When applying for a US visa from a US Embassy or Consulate for temporary travel, the first formal step for most applicants is completing Form DS 160.

Form DS 160 is an online nonimmigrant visa application on the Department of State’s Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) site. It collects detailed information about you, your travel plans, your work and education history and your background. The information on the DS 160 is considered together with your supporting documents, your visa interview and the results of security and background checks when deciding if you qualify for the visa.

Each applicant, including children, is required to have their own DS 160 in support of their visa application.

Section A: What is Form DS 160?

Form DS 160 is the standard online application that most nonimmigrant visa applicants complete before a consular interview. In practical terms it is a data intake form for the Department of State, rather than a petition in its own right. For the majority of nonimmigrant categories it is the only Department of State form that needs to be completed, with the petition and supporting evidence handled separately by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) if the category is petition based.

Historically, nonimmigrant applicants completed several different paper forms such as DS-156, DS-157 and DS-158. DS 160 has now replaced those in most cases, so almost all nonimmigrant applicants use the online DS 160 process. DS-3032 continues to be used in certain immigrant visa contexts and is separate from DS 160.

The DS 160 is submitted electronically and you sign it online. You confirm that the information is complete and accurate, even if someone helped you prepare it. The confirmation page with the barcode then links your information to your visa fee payment and interview appointment.

Section B: Who has to Complete DS 160?

In almost all nonimmigrant visa categories, every applicant needs to complete their own DS 160. That includes principal applicants and all dependants, such as spouses and children, even very young children. Parents or guardians can complete the form on behalf of minors, but the information still has to be correct and complete.

Common categories that rely on DS 160 include B visitor visas, F and M students, J exchange visitors, H, L, O, P, Q and R temporary workers, E treaty trader and investor visas and I media visas. Applicants for K fiancé or spouse visas also complete a DS 160 as part of consular processing, even though K visas sit closer to immigrant processing in practice.

Travelers using the Visa Waiver Program through ESTA do not complete DS 160 because they are not applying for a visa. However, if an ESTA application is refused or if the traveler prefers to hold a visa, they move into the DS 160 process.

There are limited situations where an older backup form such as DS-156 may still be used, typically at posts with systems issues or in very narrow categories. For most applicants, though, DS 160 is the required route.

Section C: Information & documents for DS 160

Completing DS 160 fully and accurately is central to your visa application. Omissions, inaccuracies or unclear answers can result in processing delays, requests for further information, additional security checks or even a refusal. Before you start, it is sensible to gather the key information and documents you will need so that you can work through the form without guessing.

• Passport
• Planned itinerary, where you have already made travel plans
• Details of your contact in the US, such as your US employer, inviting organization, relative, individual contact or hotel
• Employment history and résumé with information about your current and previous education and work history
• Digital photograph that meets the Department of State specification, unless the consulate will capture your photo at a visa application center
• Travel history, including dates of your last five visits to the US where applicable and international travel for the previous five years
• Address history, typically for the past ten years
• Details of any previous US visas, refusals, overstays or immigration violations
• Information about arrests, charges or convictions, even if spent or pardoned, and any relevant court records
• Form I-129 petition details and I-797 Approval Notice if you are a temporary worker such as H-1B, H-2, H-3, CW1, L, O, P, R or E2C
• SEVIS Form I-20 and proof of I-901 SEVIS fee payment for F and M students
• SEVIS Form DS-2019 and I-901 SEVIS fee receipt for J exchange visitors
• Social media identifiers, meaning the usernames or handles you have used on listed platforms over the last five years

Social media disclosure has become a standard part of DS 160. Most nonimmigrant visa applicants are required to list usernames used on the main social media platforms in the last five years. Consular guidance and recent embassy communications stress that missing or incomplete social media information can lead to refusals and future ineligibility, particularly in student, exchange and H-1B categories.

Section D: How to Complete Form DS 160

When you start DS 160 you choose the location where you will apply. You should select the US Embassy or Consulate where you intend to attend your visa interview. In many countries you will later see that location again in the country specific appointment system that you use to pay the visa fee and schedule your interview.

At the outset you receive an Application ID number. You should record this immediately and keep it somewhere safe. You need the Application ID if you lose access to your form and need to retrieve it later or if you want to reuse information from it when you prepare a new DS 160 in future. The Application ID also links through to your confirmation page and is used at your interview.

The DS 160 platform will time out after a period of inactivity, often in less than twenty minutes. To avoid losing work, you should save regularly as you move between screens. Unsubmitted DS 160s are deleted after a period of inactivity, typically thirty days without any update, so you should plan to complete and submit within that window.

