DS-160 Form Guide

The DS-160 is the online nonimmigrant visa application, completed free of charge on the Department of State's CEAC website. It takes most applicants 60–90 minutes, the session times out after about 20 minutes of inactivity, and every applicant — including children — needs their own form and barcode confirmation page.

This guide walks through every section in order, with the answers that most often cause problems flagged as you go.

Before You Begin

Before starting your DS-160 application, make sure you have:

• A valid passport
• Travel itinerary, if you have already made travel arrangements
• Dates of your last five visits to the United States, if applicable
• Your CV or resume that lists your work history
• Other documentation supporting your application
• A stable internet connection (save frequently because the online session can time out)

Starting Your Application

1. Access the form: Visit the official Consular Electronic Application Center
2. Select your location: Choose the embassy or consulate where you will apply
3. Record your application ID: Save the ID shown after you start, along with the answer to your security question; you will need both to retrieve an unfinished application

Completing Each Section

Personal Information

• Full name as it appears in your passport
• Other names used (if applicable)
• Sex, marital status, and birth date
• Place of birth (city, country/region)
• Nationality and national identification number (if applicable)

The 'sex' field has a specific instruction, and it is not always the same as your passport. The appointment services state it this way, and we found the identical wording on the India and Thailand pages:

When completing the 'sex' field of the DS-160, please select your sex at birth: male or female. Generally, this will be the sex listed on your passport. However, if your passport lists your gender identity, does not list a sex, or lists 'X'/'unspecified' in a 'sex'/'gender' field, you must select your sex at birth.

The form offers only the two options, so an applicant whose passport shows X, shows a gender identity, or shows nothing in that field cannot mirror the passport here and should follow the instruction above. If your entry does not match your passport for that reason, it is because the form asks for something different, not because you made an error.

Address and Phone Information

• Home address and mailing address
• Primary and secondary phone numbers
• Email address (ensure this is accurate as communication will be sent here)

Passport Information

• Passport number and issuance details
• Expiration date
• Have you ever lost a passport or had one stolen?

Travel Plans

• Purpose of trip to the United States — visitors choosing between B-1, B-2 and B-1/B-2 should read which visitor class to pick
• Intended date of arrival and length of stay
• Addresses where you will stay in the United States
• Person/entity paying for your trip
• Contact information in the United States (if applicable)

Travel Companions

• Information about family members traveling with you
• Details about the larger group or organization (if traveling as part of a group)

Previous U.S. Travel

• Previous visits to the United States (dates, duration, purpose)
• Prior U.S. visa information
• Visa denials (if applicable)
• History of canceled or revoked visas

Work, Education, and Training Information

• Current and previous employment history
• Educational background
• Training in specialized fields (if applicable)

Security and Background Information

This section includes questions about:

• Criminal history
• Security concerns
• Medical conditions
• Prior immigration violations
• Affiliations with certain organizations

Upload Photo

Requirements for your digital photo:

• Recent photo (taken within the last 6 months)
• White background
• No eyeglasses
• Full face view
• Neutral facial expression or natural smile

Review and Submit

1. Review all information: Check each section for accuracy
2. E-sign your application: By electronically signing, you certify all information is true and correct
3. Save and print the confirmation page: Bring the barcode confirmation page as instructed; you do not need to print the entire application

After Submission

A submitted DS-160 does not last forever. The India posts state that the form "is valid for one year from the date of submission". We did not find that stated on the Thailand or Philippines pages, so treat one year as India's published figure and confirm with your own post — but plan around the possibility either way, because it matters most in exactly the situation where you are least able to act: a long wait for an interview date.

Note that this is a separate clock from the fee. The visa fee receipt has its own validity, generally one year from payment, and the two do not start on the same day. Submitting the form in March and paying in June gives you two deadlines, not one.

• Follow the country-specific instructions for paying the visa application fee and scheduling an interview
• Prepare additional documents required for your interview
• Attend your visa interview with all required documentation

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Leaving sections incomplete
• Providing inconsistent information
• Using abbreviations or acronyms without explanation
• Forgetting to save your application periodically
• Not bringing your confirmation page to the interview

Made an error already? See how to fix DS-160 mistakes before and after submitting.

The social media section

The form asks for every social media identifier you have used in the past five years. The separate instruction — set your profiles to public — is no longer just for students: it covers F, M and J, H-1B and H-4, and since 30 March 2026 fourteen more categories including K-1 fiancé(e)s, R religious workers, and T and U visas. B-1/B-2 visitor applicants are not on that list. See the DS-160 social media guide.

