The DS-160 and the US visa interview: what to prepare and what happens next

Who files a DS-160?

Every person seeking a nonimmigrant visa must make an electronic application on Form DS-160, unless a consular officer directs them to use the older Form DS-156. That includes each family member. For a child under 16, or someone physically unable to complete it, a parent or guardian may complete and sign it. The State Department's family or group option copies some answers into a new form, but each person still needs an individual application.

For petition-based routes, such as O-1, H-1B or L-1, the petition comes first. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) decides the petition; the DS-160 then asks for its receipt number, which is 13 characters long and starts with three letters.

E applicants: the State Department says an E-2 treaty investor completes only the DS-160. An E-1 treaty trader, and an executive, manager or essential employee under E-1 or E-2, must also complete the paper Form DS-156E, which the applicant or the employer may fill in. Check the embassy or consulate's own instructions, which may ask for more.

Sources: 22 CFR 41.103; DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions: documents, E applicants and interviews

What to have ready before you start

The State Department lists what to keep at hand while completing the form:

• Your passport. In most cases it must be valid for at least six months after your arrival in the United States.
• Your travel itinerary, if you have made arrangements.
• Dates of your last five visits to the United States, and your international travel history for the past five years.
• A résumé or CV, because the form asks about current and previous education and work.
• Petition-based temporary workers (H-1B, H-2, H-3, CW1, L, O, P, R, E2C): a copy of the I-129 petition.
• Students and exchange visitors: the SEVIS ID and school or program address from the I-20 or DS-2019.
• Other temporary workers: details of the employer, including its address.
• A digital photo that meets the State Department's photograph requirements.

Sources: DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions: documents, E applicants and interviews

Completing and signing the form

All answers must be in English, except your full name in your native alphabet. Most questions are mandatory; you may answer "Does Not Apply" where a question does not apply. When you start, the system gives you an application ID. Pages save as you complete them, and you have 30 days to return to a partly completed application unless you save it to a file.

You sign by clicking "Sign Application". The signature certifies, under penalty of perjury, that your answers are true and correct, and false or misleading statements may result in permanent refusal of a visa or denial of entry. Someone may help you complete the form, but they must be named on the "Sign and Submit" page, and you sign for yourself unless you are under 16 or physically unable to.

Sources: DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions: signing, saving and correcting; 22 CFR 41.103

After you submit: confirmation page, fee and appointment

Submitting the DS-160 is only the first step. The State Department's instructions are to print and keep the barcode confirmation page, schedule the interview yourself (the embassy or consulate does not schedule it for you) and pay the visa application processing fee, following the instructions on that embassy or consulate's website.

Where you apply matters. The regulation says you apply at the consular office with jurisdiction over your place of residence, unless the consular office where you are physically present agrees to accept it, or another listed exception applies. If you complete the DS-160 naming one post and then book at another, the State Department says the post where you actually apply should be able to retrieve your form with the barcode.

Sources: DS-160: Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application; 22 CFR 41.101(a); DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions: documents, E applicants and interviews

Who must attend an interview, and who may not need to?

Under 22 CFR 41.102, every nonimmigrant visa applicant aged at least 14 and not more than 79 must appear in person and be interviewed, unless the requirement is waived. A consular officer may waive it, where there are no national security concerns, for some diplomatic and international organization classes and for a renewal applicant who:

• Is within 12 months of the expiration of their previously issued visa.
• Is seeking reissuance in the same classification.
• Is applying at the consular post of their usual residence.
• Has no indication of visa ineligibility or of noncompliance with US immigration laws.

Sources: 22 CFR 41.102(a); 22 CFR 41.102(b)–(e)

When an interview cannot be waived

The Secretary of State can also waive interviews in the national interest, and the State Department in unusual or emergent circumstances. But apart from the diplomatic classes and national-interest waivers, the regulation bars waiving the interview for anyone who is not a national or resident of the country where they apply, anyone previously refused a visa (unless the refusal was overcome or the ineligibility waived), anyone listed in the State Department's lookout system or needing a security advisory opinion, and nationals of countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism.

