How to apply for a US B1/B2 visa

The application steps the State Department lists

The State Department says there are several steps to apply for a visitor visa, and that the order and how you complete them may vary by U.S. embassy or consulate — so follow the instructions on the website of the post where you apply.

First, complete the online DS-160 and print the confirmation page to bring to your interview; you upload your photo while completing the DS-160, and it must meet the photo requirements. Second, schedule an interview — generally at the embassy or consulate in the country where you live. Interview wait times vary by location, season, and visa category, so apply early.

• Complete and print the DS-160 confirmation page (photo uploaded with the form).
• Schedule the interview at the post in your country of residence, and apply early.

Source: Visitor Visa · DS-160 overview

Paying the fee and gathering documents

The State Department says you pay the non-refundable visa application fee if required before your interview, and that a visa issuance fee may also apply after approval depending on your nationality. Its visitor-visa page currently lists the visa application fee as $185 — confirm the current amount on the official page and the instructions of the post where you apply.

Before the interview, prepare: a passport valid for at least six months beyond your intended stay (unless exempt by a country-specific agreement), the DS-160 confirmation page, the fee payment receipt (if you must pay before the interview), and your photo (bring one printed photo if the upload failed). Each person who needs a visa — including family members listed in your passport — files a separate application.

• Pay the non-refundable application fee (official page currently lists $185; verify).
• Passport generally valid 6+ months beyond your stay.
• Bring the DS-160 confirmation, fee receipt, and photo.

Source: Visitor Visa

The interview, supporting evidence, and entry

At the interview a consular officer determines whether you qualify, and digital fingerprints are taken. The State Department says additional documents may be requested to show the purpose of your trip, your intent to depart the United States, and your ability to pay the costs; evidence of employment and family ties can help. Importantly, applicants must qualify on their ties abroad, not on assurances from U.S. family or friends — a letter of invitation or Affidavit of Support is not needed and is not one of the factors used to decide the visa.

The State Department also stresses that a visa only allows you to travel to a U.S. port of entry and request admission; it does not guarantee entry. CBP officials at the port of entry decide admission and, if admitted, provide an admission stamp or Form I-94. After the interview, some applications require administrative processing.

• Qualify on your own ties abroad; show purpose and intent to return.
• Invitation letter / Affidavit of Support is not required and not a deciding factor.
• A visa is not entry — CBP decides admission at the port of entry.

Source: Visitor Visa

Keep practice in its proper boundary

A mock interview can help you check whether you can explain this real information clearly and consistently. Keep the boundary explicit: it is not legal advice, an embassy service, and cannot decide eligibility or predict a result. The real process, fees, and documents are governed by the current official pages and the instructions of the post where you apply.

Source: Visitor Visa

What else do applicants ask?

What are the official numbers?

Every figure below was read from an official U.S. government page, not from experience or an agency's summary. Fees and rules change — before you actually pay or file, check the primary pages listed under the sources section. One row deliberately carries no number: the State Department has never published a fixed duration for administrative processing.

Every figure above was last checked against its source on 2026-08-27

Where are the official sources?

These are the primary sources this site cites — U.S. government pages and the statute text itself. Each one was opened and confirmed reachable on the date shown below. Wherever this site and an official page disagree, the official page is the one that counts.

• U.S. Department of State — Visitor Visa
• U.S. Department of State — DS-160: Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application
• U.S. Department of State — Fees for Visa ServicesThe only authoritative source for the application fee. Fees change — check this page before you pay.
• CEAC — Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application (DS-160)The DS-160 form itself, and where the confirmation page is reprinted.
• USTravelDocs — appointments and fee payment (China)The official service for booking, rescheduling, paying and passport return; rules vary by the post where you apply.
• 8 U.S.C. §1184 — the statute behind a 214(b) refusalWhere the presumption of immigrant intent — the thing a 214(b) refusal actually applies — is written down.
• EVUS — Electronic Visa Update SystemWhere holders of a 10-year B1/B2 on a PRC passport enrol before travelling.
• 9 FAM 402.1 — Overview of NIV ClassificationsThe Foreign Affairs Manual consular officers work from — more detailed than the applicant-facing pages.

How do you turn this into something you can say at the window?

Reading the guide is the easy half. What decides the outcome is whether you can say the same facts out loud, in order, under time pressure, at the window. qianyu (签屿/VisaIsle) is an AI mock visa interviewer for the US B1/B2 visitor visa: it reads your DS-160, cross-checks it against your spoken answers and supporting documents to catch every inconsistency, and drills you with realistic 214(b)-style consular questioning at three difficulty levels. Credit packs are pay-as-you-go — ¥29.9 for 1 credit, ¥59.9 for 3 — and new users get 1 free training credit on sign-up.

What should you read next?

Neighbouring questions on the same application path, in roughly the order you are likely to hit them: