DS 160 Form - Full Form, Sample Fees, Requirements, Validity

The DS 160 form is acquired by foreign applicants who plan to visit the USA for business, travel, or educational purposes with a nonimmigrant visa. The temporary visa allows one to gain a US visa and fulfil their aspirations effortlessly. The DS 160 form fee is USD 185 which is paid during the submission of the form on the CEAC portal. For reference, DS 160 form fees India is around Rs 15,532 for Indian students. All you need to do is DS 160 form login into this portal and access the form. Moreover, the DS 160 form expiration date is one year from the submission of the application hence, one needs a confirmation slip proof to validate their information. One can also check their DS 160 form status through this portal. Read the article to learn more about DS 160 form, its importance, fees, and much more.

This Story also Contains

1. What is the DS 160 Form?
2. Who can Apply for the DS 160 Form?
3. DS 160 Form Fees
4. Documents Required for DS 160 Form
5. How to Fill DS 160 Form?

What is the DS 160 Form?

International applicants use the DS 160 form to acquire a temporary US visa. It facilitates the application process for all non-immigrant visas for the USA like B1 visas, K visas, F-1 visas, J-1 visas, and much more.

The DS form is necessary to get a temporary visa as it validates your identity, personal information, professional and educational background, as well as your ability to manage your funds in the country. It plays a vital role in evaluating your profile and ensuring that the eligibility of the candidate is met with the requirements of filling out the DS 160 form.

Who can Apply for the DS 160 Form?

Although the majority of DS 160 forms are filled by nonimmigrants who want to work and study in the US. Hence, we have provided below a detailed overview of the different types of visas that have to be filled out in the DS 160 form.

• Applicants who are planning to stay in the USA for travel, educational, and business purposes should submit this for after DS 160 form login.

• People seeking a temporary visa for training, internship, and other work-related purposes in the US can opt for the DS 160 form.

• The visitor visa holders such as B-1, and B-2 have to fill out the D 160 form to get a US visa for travelling, or business.

• Other visas like K (immediate family members of US citizens), F-1 (higher education), J-1 (cultural programmes), and much more have to submit form D 160 to acquire a US visa.

DS 160 Form Fees

The DS 160 form fee is around USD 185 which is non-refundable and necessary to submit while applying. Moreover, a DS 160 form fee payment India can be made to the Embassy through a demand draft associated with a foreign bank or even a visa and master card.

It is only after an applicant has uploaded all the required documents and filled in personal details that the last step of submission of the DS 160 form requires payment of USD 185. However, petition-based visas like H, L, P, Q, and R have to pay USD 205. Hence, DS 160 form fees India for these type of visas is approximately Rs 17,211.

Documents Required for DS 160 Form

To make it easier for applicants planning to pursue their higher education, work, or travel in the USA, we have created a checklist for the documents required for filling out the DS 160 form below. Having access to these documents will ensure the submission of your DS 160 form to the visa embassy without any hassle.

• Passport

• Travel Itinerary

• Travel history of last five visits to the US

• Resume

• DS 160 form fee payment India Receipt

• Statement of Purpose

• Sevis ID (In case of students and exchange visitors)

How to Fill DS 160 Form?

The process of filling DS 160 form is easy and only takes approximately 90 minutes to submit. It is the first step a candidate takes in acquiring a nonimmigrant visa to USA and hence, should understand the application process thoroughly as mentioned below:

• Login into CEAC (Consular Electronic Application Centre) as it provides the DS 160 form which is issued by the Department of State.

• Initiate the new application option and an application ID will be reflected that needs to be noted down as it is quite important in the further procedure of submitting the DS 160 form.

• One needs to select a security question and fill in all the personal information that is mentioned in sections 1 and 2 of the form.

• More information such as travel, past visas, living arrangements, and future itineraries needs to be provided to proceed with the filling of the DS 160 application.

• Personal credentials related to a permanent address, phone number, etc are also necessary for further processing.

• Then comes the passport section in the DS 160 form which also provides the point of contact for identity validation to the embassy.

• Add current or past work experiences and educational background thoroughly while also providing information related to the immediate family.

• In the next section of the DS 160 form, some confidential questions are asked that act as a background verification factor for applicants.

• Furthermore, the option to choose a specific visa type is granted to applicants like F visa, J visa, B1 visa, M visa, and much more.

• The final step of filling up the DS 160 form includes uploading a clear and professional photograph for facial recognition and verification.

• At last one needs to submit the DS 160 form with a digital signature and will receive a confirmation page that needs to be screenshotted for future use and needs to be showcased during the visa interview. This page also includes the DS 160 form status that is either provided or not.