Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application DS-160

USA DS-160 Visa Application

The Form DS-160 serves as the digital application form for individuals seeking a non-immigrant visa to the United States. This comprehensive online form must be filled out by all applicants. It covers a range of topics including personal information, contact details, passport and travel information, previous visits to the US (if applicable), family background, as well as education and work experience.

Moreover, the DS-160 form also includes inquiries regarding security-related matters and requires applicants to upload a facial image.

Where to Fill Form DS 160?

You can access the form DS-160 at the Consular Electronic Application Center website.

Sample form DS 160

You can access a free sample for the form here.

DS-160 Form Filling Instructions

Applying for a DS 160 online application form is not a difficult undertaking. It requires following a set of straightforward instructions and giving careful consideration to your responses in order to accurately complete the DS 160 form online, without any errors.

Go to the Consular Electronic Application Center website.
Log in to your account.
Complete the security question.
Start answering the questions.
Upload DS-160 Form Photo.
Submit the Form.
Print DS-160 Barcode Page.

Log In

Begin by logging in and initiating the process of filling out the form. Prior to starting, ensure that you have a stable internet connection and an adequate amount of time. It is crucial not to rush through the completion of the DS 160 electronic form, as important details may be overlooked. The form contains a series of questions that require careful consideration, so take your time to provide accurate responses.

Initially, you will need to choose the specific location where you intend to apply for your visa. Following this, click on the "Start an Application" button if this is your first time applying.

Complete the security question

To obtain a distinctive application ID and for the sake of online security, it is imperative that you fulfill this section. Opt for a security question and commit the answer you provide to memory. This information may prove necessary for your future login attempts.

Start answering the questions

Once you have finished filling out the initial two pages of the application form, you will proceed to respond to inquiries pertaining to your application. These queries are divided into four distinct categories:

Personal questions.
Family information.
Work/education/training information.
Security-related questions.

Following, find all of the DS 160 application form questions:

Personal Questions
Name & surname.
Full name in native alphabet.
Marital Status.
Date and place of birth.
Country of origin.
Do you have any other nationality other than the one indicated?
Are you a permanent resident in any other country aside from your country of origin?
Home Address.
Phone number – work and personal.
Email address.
Passport information: Number, date of place of issuance, date of expiration.
Purpose of the trip to the US (you may have to specify that).
Do you have specific travel plans? If yes you will need to give the intended date of arrival, length and address where you will stay, and whether you will be accompanied by someone.
Information on previous trips to the US: If you have ever been to the US, ever held a US visa, or were rejected from getting a visa or refused entry to the US.
US point of information, if applicable – their relationship to you and home address.

Family information

Parents’ given full names.
Do you have any relatives in the US?
Your spouse’s name, date and place of birth.

Work/education/training information

Primary occupation, address, start date, monthly salary in local currency, and briefly describe your duties
Were you previously employed?
Have you attended any education institutions at a secondary level or above?
Which languages do you speak?
Have you traveled within the last five years?
Have you belonged to, contributed to or worked for any professional, social or charitable organization?
Do you have any specialized skills or training, such as firearms, explosives, nuclear, biological or chemical experience?
Have you ever served in the military
Have you ever served in, been a member of or been involved with a paramilitary unit, vigilante unit, rebel group, guerrilla group or insurgent organization?

Security-related questions

Are you currently experiencing a contagious illness that is of public health importance? Examples of such diseases include chancroid, gonorrhea, granuloma inguinale, infectious leprosy, lymphogranuloma venereum, infectious stage syphilis, active tuberculosis, and other diseases as determined by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Do you have a mental or physical condition that presents a threat to your own safety or the safety of others?
Have you ever abused drugs or been addicted to them?
Have you ever been arrested or convicted of any offense or crime, even if you have received a pardon, amnesty, or similar action? This includes all types of arrests or detentions, including those at the border and by Customs and Border Patrol.
Have you ever violated any laws related to controlled substances or been involved in a conspiracy to do so?
Are you planning to come to the United States for the purpose of engaging in prostitution or any other illegal commercial vice? Alternatively, have you engaged in prostitution or facilitated prostitution within the past decade?
Have you ever been involved in money laundering, or do you intend to engage in it?
Have you ever engaged in or conspired to engage in a human trafficking offense within or outside the United States?
Have you ever knowingly assisted or colluded with someone who has committed or conspired to commit a serious human trafficking offense within or outside the United States?
Are you the spouse, child, or offspring of someone who has committed or conspired to commit a human trafficking offense within or outside the United States, and have you knowingly benefited from the trafficking activities within the past five years?
Are you the spouse, child, or offspring of an individual who has been identified by the President of the United States as being involved in a significant role in a severe form of human trafficking, and have you knowingly benefited from the trafficking activities within the past five years?
Are you the spouse, child, or offspring of an individual who has violated any laws relating to trafficking-controlled substances, and have you knowingly benefited from the trafficking activities within the past five years?
Do you have any intention of participating in espionage, sabotage, export control violations, or any other illegal activities?
Have you ever placed an order for, incited, committed, aided, or otherwise taken part in genocide?
Have you ever committed, ordered, incited, aided, or otherwise participated in acts of torture?
Have you committed, ordered, incited, aided, or otherwise taken part in extrajudicial killings, political killings, or other forms of violence?
Have you ever been involved in the recruitment or utilization of child soldiers? Have you, while serving as a government official, been accountable for or directly carried out particularly severe violations of religious freedom at any point in time?
Have you ever played a direct role in the establishment or enforcement of population controls, such as compelling a woman to undergo an abortion against her will or forcing a man or woman to undergo sterilization against their own free choice?
Have you ever been directly involved in the coercive transplantation of human organs or bodily tissue?
Have you ever attempted to acquire or assist others in obtaining a visa, entry into the United States, or any other immigration benefit by means of fraud, intentional misrepresentation, or other unlawful methods?
Have you ever prevented a US citizen child from being in the custody of someone who was legally granted custody by a US court outside of the country?
Have you cast a vote in the United States in violation of any laws or regulations?
Have you ever relinquished your United States citizenship with the intention of evading taxes?
Have you ever placed an order for, incited, committed, aided, or otherwise taken part in genocide?
Have you ever committed, ordered, incited, aided, or otherwise participated in acts of torture?
Have you committed, ordered, incited, aided, or otherwise taken part in extrajudicial killings, political killings, or other forms of violence?
Have you ever been involved in the recruitment or utilization of child soldiers?
Have you, while serving as a government official, been accountable for or directly carried out particularly severe violations of religious freedom at any point in time?
Have you ever played a direct role in the establishment or enforcement of population controls, such as compelling a woman to undergo an abortion against her will or forcing a man or woman to undergo sterilization against their own free choice?
Have you ever been directly involved in the coercive transplantation of human organs or bodily tissue?
Have you ever attempted to acquire or assist others in obtaining a visa, entry into the United States, or any other immigration benefit by means of fraud, intentional misrepresentation, or other unlawful methods?

