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Anyone applying for a visa for the USA must pay application fees to the US authorities. The costs for a USA visa vary depending on the visa category applied for. Below you will find some of the most important visa fees that can currently be incurred when applying for the various visas.
All US visa applicants are required to pay a visa fee to the US authorities. But how much does a visa for the USA cost? The answer is: it all depends!
How high the application fees are and when they have to be paid always depends on which visa category is applied for.
Depending on whether you are applying for a nonimmigrant visa or an immigrant visa, you will incur different costs. Before applying for a visa, you should therefore find out exactly which US authority charges which processing fees.
The visa fee is also called consular fee or application fee and is known in technical jargon as MRV (Machine Readable Visa) fee. The consular processing fee is mandatory for every visa application. Only after payment of the visa fee is it possible to schedule a consular interview appointment at the US consulate.
Please note that visa fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. If the visa application is canceled or the US visa is denied, the applicant will not be refunded the fee. In addition, the visa fee cannot be transferred to other persons, such as family members or colleagues.
The amount of the visa fee depends on the visa category applied for. I.e. depending on the visa category there are partly different visa fees.
The formerly uniform application fees for nonimmigrant visas are graduated according to the respective visa category in order to take into account the different levels of effort and associated costs. This fee structure has since been applied at all U.S. consulates worldwide.
Although visa fees are officially quoted in US dollars, payment is made in the respective national currency. Visa fees are therefore subject to regular exchange rate fluctuations. Therefore, there are often fee reductions or increases.
The current euro-dollar exchange rate of the US consulates (= consular exchange rate) is 1 euro to 1.05 US dollars (as of February 2023).
NOTE: Since June, 2023, fees have increased for almost all visa categories.
Consular application fees for US nonimmigrant visas
185 $ | 175,75 €
205 $ | 194,75 €
265 $ | 251,75 €
315 $ | 299,25 €
(as of June 2023)
Consular application fees for US immigrant visas
EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-4, and EB-5 visas (employment-based categories): 345 $
Family Preference Visa (First Preference (F1), Second Preference (F2), Third Preference (F3), Fourth Preference (F4): 325 $
Diversity Visa (DV): 330 $
(as of June 2023)
The visa fee can be paid at US consulates worldwide through a variety of options. The following payment options are available:
When paying, all instructions should be followed carefully so that the payment is registered quickly. In particular, the subject should always include the reference number otherwise there may be delays in processing. In the worst case, the visa fee must be paid again.
After paying the visa fee you will receive a payment receipt, which is valid for one year. Consequently, the visa fee is valid for one year from the date of payment. During this period, you should make an interview appointment at a US consulate or embassy, as the visa fee would be due again after the twelve months have expired. The appointment must be made within 365 days, but not also within this time.
In addition to the consular application fee described above, there are other visa fees that are incurred in the consular process.
The Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee, as the name suggests, is used for fraud prevention and detection. It is payable as part of L-Blanket visa applications. This fee can only be paid
during the interview appointment at the US consulate. Currently, this fee is 500 US dollars.
The Reciprocity Fee is also referred to as a reciprocity fee because this additional fee for visa issuance is based on the principle of government reciprocity. Once a foreign government charges US citizens for certain types of visas, the United States also charges citizens of that country a reciprocity fee for similar visa categories.
For example, if US citizens have to pay an additional fee for a visitor visa in China, this also applies to Chinese citizens applying for a B-1 / B-2 visitor visa.
The principle of reciprocity implies either additional fees or a shorter validity period (or both) for visa applicants from certain countries and for certain visa categories. Thus, the U.S. Department of State on the basis of the nationality of applicants and the type of visa applied for
The amount of the Reciprocity Fee varies depending on the nationality of the applicant and the visa category applied for. You can find out whether you also have to pay a Reciprocity Fee on the U.S. State Department's website.
This fee must also be paid by credit card or in cash in person at the US consulate.
At the end of 2019, the United States Department of State (DOS) announced a number of important changes to the Reciprocity Fees made and consequently updated its so-called visa reciprocity lists (= Visa Reciprocity Schedule), taking into account new visa fees and new visa validity periods for visa applicants of certain nationalities.
