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If you wish to apply for a US nonimmigrant visa, you must submit the application via the online DS-160 form, regardless of the visa type. Below you will learn everything you need to know about the DS-160 form.
Officially, the DS-160 form is called the Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application. The DS-160 form is nothing more than an online application for a US nonimmigrant visa.
As of March 1, 2010, all nonimmigrant visa applicants (including infants and toddlers), without exception, are required to complete the DS-160 online application. The DS-160 form must be submitted in person and electronically to the respective US consulate along with a digital passport photograph prior to the interview appointment at the US consulate.
The application form can only be completed online at the U.S. Department of State (DOS) DS-160 website.
The DS-160 online form consists of numerous questions, and the application is divided into several sections that ask for very different information.
The list of questions on the DS-160 form is very extensive and includes around 15-20 pages. It is not a rigid form, but depending on the information provided by the applicant, additional windows open in the online application. Thus, the questions differ depending on the
Attention: Answer all questions correctly and truthfully. Incorrect information can lead to delays in your application and even to the rejection of your visa. If you are no longer able to accurately track time information (e.g., last entry dates), please provide estimates that are as accurate as possible. If the information is not correct, click "Does not Apply".
The DS-160 online form questions are divided into several sections:
Personal data:
Personal, Address and Phone, Passport
Visa and travel:
Travel, Travel Companions, Previous U.S. Travel
Stay in the USA:
US Contact
Family data:
Family
Activity and training:
Work / Education / Training
Security Issues:
Security and Background
As mentioned, additional queries may be added depending on the individual application situation.
When you start filling out the form, make sure you have all the important information handy - such as your passport or address information in the USA. As a rule, applicants need about 30 - 60 minutes per online application.
Before you start with the actual filling out of the DS-160 form, you will be asked in a first step to select the US consulate where you would like to file the visa application. In German-speaking countries, for example, this would be:
At the end of the questionnaire, you must upload online a digital, biometric passport photo in American format 5 x 5 cm. The file (e.g. jpg format) must not be larger than 240 KB. Please note thatGlasses are not allowed.
If your photo meets the specifications, a green check mark appears. Otherwise, you would have to make adjustments or use a different photo and try again. The U.S. Department of State Incidentally, on the DS-160 application page, provides a"Photo Cropping Tool"available for editing the photos and also provides information about the current visa photo regulations.
After successful online submission of Form DS-160, you will receive at the e-mail address provided in the application aDS-160 confirmation page (Confirmation). On this form you will find your photo and some personal information as well as the details of the visa category you have applied for and the US consulate where you have to apply for the visa. Furthermore, you will find the important DS-160 confirmation number. (Barcode), which you will need in the further visa application process.
Please be sure to fill out the confirmation page. You must present this along with other application documents at your interview appointment at the US Consulate. You will not be admitted to the US Consulate without the DS-160 barcode sheet.
Verify that all information on the DS-160 confirmation page is correct, especially that you have selected the correct US consulate there where you will also attend your subsequent interview appointment or which will process your application.
For example, if you wish to apply for your visa at another US consulate after submitting the DS-160 form, you must complete a new online form.
Read through our helpful hints before you begin filling out the DS-160 form.
Unfortunately, since the online form is more often affected by technical problems - frequent crashes, malfunction when uploading the photo, etc. - we strongly recommend that you cache the DS-160 form regularly.
In addition, write down your DS-160 confirmation number (also: DS-160 barcode number) right at the beginning, which always starts with "AA00...". You can use this number to log back into your DS-160 form at the above website at a later time and continue filling out the DS-160.
You can access an existing DS-160 visa application that is still being processed using the DS-160 Confirmation Number and change the information provided in the form.
However, once you have submitted the final form online, no information in the application can be subsequently changed. You would then have to fill out a completely new DS-160 application form online.
If you are having technical problems completing the form, try using a different browser to access the DS-160 page or log in again at a later time. As a rule, technical difficulties are resolved promptly by the U.S. authorities.
The technical problems can be of a very different nature. In the past, it was sometimes not possible to upload the digital passport photo at the end of data entry or there were worldwide system failures. In both cases, the DS-160 cannot be transmitted to the consulate. In some cases, applicants are also logged out of the system in the middle of the filling process without this being desired.
Applicants who experience technical problems completing the DS-160 form will unfortunately need to be patient and periodically try to log back into the DS-160 online application and continue.
Applicants should also note that technical problems may delay making an appointment, as it is only possible to make an appointment at the U.S. Consulate after the DS-160 has been submitted online to the Consulate.
In most cases, maintenance work is carried out to correct technical problems and does not affect application forms that have already been submitted or fees that have already been paid.
However, the online nonimmigrant visa application form is also partially adjusted after maintenance work, as a result of which applicants must provide more extensive information in the DS-160 form. Most recently, new questions were added to the DS-160 form (including information on social media networks, email accounts, and phone numbers).
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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