Upload DS-160 Form Photo

Towards the conclusion of the DS-160 form, you will be required to submit an electronic image of your facial appearance. This photo ought to have been captured within the past half-year and adhere to the specified criteria and regulations for US Visa photos.

Kindly note that the photo must not exceed 240kb in size in order to be successfully uploaded. Once the upload is complete, if the photo satisfies the outlined guidelines, you will observe a green checkmark along with the affirmation "Photo passed quality standards."

Submit the Form

Once you have successfully uploaded the photograph, you will be provided with the specific location where you need to submit your application for a nonimmigrant visa in the United States. It is important to remember this location or, even better, write it down.

Next, you will be required to electronically sign the application form. This can be done by clicking on the "Sign and Submit Application" button.

By following these steps, you will have successfully completed the initial stage of your non-immigrant visa application for the United States.

Print DS-160 Barcode Page

After completing the necessary steps, you will receive a confirmation page that you must print and bring with you on the scheduled day of your US visa interview. It is crucial to have the confirmation of the DS-160 form as it is a requirement for attending the interview.

Documents You Need to Complete DS 160 Electronic Form

You will need to refer to the following documents when completing the form:

Your valid passport.
Travel itinerary.
Details of all international trips you have taken in the past five years, including those to the United States.
Information about your current and previous education and employment history.

In addition, certain US nonimmigrant visas may require you to have additional documents on hand:

For Students and Exchange Visitors (F, J, and M), you will need your SEVIS ID and the address of the school or program where you plan to study. This information should be found on your I-20 or DS-2019 form.
For Petition-based Temporary Workers (H-1B, H-2, H-3, CW1, L, O, P, R, E2C), you will need a copy of your I-129 form.
For other Temporary Workers, you should have information about your future employer readily available, including their address.

DS 160 Form Validity

The DS 160 form remains valid for a period of 30 days starting from the moment you begin filling it out. Hence, if your application process commences on January 1st, the DS 160 form will expire by January 31st. It is crucial to ensure timely completion of the form; otherwise, you will be required to initiate it anew.

DS 160 Form Visa Fee

There is no DS 160 form fee payment. However, you will need to pay the fee for the US visa you are applying for. Fees for most US nonimmigrant visas are $160, though there are also higher ones.

What is DS 160 confirmation number?

Once you have finished filling out, signing, and submitting the form, you will be given a unique DS 160 confirmation number. This number acts as verification that you have successfully completed this stage of the process.
Can DS 160 form be edited after submission?

If you have submitted the form within the last 30 days, you can retrieve your application from the Consular Electronic Application Center system and make the necessary changes. Alternatively, you can fill out a completely new application. On the day of your appointment, you will need to bring confirmation pages from both the original and revised Form DS-160.

How to retrieve DS 160 form after submission?

You can access your DS 160 form visa application within 30 days of submitting it. Here are the steps to follow:

Log in to the Consular Electronic Application Center system.
Enter your application identification number.
Choose the option "Retrieve an Application".
By creating a new application, you will be able to view your previous application in its entirety.
Make any necessary edits to the information.
Submit the application again.

Should I print the whole application?

No, it is not necessary to physically print the entire application form. The only essential document that needs to be printed is the confirmation page of the DS 160 Form. Without this confirmation page, it would not be possible to submit your application or proceed with the visa interview.

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