Even when the interview is waived, the DS-160 is still required. The regulation also lets the State Department instruct posts differently, so each embassy's current instructions decide who is invited to apply without an interview. The State Department tells applicants to confirm with the embassy or consulate whether they must be interviewed.

Sources: 22 CFR 41.102(b)–(e); 22 CFR 41.103; DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions: documents, E applicants and interviews

What happens at the interview

Bring the DS-160 confirmation page; the post uses its application ID to retrieve your form, and without it the case may not be processed. Applicants who must appear give a biometric, and the State Department says fingerprints are scanned on the day of the interview, with a further certification that your answers are true.

The consular officer decides the proper classification and your eligibility to receive a visa, based on what you say, the application and other documents. If the application is not enough, the officer may ask for more information or question you on any relevant matter. What you say becomes part of the application, and documents the officer requires count as papers submitted with it.

Sources: 22 CFR 41.103; 22 CFR 41.102(a); DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions: signing, saving and correcting

After the interview: issued or refused

If the visa is issued, it is placed in the passport as a stamp or similar, and it states the classification and the period during which the visa is valid. How and when the passport comes back is set by each post.

If it is not issued, the officer refuses it. Under section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, no visa may be issued if the application or supporting papers show the applicant is ineligible, if the application does not comply with the law or regulations, or if the officer knows or has reason to believe the applicant is ineligible. The visa refusals guide explains 221(g) and 214(b) refusals.

An issued visa is not a promise of entry. The same section says a visa does not entitle anyone to be admitted if they are found inadmissible on arrival. The length of stay is set at admission and recorded on Form I-94.

Sources: INA 222(e), 8 U.S.C. 1202(e); INA 221(g) and (h), 8 U.S.C. 1201

Visa fees, as of 26 October 2026

The State Department's fee regulation, 22 CFR 22.1, lists nonimmigrant visa application processing fees per person: $185 for a visa that is not petition-based (except E), $205 for H, L, O, P, Q and R visas, $315 for E visas and $265 for K visas. Some applicants are exempt, including A, G and diplomatic applicants. A separate issuance (reciprocity) fee may apply, depending on nationality. Fees can change, so check the amount on the embassy's fee instructions before paying. The State Department's fee page was not among the sources checked, so other charges collected at application may not be listed here.

These are State Department fees paid for each applicant, including children. USCIS petition fees are separate, as are any third-party costs such as photos, couriers or professional help.

Sources: 22 CFR 22.1, items 21 to 24 (nonimmigrant visa fees)

Timing

Appointment availability and processing times vary by embassy. The only fixed period in the sources checked is the 30 days you have to return to a partly completed DS-160 before you must have saved it to your own computer.

Sources: DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions: signing, saving and correcting

Common problems

• Errors or gaps in the DS-160. The State Department warns that inaccurate or incomplete answers may mean correcting the application and rescheduling the interview.
• A failed photo upload. An "X" in the photo box on the confirmation page means the upload failed and a printed photo is needed.
• Assuming a renewal will skip the interview after a past refusal. A previous refusal blocks the waiver unless it was overcome.
• Forgetting the DS-156E for an E-1 principal applicant or an E employee.
• Treating the visa as permission to stay. The I-94 decides the stay.

Sources: DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions: signing, saving and correcting; DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions: documents, E applicants and interviews; 22 CFR 41.102(b)–(e)

How Visa Trouble can help

We can point you to official information, but we don’t assess or prepare DS-160 applications. Free route discovery at Visa Trouble is open to everyone and includes O-1A and the E-2 treaty investor route. O-1A application preparation is open in Visa Trouble accounts by invitation: you organize your evidence and fill your own form drafts. The rules it uses are general and still draft, and nothing is filed, signed or paid for you. We’re building application preparation for E-2 investors; it is planned, not open yet. Visa Trouble is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.

You can start free route discovery at visatrouble.com.