Applying for a US visa can be daunting, especially when it comes to completing the DS-160 form. At Atlys, we understand the challenges travellers face during this process. That's why we've created this comprehensive guide to simplify every step, ensuring you fill out the form accurately and easily. By following our guide, you'll breeze through the DS-160 form, simplifying your US visa application process.

Before you start completing the DS-160 form, it is important to note that you have 20 minutes to complete it before your session expires. Once your session expires, you'll have to retrieve your application with the application ID.

Step 1: Gather the required documents and information

Before you begin filling out the form, make sure you have all the required documents on hand. While you won't be uploading these documents, you'll need the information from them to complete the form accurately.

• Passport: Ensure your passport is valid for the entire duration of your visit.

• Travel itinerary: Keep your travel itinerary with you, as it will require details such as your place of stay and the places you plan to visit in the US.

• Previous travel details: If you have previously visited the US, you'll need to provide the travel dates.

• US contact details: You require details of your US contact or hotel information.

• Travel partner information: Have the personal details of your travel partner (family, friend, or spouse).

• Educational background: If you've pursued higher education, have your certificates on hand to reference details like institution names, attendance dates, and degrees earned.

• Additional information: Ensure you have basic details about your family, employment, and medical history.

Step 2: Start the application

Visit the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) website to start your DS-160 application:

• Country of application: Select the location where you will apply for the visa, enter the captcha, and click "Start an Application."

Step 3: Application information

• Note down your application ID: Take a screenshot or note down your application ID. This ID is essential for retrieving your application, whether you were logged out due to the time limit or if you chose to save your progress and complete it later.

• Security question: Choose a security question and provide an answer. The security question, your application ID, the first five letters of your name, and your birth year will be used to retrieve your progress.

Step 4: Personal information 1

• Surname: Enter your last name as it appears on your passport. Double-check the spelling and match it exactly to avoid issues during the visa interview. If your passport includes multiple surnames, enter all of them.

• Given names: Provide all your given names (first name and middle name/s) exactly as listed on your passport. Similar to your surname, ensure it is spelt correctly.

• Full name in native alphabet: If your name is written in a non-Roman alphabet, provide it in your native script. This is important because applicants from countries where names are commonly transliterated into English must ensure accuracy and consistency, as consulates use this information to cross-check your identity with local records.

• Other names used: List any other names you have used, including maiden name, religious name, professional name, etc. 

• Gender: Choose your gender.

• Marital status: Choose your current marital status from the options provided.

• Date of birth: Enter your date of birth as stated on your passport. Make sure you use the right format.

• City of birth: Provide the name of the city and province where you were born. If your city of birth has undergone a name change, be sure to enter the city's name as stated on your passport.

• Country of birth: Select the country where you were born from the drop-down menu.

Step 5: Personal information 2

• Nationality: Select your nationality from the drop-down list. Then, indicate if you have or held a nationality other than your country of birth. The consulate uses your nationality to understand your eligibility for the visa. If you have a nationality other than your country of birth, indicate this and choose the specific nationality.

• National identification number: Enter your national identification number if your country of residence issues one. If applicable, also enter your US Social Security Number or US Taxpayer Identification Number. If you have none of these, select "Does Not Apply."

Step 6: Travel information

• Visa type: Select your visa type. You can choose from some of the following travel purposes:
  Type B visa for short-term tourism or business.
  Type C for transit purposes.
  Type E for investors.
  Type F for students looking to study in the US.
  And more…

• Specify your visit purpose: After selecting your visa type, use the drop-down list to specify your purpose for visiting, such as tourism, business, or family visits. It is vital to choose your purpose of travel accurately as it will determine what visa type you receive and the documents you need.

• Intended arrival date: Enter the date you plan to arrive in the US. Make sure your arrival date matches your flight ticket details to ensure accuracy in all your documents.

• Intended length of stay: Specify how long you intend to stay in the US. Provide the duration in days, weeks, months, or years. For example: "5 days" or "3 weeks." Clearly state your length of stay, as authorities will closely examine any unrealistic durations. Make sure your stay matches your travel purpose to avoid raising any concerns.

• Place of stay: Provide the address where you will stay during your visit, such as with a friend or at a hotel. Your accommodation strengthens your application as authorities use the address to verify your reservation.

• Person/entity paying for your trip: Select who will pay for your trip, either yourself or a sponsor. Indicating who will cover your trip expenses is important for demonstrating financial stability or additional documents if you are sponsored.

Step 7: Travel companion's information

• Travel companions: Provide your travel companions' personal information. A travel companion refers to anyone travelling with you, such as friends, family members, or relatives.