Changes in Europe
Several European countries are affected by the US authorities' global visa reciprocity review. The following are excerpts of changes in nonimmigrant visa categories:
France
| Visa categories | Adjustments |
| E-1 and E-2 work visas |
|
| H-1B / H-4 skilled worker visas |
|
| L-1 / L-2 work visas |
|
Netherlands
| Visa categories | Adjustments |
| E-1 and E-2 work visas |
|
| F-1 / F-2 student visas |
|
| L-1 work visas |
|
| R visas for religious workers |
|
Austria
| Visa categories | Adjustments |
| E-1 and E-2 work visas |
|
| L-1 / L-2 work visas |
|
Switzerland
| Visa categories | Adjustments |
| E-1 and E-2 work visas |
|
| F-1 / F-2 student visas |
|
| I journalist visas |
|
| H-1B / H-4 skilled worker visas |
|
| L-1 / L-2 work visas |
|
| R visas for religious workers |
|
(as of September 2023)
Changes outside Europe
There is also always movement in third countries regarding the visa reciprocity. While Australian citizens and their families had to brace themselves in part for drastic fee increases, most recently the visa reciprocity schedule for Mexicans:inside in the range E, L and H-1B (and dependents) changed.
Australia
| Visa categories | Adjustments |
| B-1 / B-2 visitor visas |
|
| E-1 and E-2 work visas |
|
| F-1 / F-2 student visas |
|
| H-1B / H-4 skilled worker visas |
|
| L-1 / L-2 work visas |
|
| R visas for religious workers |
|
Mexico
| Visa categories | Adjustments |
| E-1 and E-2 work visas |
|
| H-1B / H-4 skilled worker visas |
|
| L-1 / L-2 work visas |
|
(as of September 2023)
In addition, other countries were and are affected by visa reciprocity changes:
Presumably, the adjustments in visa reciprocity lists are the result of the Executive Order 13780 "Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States" by former US President Donald Trump in 2017. Section 10 of the presidential decree speaks of a worldwide review of the applicable nonimmigrant visa reciprocity agreements and arrangements aimed at containing any discrepancies.
The SEVIS fee applies to F, J or M visa applications and varies depending on the visa category. Applicants must pay the SEVIS fee before attending their consular interview appointment. Payment is made online by credit card.
The proof of payment must be attached to the consular application, otherwise it will not be processed. Read more about the so-called I-901 Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) fee.
Many US visas require a prior application process with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This means that, depending on the category, a petition may have to be filed there in advance. This affects, for example, almost all applications for US work visas (L, H, O, etc.).
USCIS charges application fees at different rates depending on the petition. Some fees are mandatory for all petitioners (e.g. USCIS standard fee), while again other charges are optional (e.g. Premium Processing Fee).
The following are the major USCIS fees:
(as of October 2023)
The Premium Processing Service assures processing of the petition within 15 calendar days. Unfortunately, this does not automatically mean that USCIS will generally make a decision on the petition within 15 days. The USCIS has the opportunity at any time within this period to ask follow-up questions about the petition (Request for Evidence), which can extend the processing times not inconsiderably.
The fee for using the premium processing procedure, i.e., expedited processing (I-907 Request for Premium Processing Service), is $2,500 for certain procedures.
Only I-129 petitions (e.g., L, H-1B, and O visas) and I-140 petitions (employment-based green cards) are affected.
The Border Security Fee is an additional fee for certain H-1B and L-1 petitions. It applies to U.S. companies with extraordinary numbers of foreign workers on H-1B or L-1 visas and is valid until September 30, 2025.
(as of October 2023)
The criteria for so-called "50 / 50" employers are as follows:
See the USCIS website for a complete list of USCIS application fees.
Payment methods
Payment of USCIS fees is usually made in the form of a check or Money Order, which must then be enclosed with the respective application. Very few fees (not including those listed above) can already be paid by credit card through the online procedure. We provide more detailed information about USCIS payment options on our website.
Practical tip: Pay close attention to the USCIS instructions for the respective check or money order issuance. Improperly submitted checks or money orders will lead to non-acceptance of the petition. These petitions will be returned to the applicant without being processed.
In addition to the application fees of the US authorities, translation costs, etc., there is a consulting and processing fee when you hire our US visa agency.
Depending on the visa category we estimate a fixed service fee. In doing so, we take into account the different processing efforts. The simpler the processing of a visa category, the more favorable is the support by our US visa consultants – regardless of whether it is an international order or from Germany.
Upon request, we offer consultation and processing on an hourly basis. For particularly urgent visa cases, we can provide express processing on request for an additional fee.
We advise you on the choice of the appropriate visa category and take over the complete processing for you or your company.
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