Last reviewed: August 29, 2026

How to Retrieve Your DS-160 Application

You can return to a saved DS-160 — or reopen a submitted one to reprint the confirmation page — on the official CEAC website. You will need the Application ID shown at the top of your form (it starts with AA) and the answers you provided when you started the application.

Retrieve a saved application

Go to the CEAC Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application.
Select the same embassy or consulate location you chose when you started the form.
Click Retrieve an Application.
Enter your Application ID (begins with AA).
Answer the identity checks: the first five letters of your surname, your year of birth, and the answer to the security question you selected.
Your application reopens where you left off. Save frequently as you continue.

The 30-day expiry rule

A DS-160 that has not been submitted is kept on CEAC for about 30 days from the last time you saved it. If you do not open and save it within that window, it is deleted and cannot be recovered — you must start over.

Two ways to protect your work:

Re-save regularly. Each save restarts the 30-day clock.
Save the application to your computer. On the DS-160 pages, use the Save Application to File button to download an application file (.dat). This file has no expiry date.

Restore from a saved file

If you downloaded an application file, you can restore it even after the online copy expired:

Go to CEAC and select your location.
Choose Upload an Application (instead of Retrieve).
Select the .dat file from your computer.
A new Application ID is issued — note it down, along with your new security answer.

Retrieve a submitted application

A submitted DS-160 cannot be edited, but you can retrieve it with the same steps to view and reprint the confirmation page with its barcode. See our confirmation page guide for printing and troubleshooting.

If you need to fix an error after submitting, complete a new DS-160 and bring both confirmation pages to your interview — details in the form guide.

Lost your Application ID?

Check your email. If you entered an email address when starting the form, CEAC's confirmation or your own notes may contain the ID.
Check saved files and screenshots. The ID appears at the top-right of every DS-160 page.
Submitted applications: the Application ID is printed on the confirmation page and barcode.
No record at all? If the application was never submitted and you have no .dat file, there is no lookup service for lost IDs — start a new application, and this time record the ID and download the file.

Common retrieval problems

"The information you entered does not match our records"

Make sure you selected the same consular location as the original application, typed the surname letters exactly as they appear in the form (not necessarily your passport), and used the year of birth you entered on the form.

The security question answer is not accepted

Answers are case- and spacing-sensitive on some fields. Try the exact form you typed originally. If you cannot recover the answer, restore from a saved .dat file or start a new application.

My application disappeared

If more than 30 days passed since the last save, the application was purged. Restore from a .dat file if you have one; otherwise start over.