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CEAC Visa Status Check
After you submit the DS-160 you can track the case on the CEAC Status Check. It returns one of five statuses, and two of them are routinely misread in a way that causes real distress:
"Refused" does not necessarily mean you were denied, and "Administrative Processing" can mean your visa was already approved and is simply waiting to be printed.
Both of those come straight from the State Department's own description of the statuses, quoted in context below.
What you need to check
- Your CEAC barcode — this starts with AA followed by 8 digits, and is printed on the DS-160 confirmation page. It is not your passport number and not the fee receipt number.
- The interview location you selected on the form. If you applied at a post that is served by a larger one, choose the larger city.
Nonimmigrant cases created within the past year are available in the tracker. If you no longer have the barcode, the retrieval guide explains how to get the confirmation page back.
The five statuses
Application receipt pending
Your DS-160 has been submitted but has not yet been processed into the visa system. At many posts a case stays in this status until you actually appear for the interview, so seeing it for weeks is normal and is not a sign that anything is wrong.
For mail-in cases, this means the embassy has not yet received the application.
Application Received
The case is open and ready for your interview, fingerprints and documents. If you have already interviewed, the guidance is to check again after two business days rather than the same evening.
For mail-in cases it means the application arrived and is under review, which also covers cases pending additional documents.
Administrative Processing
The case is undergoing administrative processing, which can take several weeks. The important detail is what this status actually covers. It includes:
- the visa issuance process — the visa has been approved but not yet printed, and
- cases pending additional documents or information.
So this status spans both "we still need something from you" and "you got it, we are printing it". It does not by itself tell you which. What it is not is a decision against you. For what triggers it and how long it runs, see 221(g) administrative processing.
Issued
Your visa is in final processing. If you have not received the passport after 10 working days, contact the embassy or consulate where you applied.
Refused
A consular officer has adjudicated and refused the application — but read what the State Department includes under this heading:
- cases in administrative processing
- cases with a waiver request pending
- cases denied under section 214(b)
Only the third is a refusal in the everyday sense. If the officer told you your case was going into administrative processing, it will show as "Refused" for the whole time that processing runs, and you will receive another adjudication when it finishes. This is the single most misread status in the system.
If you were refused under 214(b), that is a different matter — see what a 214(b) refusal means.
Frequently asked questions
My status says Refused. Was I denied?
Not necessarily. The Refused status covers administrative processing and pending waiver requests as well as 214(b) denials. If the officer told you the case was going into administrative processing, it will sit at "Refused" until that finishes, then be adjudicated again.
Does Administrative Processing mean something is wrong?
No. It explicitly includes the issuance process — a visa that has been approved but not yet printed — as well as cases awaiting extra documents. It can take several weeks.
How often does the status update?
There is no fixed schedule. After an interview the guidance is to check again after two business days rather than repeatedly on the same day.
Why can I not find my case?
Check that you used the CEAC barcode from the confirmation page (AA plus 8 digits) and the interview location you selected on the DS-160, not the city you live in. Only nonimmigrant cases created within the past year are in the tracker.
My status says Issued, so where is my passport?
Issued means the visa is in final processing. If more than 10 working days have passed, contact the post where you applied.
Is this the same tracker as for green cards?
No. Immigrant and K-visa cases use a different CEAC tracker with different statuses, entered with an NVC case number rather than a DS-160 barcode. This page covers nonimmigrant cases only.
Will checking my status more often speed it up?
No. The status reflects work done at the post; checking does not affect it. Do not make final travel plans or buy tickets until the visa is in hand.
Official sources
- CEAC Status Check — the official tracker
- Visa Status Check, U.S. Embassy Japan — the State Department's status-by-status descriptions for nonimmigrant applicants
- Administrative processing on travel.state.gov