The U.S. Department of State’s visa reciprocity tables list, country by country, the fee you’ll owe for a nonimmigrant visa, how long that visa stays valid, and how many times you can use it to seek entry. They exist because federal law requires the Secretary of State to match nonimmigrant visa fees to what a foreign government charges U.S. citizens for comparable travel documents.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1351 – Nonimmigrant Visa Fees Two travelers waiting for the same visa category at the same consulate can end up paying different amounts and receiving visas with different validity periods based only on their nationality.
What Each Row Shows
A country’s page breaks the information down by visa classification. For each row, you’ll see four fields that matter:
- Visa classification. The specific nonimmigrant category the row applies to, such as B-1, F-1, or H-1B.
- Visa issuance fee. A reciprocity-based charge tied to what your home country charges U.S. citizens for a comparable visa. This is separate from the application processing fee you pay to schedule your interview.2U.S. Department of State. Fees and Reciprocity Tables
- Number of entries. How many times you can present the visa at a U.S. port of entry. “M” means multiple entries; a number like “One” means exactly that many uses before you need a new visa.3U.S. Department of State. U.S. Visa – Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country
- Validity period. The window during which the visa functions as a travel document, measured from the issue date. Sixty months means five years from the printed date.3U.S. Department of State. U.S. Visa – Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country
All four fields vary by country and by category within the same country. A student from a given nation may qualify for a five-year F-1 while a business visitor from that same nation only receives a 12-month B-1. Only the row that matches your exact visa type gives you accurate numbers.
Validity Period Is Not How Long You Can Stay
This is where readers most often misread the tables. The validity period printed on your visa is not the amount of time you may spend in the United States. It’s the window during which the visa works as a document to seek entry. Once you arrive, a Customs and Border Protection officer decides how long you can remain, and that permission is recorded on your I-94.
You might hold a 10-year B-2 tourist visa but receive only a six-month stay at each entry. You can also remain lawfully after your visa sticker expires, as long as your I-94 is still valid. The expired visa only becomes an issue when you leave and want to return, because you’d generally need a new visa stamp before re-entering.
Finding Your Country’s Schedule
The official source is the State Department’s Visa Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country page. Pick your country of nationality from the alphabetical list on the left, then open the “Visa Classifications” tab to see fee and validity information for each nonimmigrant category.3U.S. Department of State. U.S. Visa – Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country Use the country that issued your passport, not the country where you currently live. A British citizen living in Germany looks up the United Kingdom’s schedule.
The tables are updated without a fixed calendar. Checking close to your interview date gives you the most reliable figure. A schedule showing a $100 issuance fee six months ago may read differently today if the foreign government changed its own policy in the meantime.
Reading the Right Row for Your Visa Type
The travel purpose determines the classification, and the classification determines the row that governs your fees and validity. The State Department publishes a full directory of visa categories to help match your situation to the correct code.4U.S. Department of State. Directory of Visa Categories Common pairings include:
- B-1/B-2 for business visits and tourism
- F-1 for academic students
- H-1B for specialty occupation workers
- J-1 for exchange visitors
- L-1 for intracompany transferees
Reading the wrong row leads to budgeting for the wrong fee or expecting a longer validity than you’ll receive. Check the alphanumeric code on your DS-160 confirmation against the row you’re using.
Spouses and Children on Derivative Visas
Derivative categories such as H-4, L-2, and J-2 have their own rows. The fee and validity for a derivative visa are not automatically the same as the principal’s.2U.S. Department of State. Fees and Reciprocity Tables A family where one spouse holds an H-1B and the others hold H-4 visas may face different issuance fees for each. Look up the derivative row separately rather than assuming it mirrors the primary visa.
The Two Fees, and When You Pay Each
Two separate fees apply to most nonimmigrant visa applications, and mixing them up is common.
The first is the nonimmigrant visa application processing fee, sometimes called the MRV fee, paid when you schedule your interview. For most non-petition-based categories it’s $185. Petition-based categories (H, L, O, P, Q, R) cost $205. E visas run $315, and K visas cost $265.5U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services Everyone pays this fee regardless of nationality, and it’s non-refundable even if your visa is denied.
The second is the reciprocity-based issuance fee, which only applies to nationals of countries that charge U.S. citizens for comparable visas. You pay this after your interview, only if approved. Amounts vary widely: some nationalities owe nothing, others owe hundreds of dollars. The consulate collects it, typically in U.S. dollars or local currency, with payment options that vary by post.6U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Thailand. Nonimmigrant Visa Issuance Reciprocity Fees Your visa isn’t printed until the issuance fee is paid.
Neither fee is refundable. The State Department explicitly notes that reciprocity issuance fees are non-refundable and non-transferable, even if you paid by mistake.7Pay.gov. U.S. Visa Reciprocity and Fraud Prevention Fee Confirming the correct amount before paying is worth the extra minute.
Checking the Printed Visa
Once payment clears, the consulate prints the visa sticker in your passport, showing the classification, number of permitted entries, issue date, and expiration date. When your passport comes back, compare those details to the current reciprocity table for your nationality. Errors are rare, but catching one before you travel is much simpler than sorting it out at a U.S. port of entry.
Repeat Applications
Each new nonimmigrant visa application means paying the full application processing fee again and, if approved, the reciprocity issuance fee again. There’s no discount or carryover from a prior visa. The reciprocity fee for your category may also have changed since your last application if the foreign government adjusted what it charges U.S. citizens, so always check the current table rather than relying on what you paid before.3U.S. Department of State. U.S. Visa – Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country
Two Boundaries Worth Knowing
If you’re a citizen of one of the roughly 40 Visa Waiver Program countries and traveling for tourism or business for 90 days or fewer, the reciprocity tables generally won’t govern your trip. You’ll use an ESTA authorization instead, which costs $40.27 total.8U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Official ESTA Application Website VWP travelers who need to stay longer, work, or study still apply for the appropriate visa and pay whatever the reciprocity table specifies.
The same country pages have a separate “Civil Documents” tab that immigrant visa applicants use to see which records their country issues and how to request them.3U.S. Department of State. U.S. Visa – Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country That tab is a different track from the fee and validity information nonimmigrant applicants need, so don’t confuse the two when you land on the page.