Applying as a student?

F-1 applicants have extra fields — SEVIS ID, I-20 school details, and a separate SEVIS fee. See the DS-160 guide for F-1 students.

Preparing for the interview?

The DS-160 is the officer's script at the window. See what visa officers ask and why.

Is there a DS-160 PDF, sample, or paper form?

No. The DS-160 exists only as the online application on CEAC. There is no version you can download, fill in by hand, and hand over at the counter, and no official PDF of the completed form. Every submission goes through the browser.

That matters because the results for "DS-160 sample" and "DS-160 form PDF" are almost all third-party reproductions — law-firm handouts, university advising pages, and document-hosting sites that have re-uploaded someone else's file. Two problems with using them:

• They go stale silently. The form has gained fields over time, the social media section among them. A reproduction made before a change still looks complete.
• They are not the form. Nothing you write on a downloaded copy is submitted. Filling one in is preparation at best, and the sites that charge for a "fillable DS-160" are charging for a blank document you cannot file.

What people usually want instead

Almost always one of three things, and each has a real answer:

What you want	What to actually do
To see the questions before starting	Use the section-by-section walkthrough above — it follows the form's own order
To gather your documents first	Work through the checklist below before you open CEAC
A copy for your records	Save your Application ID as you go, and after submitting, print the confirmation page

You do not need to finish in one sitting either. The form can be saved and resumed, so preparing in advance is about having the answers ready, not about drafting them somewhere else first.

What to have in front of you before you open the form

Gathering these is the part that takes time. The typing is quick once you have them.

• Passport — number, issuing country and authority, issue and expiry dates
• Travel dates and a U.S. address — where you will stay, or the best answer you have
• Every U.S. trip in the last five years, with arrival dates and length of stay
• Your last two employers or schools, with addresses, phone numbers and dates
• Names and dates of birth for parents, spouse, and any prior spouse
• Social media identifiers for the last five years, on every platform you have used
• Anyone travelling with you, and who is paying for the trip
• Students: SEVIS ID and the I-20 school name and address

If a field genuinely does not apply to you, say so on the form rather than leaving it blank — incomplete sections are one of the most common reasons an application stalls.

Frequently asked DS-160 questions

Is there a PDF version of the DS-160?

No. The DS-160 is an online form only; there is no official PDF or paper version to download, complete and submit. PDFs circulating under that name are third-party reproductions, and anything written on one is not submitted to anyone.

Can I see a sample DS-160 before I start?

You can see what the form asks, which is what most people actually want. The section-by-section walkthrough on this page follows the form's own order, and the checklist above lists what to have ready. Third-party "sample" files are worth less than they look, because the form has changed over time and a copy made before a change still appears complete.

How long does the DS-160 take to complete?

Most applicants need 60–90 minutes with their documents at hand. Gathering the passport, travel history, and employment details beforehand is what saves time — the form itself is mostly data entry.

Can I save the DS-160 and finish it later?

Yes. Save as you go and note your Application ID plus your security-question answer. An unsubmitted form is kept for about 30 days from the last save — see the retrieval guide.

Does the session time out?

Yes. CEAC ends an idle session after about 20 minutes and unsaved answers are lost. Save every few pages, especially before looking something up.

Do I need to print the whole application?

No. Print only the confirmation page with the barcode. See the confirmation page guide.

Can my family share one DS-160?

No. Every applicant needs their own DS-160, including infants and children. You can use the "family application" option to copy shared details into a new form, but each person still gets a separate submission and barcode.

Which address do I give if I have no U.S. hotel booked?

Use your best available answer — a host's address, the school address for students, or the city you'll arrive in. Plans changing later is normal and is not treated as misrepresentation; a knowingly false answer is.

Need Help?

For official answers, use the Department of State's DS-160 FAQ or contact the embassy or consulate where you will apply.

New to the form?

If you are not sure what the DS-160 is, who has to file one, or where it sits in the visa process, start with what the DS-160 is.

Rules change — check the log

Visa fees, waivers and admission periods have changed several times since 2025. Every change that affects a DS-160 applicant is recorded, with its effective date and Federal Register source, in the U.S. visa rule changes log.

The security and background questions

The final section is a run of yes/no questions, each mapping to a specific statutory ground of inadmissibility. What they are asking, and why a "yes" is not an automatic refusal, is in the security and background questions guide.