What the D-160 Form Is and Why You Need It
The D-160 is the Online Nonimmigrant Visa process form required by the U.S. Department of State. If you are explore for any nonimmigrant visa — tourist, student, work, or temporary visitor — you must complete this form before your visa interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate.
You fill it out online at the State Department's website, not on paper. The form asks for your personal information, travel history, employment, family details, and the reason for your trip. After you submit it, you receive a confirmation page with a barcode. You print that page and bring it to your interview.
The form takes 20 to 40 minutes to complete if you have your documents ready. If you make a mistake or need to change something, you can start over — there is no penalty for restarting.
Key Takeaways
- You complete the D-160 online at ceac.state.gov/genniv before your visa interview, not at the embassy.
- Have your passport, travel dates, employment history, and family information ready before you start, because the form does not save your progress if you close the browser.
- Answer every question honestly and completely; inconsistencies between your form and your interview answers can result in visa denial.
- After you submit the form, print the confirmation page with the barcode and bring it to your interview appointment.
- If you make a mistake, you can fill out a new D-160 and submit it again; only the most recent submission counts.
Where to Access the Form and What You Need Before Starting
Go to ceac.state.gov/genniv (the Consular Electronic process Center). Select your country, then the embassy or consulate where you will have your interview. The form will load in your browser.
Before you begin, gather these documents: your passport (including the number and expiration date), your travel itinerary or planned dates, your employment history for the past five years, your family members' names and dates of birth, and the address where you will stay in the United States. If you do not have all of this information, you can still start the form, but you will need to complete it before submission.
Do not close your browser or navigate away from the form while filling it out. The form does not auto-save. If you close the tab or lose your internet connection, you will lose all the information you entered and have to start over. If you need to stop, write down your answers on paper first.
How to Fill in Your Personal Information Section
The form begins with your name, date of birth, passport number, and passport expiration date. Type your name exactly as it appears in your passport, including any middle names or initials. If your passport uses a different alphabet or character system, type it in that system — do not transliterate it into Latin letters unless your passport itself shows the Latin version.
Enter your date of birth in the format the form specifies (usually MM/DD/YYYY). Select your gender, nationality, and country of residence. Your country of residence is where you currently live, not where you were born or where you hold citizenship.
If you have ever used a different name — a maiden name, a name change, or a name used in a different country — the form will ask you to list those. Include all of them. Do not skip this section even if you think it is not relevant; the State Department cross-checks these details against security databases.
Completing Your Contact and Travel Information
Enter your email address and phone number. Use a phone number you check regularly, because the embassy may contact you about your interview. If you do not have a U.S. phone number, use your home country number with the country code.
For your U.S. address, enter where you will stay during your visit. If you do not know yet, enter the address of a hotel, a friend, or a family member. If you are a student, enter your school's address or your planned housing address. The form requires a street address, city, state, and ZIP code.
Enter your intended arrival date and the length of your stay in days. Be realistic — if you are explore for a tourist visa and you say you will stay for two years, the interviewer will question that. Your stated length of stay should match the visa category you are explore for.
Listing Your Employment and Education History
The form asks for your current occupation and employer name and address. If you are unemployed, self-employed, or a student, select the option that matches your status. If you are self-employed, enter your business name and address.
You will then list your employment history for the past five years. Start with your current job and work backward. For each position, enter the employer name, your job title, the dates you worked there (month and year), and the country where you worked. If you have had more than five jobs in five years, list the five most recent ones.
For education, enter your highest level of completed schooling and the name of the school or university. If you are currently a student, select that option and enter your school name and field of study. The form does not require you to list every school you attended, only your highest completed degree and your current school if applicable.
Answering Questions About Your Family and Ties to Your Home Country
The form asks for your marital status and, if married, your spouse's full name and date of birth. If you have children, you will list their names and dates of birth. If you have a parent still living, you will enter their name and country of residence.
These questions help the consulate understand your family ties. If you have close family in your home country, that shows you have a reason to return after your visit. If all your family is in the United States, the consulate may worry you do not intend to leave.
You will also be asked whether you have relatives who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. If you do, list them: their name, relationship to you, and their status. Do not hide this information. The consulate will find it anyway, and honesty works in your favor.
Addressing Security and Background Questions
The form includes yes-or-no questions about criminal history, communicable diseases, security concerns, and immigration violations. Answer these truthfully. If you have ever been arrested, convicted, or charged with a crime — even a minor one — answer yes and explain in the space provided. If you have overstayed a visa or entered a country illegally, answer yes.
Do not assume the consulate does not know about your past. They have access to criminal records, immigration databases, and security files from many countries. If you lie and they discover it, your visa will be denied and you may be barred from future visas. If you disclose a problem honestly and explain the circumstances, you have a chance to address it in your interview.
If a question does not explore to you, select no. Do not leave questions blank.
Submitting Your Form and Printing Your Confirmation
After you answer all questions, review your form for spelling errors and inconsistencies. Check that your name, passport number, and dates are correct. Then click Submit.
The form will generate a confirmation page with a barcode and an process ID number. Print this page on white paper. Do not take a screenshot — print the actual page. Bring the printed confirmation to your visa interview. If you lose it, you can reprint it from the same website using your process ID number.
Save your process ID number in a safe place. You will need it if you need to reprint your confirmation or if you have questions about your process status.
What to Do If You Need to Make Changes or Start Over
If you realize you made a mistake after submitting your form, you can fill out a new D-160. Go back to ceac.state.gov/genniv, select your country and consulate, and start a new process. Fill it out with the correct information and submit it. Only your most recent submission will be reviewed — the earlier one is disregarded.
Print the confirmation page for your new submission and bring that to your interview, not the old one. If you submitted the first form more than a few days before your interview, contact the consulate to let them know you have submitted a corrected version.
You can also make minor corrections during your interview. If you notice a small error — a typo in your employer's name, for example — tell the interviewer. They can note it in their file. Major changes or inconsistencies, however, are harder to fix in the interview and may raise red flags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I fill out the D-160 on my phone or tablet?
The form works best on a desktop or laptop computer. Some mobile browsers may not display all fields correctly or may time out during submission. If you must use a phone, use the mobile version of the website and test it before you start entering information. Have a computer available as a backup.
What if I do not know my exact travel dates yet?
Enter your best estimate. You do not have to stick to these dates once you arrive in the United States — the visa is valid for a set period, and you can enter and leave within that window. If your plans change significantly after your interview, you can tell the interviewer during your appointment.
Do I need to translate my passport or documents into English?
No. The D-160 asks you to enter information from your passport in the language and characters your passport uses. You do not submit documents with the form. Bring your original passport and any supporting documents to your interview; the consulate will have translators if needed.
What happens if I submit the form but do not schedule an interview?
Submitting the D-160 does not schedule your interview. After you submit the form, you must separately schedule your visa appointment through the consulate's website. The confirmation page tells you how to do this. If you do not schedule an interview, your form will eventually expire and you will need to fill out a new one.
Can someone else fill out the D-160 for me?
You must fill it out yourself, because you are certifying that the information is true and accurate. A family member or immigration consultant can help you gather documents or review your answers, but you must be the one who enters the information and submits the form.