Form DS-160: the online US visa application
Form DS-160 is the online application for a US nonimmigrant (temporary) visa, such as a visitor visa. It is completed and signed electronically on the State Department's Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC). fam.state.gov · read
Open the DS-160 on ceac.state.gov, the official site
The DS-160 is free to fill in. The State Department's site is on state.gov; anyone charging you to "submit" the form is an agent.
Rules for filling it in
- Every answer must be in English, unless the form says otherwise. fam.state.gov · read
- Write your names exactly as they appear in your passport, and list any other names you have used. fam.state.gov · read
- You either upload a photo into the form, or have it taken at your biometrics appointment. fam.state.gov · read See the US visa photo rules and our photo resizer.
- The form is translated into the most common languages. fam.state.gov · read
We could not read the list of documents to have ready, and how saving and the confirmation page work, on travel.state.gov when we last checked, so we do not repeat them here. Read them on travel.state.gov, the State Department's own site, or your US embassy's website.
Next: pay the fee, then book your appointment.
Last checked 4 October 2026. Not legal advice. What changed