• If you are travelling as part of a group: Indicate if you are travelling with a group or organisation and provide details. Mentioning that you are travelling with a group, especially if it is organised by a tour company or for an event, can streamline your visa processing.

Step 8: Previous US travel information

• Previous US travel: Answer yes or no to whether you have been to the US before. If yes, you must provide additional details, such as the date and length of your stay. Your previous travel history to the US can significantly affect your current visa application. A positive travel history, such as adhering to visa terms, can strengthen your application, while overstays or visa violations may raise red flags.

• Previous US visas: Indicate if you have ever been issued a US visa, and if so, mention the visa type, your length of stay and other information regarding your previous visa. Being able to provide proof of previous US visas will positively affect your application.

• Lost or stolen visas: Answer yes or no, depending on whether your passport has been lost or stolen before. Having lost your passport in the past will negatively affect your application. However, it is vital to mention this and explain the circumstances.

• Previously refused visas: State whether you have been refused a visa or entry to the US. If you answer yes, explain the reasons. Previously refused visas can impact your application. Minor issues like missing documents are less concerning, but serious reasons like visa violations or blacklisting may require additional steps. Seeking professional help from visa services is advised in such cases.

• Previous immigration petition: Mention if you have ever received an immigration petition on your behalf and explain the reasons for the petition. If you have a previous immigration petition, ensure to explain that it's unrelated to your current visa application and clearly state the reasons behind the petition, as it can affect a non-immigrant visa application.

Step 9: Address and phone information

• Home address: Enter your current home address, including street name, city, province, and zip code. Your home address is used to verify your place of residence and may be cross-checked with other documents you provide. Ensure accuracy when providing it.

• Mailing address: Answer yes if your PO box address is the same as your home address. If not, enter your mailing address. The PO box can also be used to receive documents if necessary.

• Phone number: Enter your primary contact number and mention if it has changed over the last five years. Your phone number is an important point of contact in case urgent matters arise during your visa application process. Ensure it's a number where you can be easily reached, especially for time-sensitive updates.

• Secondary phone number: Provide a secondary contact number if you have one. A secondary number can serve as an additional point of contact, ensuring you remain reachable.

• Work phone number: You can optionally provide your work phone number. Adding a work number provides additional verification of your employment status.

• Email address: Provide your email address and select 'yes' if it has changed over the last five years. Your email is the main point of contact during the application process, so be sure to enter one you can access easily.

• Social media: Select the social media platforms you actively use and provide your usernames. Authorities review your online presence to verify your identity and intentions, so including your accounts is important. Sharing this information can strengthen your application by demonstrating transparency, but avoid including highly personal accounts unless they're all you have.

Step 10: Passport information

• Passport/document type: Choose your passport or travel document type, such as regular, official, diplomatic, etc. Your passport type will determine various specifications on your visa.

• Travel document number: Enter the number of your passport or travel document.

• Passport book number: If applicable, enter your passport book number, also known as the 'inventory control number.' Note that not all passports have this number.

• Authority of passport issuance: Select the country that issued your passport. This refers to the government or authority responsible for issuing the document.

• Location of issue: Provide the city, state/province, and country where your passport was issued. 

• Issuance date: Enter the date when your passport was issued. 

• Expiration date: Enter your passport's expiration date and ensure it is after your departure date from the US.

• Lost or stolen passport: Indicate if you have ever lost or had a passport stolen, and if so, explain the situation. The consulate uses this information to verify that your current passport is valid and that there are no unresolved issues related to your previous passports, ensuring the integrity of your travel history.

Step 11: US point of contact information

• Contact person name: Enter the name and contact details of the person in the US who can verify your visit. Travellers visiting for tourism purposes can use their hotel details if they do not know anyone in the US.

• Organisation name: If you are visiting for business purposes, you can enter the entity details. Select 'do not know' if you have added the contact person information section, and vice versa if you have not added the contact person information.

• Relationship to You: Select the relationship of the contact person to you. 

• Contact address: Provide the address of the contact person or the hotel where you will stay.

• Phone number: Enter the contact number of your contact person or hotel.

• Email address: If applicable, you can add the contact person's email address in the US. This will help authorities have an additional contact method.

Step 12: Family information

• Father's surname: Enter your father's surname. Providing your father's surname helps establish your family background, which may be relevant if your father is a US citizen or has applied for US residency.

• Father's given name: Provide your father's given name. This includes middle names.

• Father's date of birth: Enter your father's date of birth. Along with your father's name, the date of birth can help verify your father's identity.

• Father's residency: Select yes or no if your father is in the US.

