MRV Fee: Costs by Visa Type, Exemptions, and Payment

The MRV fee is the machine-readable visa application processing fee that the U.S. Department of State charges every nonimmigrant visa applicant before a consular interview can be scheduled. Most applicants pay $185, but the amount runs as high as $315 depending on the visa class. It is non-refundable whether your visa is issued, denied, or never adjudicated, and every applicant pays individually, including children.

How Much You’ll Pay by Visa Category

The Department of State sets these amounts under 22 CFR 22.1. Your visa classification determines the tier:

$185 for non-petition-based visas, including B (business and tourism), F (academic student), M (vocational student), J (exchange visitor), C-1 (transit), D (crewmember), I (media), and TN/TD (NAFTA professional). S, T, and U visas also sit in this tier.¹
$205 for petition-based worker visas: H, L, O, P, Q, and R.²
$265 for K fiancé(e) and spouse visas.¹
$315 for E treaty trader, treaty investor, and Australian professional specialty visas.²
$185 for a border crossing card if the applicant is 15 or older; $15 if under 15 (available to Mexican citizens whose parent or guardian holds or is applying for the card).¹

Choose the tier carefully at payment. If you pay under the wrong classification, the money doesn’t move with you; you pay again for the right one.

Fees You’ll Owe on Top of the MRV

The MRV fee alone rarely covers your full out-of-pocket cost. Several other charges attach depending on visa type and nationality.

SEVIS Fee for F, M, and J Applicants

Students and exchange visitors must pay the I-901 SEVIS fee separately, through fmjfee.com, to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, before the State Department will issue the visa. The amounts:

$350 for F-1, F-3, M-1, and M-3 students.³
$220 for most J-1 exchange visitors.⁴
$35 for J-1 summer work/travel, au pair, and camp counselor participants.⁴
No SEVIS fee for F-2, M-2, and J-2 dependents, or for J-1 visitors in federally sponsored exchange programs.⁴

An F-1 student, for example, pays $185 for the MRV plus $350 for SEVIS before the interview. Missing the SEVIS payment is one of the more common causes of delayed student visa interviews.

L Visa Fraud Prevention Fee

Applicants using blanket L petitions owe an additional $500 fraud prevention and detection fee, collected by the consular section. Where an employer’s U.S. workforce is more than half H-1B or L-1, that supplemental fee jumps to $4,500.¹

Reciprocity (Visa Issuance) Fees

A separate visa issuance fee applies to many nationalities when the visa is approved. The amount depends on your country of nationality and visa type and can range from zero to several hundred dollars. Check the State Department’s country-by-country tool before applying.⁵ Unlike the MRV fee, reciprocity is collected only if the visa is actually issued.

Who Doesn’t Pay the MRV Fee

A few categories are exempt. Applicants for A (diplomatic), G (international organization), C-3 (transit for foreign officials), and NATO visas pay no application fee.⁶ Diplomatic passport holders may also be exempt regardless of the visa classification, at the consular officer’s discretion.

J-1 exchange visitors in official U.S. Government-sponsored educational and cultural exchange programs are exempt from the MRV fee.² Nonimmigrant visas issued to individuals transiting to or from United Nations headquarters under the Headquarters Agreement are also free.⁷

How to Pay and Book Your Interview

You’ll need two things before you can pay: a valid passport and the confirmation number from your completed DS-160 application. The passport supplies your legal name, date of birth, and document number; the DS-160 number links the payment to your file.

Payment runs through the Department of State’s contracted service provider website in your country of application. You create a profile, enter your passport and DS-160 details, and choose a payment method. Options vary by country and commonly include credit card in U.S. dollars, electronic fund transfer in local currency, or a cash deposit at a designated bank using a printed deposit slip generated by the portal.⁸

Once payment clears, you receive a receipt number. Keep it. Log back into the profile, enter the receipt number in the scheduling field, and pick an interview slot. Credit card payments typically sync instantly; cash and bank transfers can take up to two business days to register before the calendar unlocks.

How Long the Payment Stays Valid

Each MRV payment is valid for 365 days from the transaction date.⁹ You must schedule your interview within that window. The interview date itself can fall after the one-year mark; what matters is that you booked it within 365 days of payment. Miss that window and the fee is gone.

Three rules cause the most avoidable losses:

The fee is non-refundable if your visa is denied, your plans change, or the payment expires.⁸
It cannot be transferred to another person, even a family member.⁹
It cannot be moved between posts. A fee paid at one embassy or consulate is not usable at another; switching your application location means paying again.⁹

1
U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services
2
eCFR. 22 CFR 22.1 – Schedule of Fees
3
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I-901 SEVIS Fee
4
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I-901 SEVIS Fee Frequently Asked Questions
5
U.S. Department of State. U.S. Visa: Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country
6
U.S. Department of State. Visas for Diplomats and Foreign Government Officials
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1351 – Nonimmigrant Visa Fees
8
U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria. Important Visa Information
9
U.S. Embassy and Consulates in the United Kingdom. Nonimmigrant Visas FAQs: Nonimmigrant Visa or ESTA Applicants