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Paying the U.S. Visa Fee in Central America
If you have been reading guides for Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica or Panama and finding the same text with a different country name on it, there is a reason: the procedure genuinely is identical.
We compared the six official fee pages on 9 September 2026. They are byte-for-byte the same — identical length and identical content hash. The only thing that changes from one country to the next is where you hand over the cash.
So this page does the thing a per-country guide cannot: it separates what is the same across all six from the one detail that is not.
The only real difference: the cash network
| Country | Cash network | Official list of locations |
|---|---|---|
| Guatemala | Airpak | Locations |
| Honduras | Airpak | Locations |
| El Salvador | Airpak | Locations |
| Nicaragua | Airpak | Locations |
| Costa Rica | Airpak | Locations |
| Panama | Western Union | Locations |
Panama is the exception. Five of the six pay through Airpak; Panama pays through Western Union. Follow a guide written for Guatemala while you are in Panama and you will go to the wrong counter.
Open the file for your country on the day you pay. Each one is dated and the locations change.
What is the same in all six
The cash receipt is valid for one transaction
The official page says it plainly: the cash payment receipt may be used for a single transaction. It covers that payment and that applicant. A family cannot pay together on one slip — each applicant needs their own.
Cash takes up to two business days to register
And until it registers, you cannot book. Card payments register sooner. If you are watching for slots to open, those two days decide whether you get one.
Rescheduling does not cost another fee
On AIS you cancel or reschedule from your own account without paying again.
Worth stating because it is not universal. In the USTravelDocs countries the number of reschedules is capped and exceeding it means paying the fee over — Japan's page puts that limit at three, and missing an appointment counts.
The fee expires after 365 days
From the date of payment, not the date of the interview.
The fee cannot move between countries
A fee paid to apply in Honduras will not schedule an appointment in Guatemala, Mexico or the United States. Change the country and it is a new fee. It is also non-refundable and non-transferable to another person, whether or not the visa is issued.
How to pay
- Submit the DS-160 and keep the barcode confirmation page.
- Create an account on the official appointment service for your country.
- Add the applicant's details and continue to the payment page.
- Choose cash or credit card.
- For cash, print the instruction sheet and pay at a location on your country's network — Airpak, or Western Union in Panama.
- Wait for the payment to register — up to two business days for cash.
- Book the interview from the same account.
Confirm the visa class before paying: see paying against the wrong visa class, because the fee does not move from one class to another.
Fee amounts
- $185 — B visitor, F and M student, J exchange, C transit, D crew, I media
- $205 — H, L, O, P, Q, R petition-based work visas
- $315 — E treaty trader and investor
- $265 — K fiancé(e)
F and M students and J exchange visitors also owe the SEVIS fee separately. Full breakdown at how much a U.S. visa costs.
A national of Venezuela, Cuba, Nigeria or Togo? The bond of up to $15,000 applies regardless of where you apply — what that means.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I pay the U.S. visa fee in cash in Honduras?
At an Airpak location, with the instruction sheet printed from your profile. The official list is linked in the table above.
Is Panama also Airpak?
No. Panama uses Western Union — the only one of the six that does not use Airpak.
Can I pay for my whole family at once?
Not in cash. The receipt is valid for a single transaction, so each applicant needs their own.
Why does every country guide say the same thing?
Because the official fee pages for these countries are identical. We verified it on 9 September 2026 — same text in all six. Only the cash network differs.
Can I use a fee paid in El Salvador to interview in Guatemala?
No. The fee is tied to the country where you apply.
Official sources
- Fees — Guatemala · Embassy
- Fees — Honduras · Embassy
- Fees — El Salvador · Embassy
- Fees — Nicaragua · Embassy
- Fees — Costa Rica · Embassy
- Fees — Panama · Embassy