• Work through each section slowly rather than rushing to the end
• Use your passport and official documents to enter dates and document numbers instead of relying on memory
• Answer security and background questions carefully and consistently with any previous DS 160s or visa applications
• Check that your travel plans and intended activities match the visa category you are applying for
• Ensure that addresses, job titles and dates align with your résumé, petition and any supporting documents

Before you sign and submit DS 160 you should review every page carefully. Once submitted, you cannot re-enter that particular DS 160 to edit it. If you spot an error after submission, the usual solution is to complete a new DS 160 with the corrected information and then use the new confirmation page when you schedule or attend your interview. The key is that the confirmation page number that the consular systems hold should match the DS 160 you want the officer to review.

After successful submission you should print or save a PDF of the barcoded confirmation page. It is also sensible to save a copy of each page of the completed DS 160 for your own records. You will need the confirmation page to schedule and attend your interview and it will often be requested for delivery or courier services after issuance.

Section E: DS 160 Fees & Visa Costs

There is no fee to complete and submit DS 160 itself. However, your visa application will not progress until you have paid the correct machine readable visa (MRV) fee or other applicable nonimmigrant visa fee for your category. The amount you pay depends on the type of visa you are applying for and these fees are non refundable.

For most non petition based nonimmigrant visas such as the B visitor visa and student and exchange categories, the MRV fee is currently $185. For petition based categories such as H, L, O, P, Q and R, the MRV fee is $205. E treaty trader and investor visas have a higher MRV fee of $315 and K fiancé and spouse visas carry a $265 fee.

Some categories such as A, G and NATO diplomatic visas do not require payment of an MRV fee and certain applicants in official government sponsored J programs are also fee exempt. In addition to MRV fees, some applicants pay issuance or reciprocity fees that depend on their nationality. Fee rules can be specific to each country so you should follow the payment instructions on the website of the US Embassy or Consulate where you will apply.

Section F: What happens after you submit DS 160?

Once you have submitted DS 160 and printed the confirmation page, the next step is to create an account on the country specific visa appointment system and pay the MRV fee or other required visa fee. Only after payment is registered do you usually gain access to the appointment calendar to book your biometrics and interview slots.

You normally need to bring the DS 160 confirmation page with the barcode, your passport and any appointment confirmation to the interview and to any separate biometric appointment. Many posts capture fingerprints and a digital photo at a visa application center or at the consulate itself. You should check the local instructions on the website for the US Embassy or Consulate where you are applying and follow any document checklists published there.

In some cases, you may qualify for an interview waiver where you submit your passport and documents through a courier or drop off system instead of attending an in person interview. Even in those cases, DS 160 is still required and the information you provide will be reviewed by a consular officer when deciding whether to issue the visa.

Section G: Reusing, retrieving & correcting a DS 160

You cannot edit a DS 160 after you have submitted it, but you can retrieve an existing application while it is still active and unsubmitted. If you lose access to a partly completed DS 160, you can usually recover it using your Application ID, personal details and the security question you created at the start. If the system has deleted the form because it has been inactive for too long, you will need to start again.

For new visa applications it is possible to reuse data from a previously submitted DS 160 to pre populate certain fields. You can select a prior application and allow the system to copy across your personal and travel details. This can save time, but you should still work carefully through every page to ensure that employment history, travel history, contact details and security answers are fully up to date. Carrying forward outdated information is treated in the same way as entering incorrect information, so relying blindly on an old DS 160 can be risky.

Where you discover an error after submission, the usual approach is to complete a new DS 160 with the correct information, submit it and then use the new confirmation page when scheduling or attending your interview. Some appointment systems allow you to update the DS 160 number inside your profile. Others do not, in which case you should take both the old and new confirmation pages to the interview and ask that the officer use the newer DS 160. You should keep the consulate’s local guidance under review and, where possible, follow their recommended process for handling DS 160 corrections.

As a rule, you need a separate DS 160 for each visa application, even if you are applying for the same category more than once. You cannot simply reuse a previous DS 160 in place of a new one because the information on file needs to reflect your current circumstances.

Section H: DS 160 errors, refusals & security checks

If DS 160 contains mistakes or gaps, the consulate may refuse the visa or place the case into administrative processing while further checks are carried out. In less serious situations the officer may refuse the application under section 221(g) and invite you to provide corrected information or additional documents. In more serious cases, if the officer concludes that information was deliberately concealed or falsified, they may treat the problem as a material misrepresentation under section 212(a)(6)(C)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which carries a lifetime bar that can only be overcome through a waiver.