• Mother's surname: Enter your mother's surname. As with your father's surname, your mother's surname helps establish your family background, especially if it relates to the US.

• Mother's given name: Provide your mother's name, including her middle name.

• Mother's date of birth: Enter your mother's date of birth. Your mother's date of birth can also be used to verify her identity.

• Mother's residency: Indicate if your mother is in the US by selecting yes or no.

• Relatives in the US: Answer if you have any immediate relatives in the US and provide details.

Step 13: Work/education/training information

• Primary occupation: Using the drop-down list, select your occupation. If you are studying or unemployed, choose the appropriate option. Your employment status offers authorities key insights, including but not limited to your financial stability and eligibility for the visa type.

• Employer or school name: Enter the name of the company you work for or the school institute name. 

• Employer or school address: Enter the address of your employer or school. This address is used to verify the legitimacy of your employer or school.

• Employer or school contact number: Provide the contact number of your employer or school.

• Employment date: Enter the date you started working for the company.

• Monthly salary: If employed, indicate your monthly salary in your local currency. Your monthly salary will be compared to your bank statements to verify sufficient funds and consistent income.

• Explain your duties: Briefly explain your role in the company. Describing your duties provides insight into your professional responsibilities and level of expertise. This can be particularly relevant if your visa application is related to work purposes.

Step 14: Previous work/education/training information

• Previous employment: Select yes or no based on your previous employment. If yes, add the company details. Explaining your previous employment history helps the consulate understand your career progression and stability.

• Further studies: Indicate if you have attended any other educational institutions, and if so, provide details regarding these studies.

Step 15: Additional work/training information

Great job getting this far in the application! From this question onwards, the questions require a simple "yes" or "no" answer. If you select "yes," you must provide additional details.

• Do you belong to a clan or tribe?: Select yes or no if you belong to a clan, tribe, cult, or any related group.

• Languages: Provide a list of the languages you speak. Include all languages you can communicate in, not just fluency, as this can reflect cultural adaptability or special skills.

• Travel history: List any countries you have visited in the last five years. Having a travel history provides valuable insights to authorities about your international travel habits.

• Organisational involvement: Select yes or no based on your involvement in any professional, social, or charitable organisations, which can reflect your professional and social engagements.

• Specialised skills: Indicate if you have any specialised skills or training in firearms, chemical, or other similar fields.

• Military history: Provide details if you have served in the military. Having a high military rank can influence authorities' decisions regarding your application.

• Involvement with groups: Indicate if you have ever been a member of, or involved with, any paramilitary unit, vigilante unit, rebel group, guerrilla group, or insurgent organisation.

Step 16: Security and background: part 1

• Medical status: Indicate if you have any serious medical conditions. This information is crucial for assessing whether your condition could pose a risk or danger to yourself, US citizens, or the general public during your stay in the country.

• Mental or physical disorders: Answer with a yes or no if you have any mental or physical disorders that can be a threat to yourself or others. This question is crucial for ensuring the safety and well-being of both the applicant and the public.

• Substance use history: Mention if you have used or are using any illegal substances. Having a history of substance use can negatively affect your eligibility.

Step 17: Security and background: part 2

• Criminal record: Indicate if you have ever been arrested. While a criminal record doesn't automatically disqualify you from a US visa, you may need to provide additional documentation.

• Controlled substances violations: Mention if you have ever violated any law against controlled substances.

• Prostitution and unlawful activities: Indicate if you are or have been engaged in prostitution or any commercialised vice that has been engaged with it.

• Money laundering: State if you have ever engaged in money laundering or are planning to engage in it.

• Human trafficking: Indicate if you are or have been involved with human trafficking.

• Relative to an individual involved in human trafficking: State if you are a son, daughter, or spouse of an individual involved in human trafficking.

Step 18: Security and background: part 3

• Espionage or illegal activities: Indicate if you seek to engage in espionage, sabotage, export control violations, or any other illegal activity in the United States.

• Terrorist activities: Indicate if you seek to engage in terrorist activities while in the United States or have ever engaged in such activities.

• Support for terrorism: Indicate if you have ever or do you intend to provide financial assistance or other support to terrorists or terrorist organisations.

• Membership in terrorist organisations: Indicate if you are a member or representative of a terrorist organisation.

• Family involvement in terrorism: Indicate if you are the spouse, son, or daughter of an individual who has engaged in terrorist activity, including providing financial assistance or other support to terrorists or terrorist organisations, in the last five years.

• Genocide involvement: Indicate if you have ever ordered, incited, committed, assisted, or otherwise participated in genocide.

• Torture involvement: Indicate if you have ever committed, ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in torture.

