DS-160 Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application
The application for almost every nonimmigrant visa - visitor, student, exchange visitor, worker, and most others. It is completed and submitted online through the Consular Electronic Application Center, and the confirmation page with its barcode is what the applicant takes to the interview. Since 2019 it asks for five years of social media identifiers.
- Fee
- $185 for most non-petition categories including B, C-1, D, F, I, J, M, TN/TD, and also for S, T and U. $205 for petition-based H, L, O, P, Q and R. $315 for E treaty trader and investor and Australian E-3. $265 for K fiancé(e) and spouse categories. No fee for A, G, C-2, C-3, NATO and diplomatic visas, and for J applicants on official U.S. government-sponsored exchanges. A reciprocal issuance fee may also apply depending on nationality.
- Fee waiver
- Not available
- Who files
- Anyone applying for a nonimmigrant visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate, including children, each of whom needs their own.
- Where to file
- Online at ceac.state.gov; the confirmation page is presented at the interview.
- Processing time
- unverified - State publishes appointment and interview wait times by post rather than a national median
Usually filed with
Part of these processes
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- Since 2025, consular sections have expanded social media vetting, restored in-person interviews for most categories, and issued guidance directing that applicants generally be adjudicated in their country of residence. Refusals under INA 221(g) for administrative processing have become far more common.
Official page. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/forms/ds-160-online-nonimmigrant-visa-application.html. Download the form there, never from a third-party site; check the edition date and fee before filing.