Your U.S. visa number is the red, eight-character code printed in the lower-right corner of the visa foil (the sticker) inside your passport. If you’re wondering where to find your visa number, that red code is what immigration forms are asking for, and it’s easy to confuse with several other numbers printed on the same sticker. When your passport isn’t in front of you, the number can also be retrieved through the State Department’s online portal or from the embassy that issued the visa.
On the Visa Foil in Your Passport
Open your passport to the page holding the visa sticker. The visa number is printed in red ink and sits in the lower-right area of the foil. It’s usually eight digits, though some numbers start with a single letter followed by seven digits.
Look for a red number that stands out from the black text around it. On newer foils the number is clearly separated from the other fields; on older stamps it can blend in on a quick scan. The sticker doesn’t always label it “Visa Number,” which is one reason people mistake it for the control number or registration number printed nearby.
Numbers That Are Not Your Visa Number
The visa foil carries several identification codes, and putting the wrong one on an immigration form can slow your case down.
- The control number is an internal Department of State tracking number. It appears on the foil but has no significance for you as an applicant, and forms rarely ask for it.
- The registration number, or A-Number, is the letter “A” followed by eight or nine digits (for example, A012345678). On an immigrant visa stamp it’s listed as the “Registration Number.” Some USCIS forms ask for it separately from the visa number. If your A-Number has fewer than nine digits, add a zero after the “A” so it reads as nine digits on forms.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigrant Fee Payment: Tips on Finding Your A-Number and DOS Case ID
- The DOS Case ID (IV Case Number) on an immigrant visa stamp is three letters followed by nine or ten digits. Diversity Visa holders see four digits, two letters, and five more digits. When entering it on USCIS forms, drop the last two digits from the number printed on the stamp.
For immigrant visa holders, the A-Number and DOS Case ID also appear on the immigrant data summary stapled to the front of the visa package and on the USCIS Immigrant Fee handout given to you at the interview.
When You Don’t Have the Passport
Start with the confirmation pages from your visa application. The DS-260 (immigrant) and DS-160 (nonimmigrant) both generate a confirmation page after submission, and you were instructed to print it.2Performance.gov. Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application Confirmation Search your email for the original notification, and check spam and junk folders.
One important distinction: the confirmation number on your DS-160 or DS-260 is not your visa number. It identifies your application. The visa number itself is assigned later, when the visa is issued. The confirmation number is still useful because it lets you pull up your case in CEAC, which may display the visa number once issuance is complete.
Checking CEAC
The State Department’s Consular Electronic Application Center at ceac.state.gov lets you check status online. You select whether you applied for an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa, choose the embassy or consulate where you applied, and enter your case number along with your passport number and the first five letters of your surname.3U.S. Department of State. CEAC Visa Status Check For issued visas, the case number also appears as the 14-digit control number in the top right of the foil.
Contacting the Issuing Embassy
If the passport, email records, and CEAC turn up nothing, email the consular section of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate that issued the visa. The email address is on the embassy’s website. Include your full name, date of birth, place of birth, U.S. address, the visa category if you remember it, and your passport number. Attach a scan of the passport or visa if you have one.4U.S. Department of State. Lost and Stolen Passports, Visas, and Arrival/Departure Records (Form I-94)
Form I-797 Does Not Have a Visa Number
A Form I-797 (Notice of Action) from USCIS shows a 10-digit receipt number, the beneficiary’s name, visa classification, and validity dates, but it does not contain a visa number. The visa number is only assigned when a visa is actually issued at an embassy or consulate. The I-797 receipt number tracks the petition with USCIS; it doesn’t stand in for a visa number.
Before You Report the Visa Lost
Exhaust every option for locating the number before reporting the visa lost or stolen. Once you file that report, the visa is permanently invalid, even if you later find it, and you would need to apply for a new one in person at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad.4U.S. Department of State. Lost and Stolen Passports, Visas, and Arrival/Departure Records (Form I-94) Check coat pockets, old luggage, and any photocopies you made at the time of issuance first.