Consular FAQS
The DS-160 Form
Am I required to complete the DS-160?
You are required to complete the Form DS-160 if you are applying for a petition
based visa – H, L, O, P, Q or R in person on or after February 1, 2010. For
applicants in the petition based categories who are eligible to submit their
application by courier, March 1 is the date from which you will be required to
complete the Form DS-160.
For all other category of visa applicant applying for a visa in person or by courier,
you will be required to complete the From DS-160 if applying for a visa from March
1, onwards.
I am applying for a visa for my child through the courier company. Do
I complete a DS-160 for him?
If your child is applying for a derivative petition based visa – H, L, O,
P, Q or R on or February 1, 2010 by courier, you will not be required
to complete the Form DS-160 for him. Applicants under the age of 14 and those aged
80 and over who are eligible to apply for a visa by courier will are required to
complete the DS-160 if their application is received by the Embassy on or after
March 1, 2010.
Action on my application was suspended under Section 221(g). Am I
required to complete the DS-160?
You will be required to complete the Form DS-160 if you are a petition based visa
applicant continuing with your application on or after February 1, 2010. For
all other applicants, March 1, is the important date.
Am I required to complete the DS-157?
If you will be applying for a petition based visa – H, L, O, P, Q or R on
or after February 1, you will not be required to complete the DS-157. For
all other visa applicants, you will not be required to complete this form if you
are applying for a visa on or after March 1, 2010.
Am I required to complete the DS-158?
Only F and J visa applicants are required to complete the DS-158. Therefore,
if you will be applying for a visa on or after March 1, 2010 you will not be required
to complete this form. Prior to this, however, you will still be required
to complete the DS-158.
I am applying for a J-1 visa, am I required to complete the DS-7002?
The DS-160 does not replace the DS-7002. If you are applying for a visa as
a trainee or intern and your DS-2019 forms is dated on or after July 19, 2007 (based
on Box 7 on form), you will be required to complete this form.
Are all fields on the DS-160 mandatory?
Most are and must be completed. The form will not allow you to submit an
application with mandatory fields that are left blank. You will receive an
error message and will be required to complete the field before continuing.
The fields marked *optional which may be may be left blank and the fields that
give the option to select “Does not Apply” may be ticked in the information
does not apply to you.
The application keeps timing out on me.
The DS-160 will time out after approximately 20 minutes if the application has
been left idle. If you have not saved your data, it will be lost. It
is therefore recommended that you save the data at regular intervals by clicking
the SAVE button that appears on every page at the bottom center of the form. Clicking
this bottom will temporarily save your data.
To save it permanently, you must select “Save Application to File” button. Then,
click the file on the File Download window. Identify a place on your computer
to save the application, browse to that location and click the Save button on the
Save A window. The system will download the application to the specific location. Once
the download is complete you can click Close to return to the application. You
can then use the Import Application Date option on the Getting Started page to
upload the data that you have already entered.
Should I save my application before I submit it?
Yes. You should save your application either to your hard drive or a CD/USB. Saving
your application means that if your application is rejected by the Embassy because
it is incomplete, you will be able to access the saved application data, correct
it and submit the corrected application without having to complete an entirely
new application.
How do I save my application?
The form does provide instructions. There is a SAVE button at the center
of every page of the form. Clicking this will temporarily save your application. In
order to permanently save your application, select the “Save Application
to File” button. then, click the SAVE button on the File Download Window. Identify
a place on your computer to save the application, browse to that location and click
the Save button on the SAVE As window. The system will download your application
to the specified location. Once the download is complete, you can click “Close” to
return to the application. You can use the “Import Application Date” option
on the Getting Started page to update the data that you have already entered.
I have saved the form to a CD/UBS. Should I bring it with me to the
interview in case there is a problem?
I regret that you will not be able to use the CD or USB at the Embassy.
What do I enter as my nationality – British is not in the drop-down
list
You should select United Kingdom.
Is the National Identification Number the same as my national insurance
number?
No. UK citizens do not have one. You should mark this “Does not
apply”
What do I enter for U.S. Social Security Number and/or U.S. Taxpayer ID
Number?
People who have worked in the United States may have these numbers, but if not,
you should tick the box “Does not apply”.