• Violence involvement: Indicate if you have committed, ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in extrajudicial killings, political killings, or other acts of violence.

• Recruitment or use of child soldiers: Indicate if you have ever engaged in the recruitment or the use of child soldiers.

• Violations of religious freedom: Indicate if you, while serving as a government official, have been responsible for or directly carried out particularly severe violations of religious freedom.

• Population control enforcement: Indicate if you have ever been directly involved in the establishment or enforcement of population controls, such as forcing a woman to undergo an abortion against her free choice or a man or a woman to undergo sterilisation against his or her free will.

• Coercive transplantation involvement: Indicate if you have ever been directly involved in the coercive transplantation of human organs or bodily tissue.

Step 19: Security and background: part 4

• Immigration fraud or misrepresentation: Indicate if you have ever sought to obtain or assist others in obtaining a visa, entry into the United States, or any other US immigration benefit by fraud, willful misrepresentation, or other unlawful means.

• Removal or deportation: Indicate if you have ever been removed or deported from any country.

Step 20: Security and background: part 5

• Custody of a US citizen child: Indicate if you have ever withheld custody of a US citizen child outside the United States from a person granted legal custody by a US court.

• Illegal voting: Indicate if you have voted in the United States in violation of any law or regulation.

• Renouncing citizenship to avoid taxation: Indicate if you have ever renounced United States citizenship for the purposes of avoiding taxation.

Step 21: Review, sign, and submit

• Review your information: Go through the next pages and review all the information you have provided. Double-check each point to ensure accuracy and avoid visa rejection.

• Sign and submit: Carefully read the provided information, and finally, digitally sign and submit your application.

• Print confirmation page: Print the DS-160 confirmation page with the barcode, which you will need for your visa interview.

Common mistakes to avoid when completing the DS-160 form

When filling out the DS-160, even small errors can lead to delays or complications. To help you avoid these pitfalls, here are some common mistakes applicants often make.

• Leaving fields blank or incomplete: Ensure each field is complete and accurate, matching details on your passport, employment, and travel documents.

• Inconsistent travel dates and plans: To avoid discrepancies, verify that your travel dates and purpose match your itinerary and any previously submitted visa applications.

• Skipping the review step: Review all answers thoroughly to catch any typos or incorrect entries before final submission.

• Outdated employment or address details: Include your most recent employment and address to avoid conflicts with other documentation.

• Incorrect passport information: Double-check passport numbers and expiration dates, entering them exactly as they appear in your passport.

• Not printing the confirmation page: After submitting, save and print the confirmation page, which is necessary when attending your visa interview.

• Misunderstanding ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions: Read each question carefully to avoid answering incorrectly, particularly on travel history and legal status questions.

In conclusion:

Completing the DS-160 form is a crucial part of your US visa application journey, and getting it right can make all the difference. By following our step-by-step guide, you can confidently navigate the process, minimising the chances of delays or rejections.

The key to a successful visa application lies in thorough preparation and accuracy. Take the time to carefully review each section, double-check your information, and stay organised. This attention to detail ensures a smoother application process and increases your chances of approval.

As you embark on this important step, remember that every detail matters. Approach the form carefully, and you'll be well on your way to securing your US visa. 

Good luck with your application, and here's to a successful journey ahead!

Our commitment to accuracy

At Atlys, we’ve compiled this blog as a helpful guide to completing the DS-160 form for your US visa application. However, for the latest and most accurate information, consult the official CEAC website.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the DS0-160 form valid?

The DS-160 form remains valid until your visa interview, but it must be submitted within 30 days of completion. After submission, the form’s information is stored for one year if you need to make updates before your interview.

Do I need to submit the entire DS-160 form when attending my appointment?

No, the visa officer will examine your DS-160 form online. However, you must print and submit the confirmation page you receive once you complete the DS-160 form. 

Can I reprint the confirmation page if I lost my previous one?

Yes, you can reprint the DS-160 confirmation page by accessing your application online. Using your security question and application ID, you can retrieve your confirmation page and reprint it.

Can I use my native language to answer the DS-160 form questions?

No, the DS-160 form must be completed in English, except when entering your name or address if they are in non-English characters.

Who must fill out the DS-160 form?

The DS-160 form is required for all nonimmigrant visa applicants to the US, including those applying for:

• Tourist visas (B2).

• Business visas (B1).

• Student visas (F and M).

• Exchange visitor visas (J).

• Crewmember and transit visas (C1/D).

• H1B visas (temporary employment in speciality occupations).

• K1 visas (fiancé(e) visas for foreign nationals engaged to US citizens).

• F1 visas (student visas for academic study in the US).

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