-160 barcode, and generate a payment reference number. That reference links your payment to your application, and you use it whether you pay by credit card inside the portal, by online bank transfer, or in cash at a designated bank. The fee is non-refundable, and the amount depends on your visa category.1U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services
How Much You Owe
The Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee is tiered by visa type:1U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services
- $185 for non-petition-based visas other than E category, including B-1/B-2 visitor, F-1 student, and J-1 exchange visitor.
- $205 for petition-based worker visas: H, L, O, P, Q, and R.
- $265 for K-1 fiancé(e) and K-2 visas.
- $315 for E-1 treaty trader, E-2 treaty investor, and E-3 Australian professional specialty visas.2Federal Register. Schedule of Fees for Consular Services – Nonimmigrant and Special Visa Fees
Amounts are set in U.S. dollars. You’ll usually pay the local-currency equivalent, and the appointment system does the conversion.
Generating Your Payment Reference
Complete and submit your DS-160 online, then print the confirmation page. The barcode on that page carries the application ID you’ll need for every step that follows.3U.S. Department of State. DS-160: Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application
Next, go to the visa appointment website for the country where you’ll interview. The Department of State’s portal at evisaforms.state.gov routes you to the correct country-specific system.4U.S. Department of State Visa Information. NIV Appointment System Create a profile, enter your DS-160 barcode, choose the correct visa classification, and confirm the fee amount. The system then produces a unique payment reference number, sometimes called a CGI reference number, that ties your payment to your specific application. If you intend to pay in cash, print the deposit slip it generates; the bank teller scans the barcode on it.
One rule worth flagging before you pay: the MRV fee is tied to the country where you pay it. A receipt from one country cannot be used to schedule an interview in another. If your plans shift, you pay again in the new location.
Payment Methods and Timing
Available methods depend on the country’s appointment system, but most locations offer some mix of the following:
- Credit or debit card inside the appointment portal. Confirmation is usually instant, and you can move straight to scheduling.
- Online bank transfer using your reference number through your bank’s portal. Posting typically takes one to two business days.
- Cash at a designated bank branch partnered with the embassy or consulate, using the printed deposit slip. Posting also runs one to two business days.
The portal shows you which options apply at your location once the reference number is generated.
Scheduling the Interview After Payment
Once the payment clears, log back into the appointment portal and enter your MRV fee receipt number. The system checks the payment against your DS-160, and if everything matches, the interview calendar opens.5U.S. Department of State. Frequently Asked Questions Card payments usually verify within minutes; bank transfers and cash can take a business day or two to appear. If the portal doesn’t recognize the payment immediately after a non-card method, check again the next business day before treating it as a problem.
Bring the printed MRV fee receipt and your DS-160 confirmation page to the interview. The consular officer may ask for both.
Receipt Validity and the Non-Refundable Rule
Your MRV fee receipt is valid for one year from the date of payment, and you must interview within that window. If the receipt expires first, the fee is forfeited and you start over.6U.S. Department of State. Expiration of Covid-Era Visa Application Fee Receipts
The fee is non-refundable in every case, including a denial. If you’re refused and decide to reapply, at the same post or a different one, you pay the full MRV fee again.7U.S. Department of State. Visa Denials There is no partial credit, no transfer to another applicant, and no extension of the one-year window. Because of that, it’s worth waiting until your DS-160 is fully complete and you have a realistic interview timeline before paying.
Costs You May Owe Beyond the MRV Fee
The MRV fee often isn’t the only charge. Two others show up frequently and are paid outside the visa appointment portal.
F-1 and M-1 student applicants pay a separate SEVIS I-901 fee of $350, and J-1 exchange visitors pay $220, with a reduced $35 rate for summer work/travel, au pair, and camp counselor participants. F-2, M-2, and J-2 dependents owe nothing, and J-1 participants in federally sponsored programs (codes G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-7) are exempt.8ICE. I-901 SEVIS Fee Frequently Asked Questions SEVIS payment happens at fmjfee.com, not through the visa appointment system.
Citizens of some countries also owe a visa issuance (reciprocity) fee after approval, matching what the applicant’s home country charges U.S. citizens for a comparable visa. Amounts vary by nationality and visa class, and you can check yours on the Department of State’s reciprocity lookup.9U.S. Department of State. U.S. Visa: Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country Unlike the MRV fee, the reciprocity fee is paid only if the visa is approved, and typically at the consulate.
Who Doesn’t Pay
Applicants for A, G, C-2, C-3, NATO, and diplomatic visas do not pay the MRV fee. J-1 exchange visitors in official U.S. government-sponsored programs, with program codes starting G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-7, are also exempt, along with U.S. government employees traveling on official business and applicants traveling to provide charitable services as designated by the Department of State’s Visa Services office.1U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services If you think an exemption may apply, confirm with the embassy or consulate where you plan to interview before you generate a payment reference.