It is asking for my home address, but I live in the United States. Do I enter this?
Your home address is where you normally reside, so if that is the United States, you must enter your address there. However, you will be required to provide a mailing address in the United Kingdom as this will be the address to which your passport will be sent.
It is asking for my home phone number, but I do not have one.
It is to your advantage to provide a contact phone number. If you have provided a mobile number, you may enter “does not apply” in the field but we strongly recommend that you provide at least one phone number on which you can
be contacted if required.
It is asking for my Passport Book Number but I am not sure if I have one.
If you are a UK passport holder this information will not apply to you and you
should tick the “Does not apply” field. For nationals of any
other country, they should check with the passport issuing office.
It is asking for the city in which my passport was issued. I have
no idea.
UK Passport holders may simply state “UK Passport Agency”. If
an Embassy in a foreign country issued the passport, they should give the location
of that Embassy for example, if a passport is issued by the Indian High Commission
in London, the city would be London. For all other nationalities, they will
need to check with the passport issuing authority.
I cannot remember the date on which my last visa was issued and it will
not let me leave this section blank.
You must complete the form to the best of your ability.
I am required to give the name of a contract or organization and a phone
number, but I am not visiting anyone in the U.S.
If you do not know anyone personally you may give the name of the store, company
or organization you intend to visit. If the question does not apply in your
case, you may simply state “does not apply”.
I mistakenly selected the wrong post for the data to be sent to. What
should I do?
You should attend the interview as scheduled and bring with you your confirmation
sheet. It is possible for the Embassy/Consulate to transfer the data to their
post.
I don’t know if I am a principal applicant or not!
If you or your family is applying for a B-1 or B-2 visas you are all considered
principal applicants and should each tick that box. Derivate applies to the
spouse or child under the age of 21 of a person applying for an employment (E,
H, I, L, M, O, P, R) or student (F, M, J) visa.
Can a third party complete the form on the applicant’s behalf?
Yes, but under U.S. visa law an applicant must sign and submit his or her own visa
application form unless otherwise exempt by regulation, by clicking the “Sign
Application” button at the end of the application. The applicant's failure
to sign the application may result in a termination of the application.
By clicking “Sign and Submit Application” the applicant is electronically
signing the application. Your electronic signature certifies that you have read
and understood the questions in the application and that your answers are true
and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief. The submission of an application
containing any false or misleading statements may result in the permanent refusal
of a visa or the denial of entry into the United States. All declarations made
in this application are unsworn declarations made under penalty of perjury.
Who is exempt from signing the form?
If an applicant is illiterate or unable to complete the application, the applicant
must be assisted by a third party. The third party must be identified in
the application. The third party can assist the applicant in completing the
application, but must instruct the applicant on how to endorse the application
on his/her behalf by clicking on the “submit application” link to complete
the application.
If the applicant is under the age of 16 or physically incapable of completing an
application, the alien’s parents or guardian may execute the application
on his/her behalf. If the alien has no parent or legal guardian, then the
application may be completed by any person having legal custody of, or a legitimate
interest in, the alien.
How do I get a photograph that will successfully upload to my application?
The website provides detailed guidance for using a digital camera, and requirements
for scanned images http://travel.state.gov/visa/guide/guide_3877.html
I have completed the form and the confirmation page has an X in the box where the photograph should be. What does this mean?
It means that the photo upload failed. You should bring a photograph with you to the visa interview. However, I suggest that you check the photograph requirements at http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/temp/info/info_1287.html before doing so.
I have made an error in the data entry. Should I correct it/is there anything that I can do to correct this?
If you saved the form as you were completing it to either your hard drive or CD/USB, you can go back and correct any errors that you have made and resubmit the application. If you did not save the data then you will be required to complete a new application.
I quite often apply for a visa. Can I reuse the DS-160?
If you have saved the data to your hard drive or CD/USB then you may access the
form to update your application and resubmit with the updated information.
I have printed off a confirmation sheet but it has an X in the box where the photograph should be!
This means that the photo upload failed. What you need to do is bring the
photograph with you to your interview. Before doing so, however, you should
ensure that the photograph meets Department of State specifications. You
can check this by clicking on the following link http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/temp/info/info_1287.html.
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DS-160
Visa Form