The DS 160 is also central to current digital vetting. Consular officers use it alongside petition records, entry and exit data, law enforcement databases and, increasingly, social media checks. Recent policy updates confirm that F, M and J applicants, and now many H-1B and H-4 applicants, are subject to a standard review of public social media profiles. Profiles are compared against the employment, study and travel details provided in DS 160 and discrepancies frequently trigger delays or further questioning.

Where a refusal is based on DS 160 errors alone, it may be possible to correct the problems in a new application, particularly if you can show that the mistakes were inadvertent and you now have a consistent set of information across forms and supporting documents. However, decisions based on misrepresentation can have long term consequences, so it is important to treat the DS 160 as a statement that carries the same weight as your answers at interview.

Section I: Summary

The DS 160 filing is a requirement for most US consular applications, pulling together your personal data, travel plans and background into one record that consular systems rely on at every stage. The information you enter is checked against petitions, government databases and, in many cases, social media and travel history, so accuracy and consistency matter from the first screen to the last.

Applicants who prepare in advance with documents, dates and contact details usually move through the process more smoothly. Those who rush or guess often face follow up questions, 221(g) refusals or longer security checks.

Once you submit DS 160, corrections normally mean preparing a new form and ensuring the new confirmation ties in with your appointment profile and supporting evidence. A pattern of inconsistent DS 160s can attract unwelcome attention and, in serious cases, lead to findings of misrepresentation.

If you already have a history of refusals, immigration issues or sensitive disclosures, early advice can help you shape a strategy so that the form supports rather than undermines your wider case.

Section J: Need Assistance?

NNU Immigration’s attorneys focus exclusively on US immigration law. We assist individuals and employers with all types of US visa applications, including petitions for temporary nonimmigrant visas that rely on DS 160 at the consular stage.

If your visa has already been refused because of issues with your DS 160, you may now face tougher scrutiny on any future application, particularly if the officer had concerns about accuracy, deception or misrepresentation. In that scenario, legal advice on your next steps can be especially valuable.

For advice on your circumstances, contact us to arrange a fixed-fee telephone consultation with one of our specialist US immigration attorneys.

Section K: DS 160 form FAQs

What is DS 160?

DS 160 is the online nonimmigrant visa application form used for most temporary US visas and for K fiancé and spouse visas. It is completed and submitted electronically and the confirmation page is then used to schedule and attend your visa interview.

When should I submit DS 160?

You complete DS 160 at the start of the consular process, before you schedule your visa interview or biometrics appointment. In practice you gather your documents, complete and submit DS 160, pay the visa fee through the appointment system and then book your appointment dates.

Do children need their own DS 160?

Every applicant needs a separate DS 160, including infants and young children. A parent or guardian can complete and sign on their behalf, but the information still has to be accurate and consistent with the family’s overall application.

How long is a DS 160 valid?

Once submitted, DS 160 remains usable for scheduling and attending an interview for a period, but consular systems and local rules vary. As a practical approach, you should complete DS 160 close to the time you intend to apply and avoid relying on a very old DS 160 for a new appointment. If in doubt, prepare a fresh DS 160 so that your information is current.

Can I change the consulate or embassy after submitting DS 160?

You can usually use the same DS 160 for a different post in the same country, provided the appointment system accepts the confirmation page number, but changing to a consulate in another country often means preparing a new DS 160. You should follow any country specific guidance and, where necessary, submit a new DS 160 that lists the correct location.

What if the DS 160 number does not match my appointment profile?

Some appointment systems allow you to log in and update the DS 160 confirmation number. Others do not. Where there is a mismatch, you should carry both confirmation pages and ask the officer to use the newer DS 160, but you should avoid creating multiple conflicting DS 160s without a clear explanation.

Does DS 160 ask for social media accounts?

Yes. Most applicants are required to list social media identifiers for accounts used in the last five years on specified platforms. Leaving this section blank or giving incomplete information can result in extra checks, refusal or even future ineligibility, so you should answer honestly and completely.

Do I need to print the entire DS 160?

The only document that consulates routinely require is the DS 160 confirmation page with the barcode. However, many applicants also print or save a copy of the full DS 160 for their own records so they can keep their answers consistent if they need to apply again in future.

Section L: Glossary

Section M: Additional Resources

Author

Nita Upadhye

Founder & Principal Attorney Nita Nicole Upadhye is a recognized leader in the field of US business immigration law, (The Legal 500, Chambers & Partners, Who's Who Legal and AILA) and an experienced and trusted advisor to large multinational corporates through to SMEs. She provides strategic immigration advice and specialist application support to corporations and professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, artists, actors and athletes from across the globe to meet their US-bound talent mobility needs.

Nita is an active public speaker, thought leader, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals.

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