The DS-160 form is required for any type of US non-immigrant visa. Among other things, it asks for previous US travel information.
- Have you ever been in the U.S.?
If you answer ‘Yes’, please provide:- Date Arrived:
Format: DD-MM-YYYY
If you are unsure about when you visited the U.S., please provide your best estimate. - Length of Stay:
Length of Stay for each visit for the last five U.S. visits.
The consulate will look to see whether you left on time. And if you did leave on time, the chances of you getting a visa this time are higher, as it shows that you honored the requirement to return home during your last visit. However, if you overstayed during your last visit to the U.S., you may have difficulty getting a visa this time. Also, if the consulate finds out that you have been stringing together visas to spend as much time as possible in the U.S., they may doubt your true intention and may deny your visa. The consulate may also check to see if you have violated any other visa terms during your past visit(s).
Do you or did you ever hold a U.S. Driver’s License?
If you answer “Yes”, please provide:- Driver’s License Number
- State of Driver’s License
- Driver’s License Number
- Date Arrived:
- Have you ever been issued a U.S. Visa?
If you have ever been issued a U.S. visa before (even if it is a different type than you are currently applying), write details here accordingly.
Most of the non-immigrant visas would not create problems for returning to the U.S. unless you had overstayed the visa expiration date and stayed in the U.S. illegally. Exception: if you were in the U.S. on J1 (exchange visitor) visa and haven’t yet completed the 2-year “home country” residency requirement. Please consult an attorney if this applies to you.
If you answer ‘Yes’, you will have to provide the following additional information:
- Date Last Visa Was Issued
In Format: DD-MM-YYYY - Visa Number
Click “Do Not Know”, if appropriate.
This number is the red color number towards the lower right side of the visa stamp. For lost or stolen visas, check “Do Not Know”.
Mexico: If you have a laser visa, the visa number is on the right side of the first row of numbers. The visa number will start with the initials for the post that issued your visa. E.g., MER for Merida. - Are you applying for the same type of visa?
- Are you applying in the same country or location where the visa above was issued, and is this country or location your place of principal or residence?
- Have you been ten-printed?
Ten-printed means that you have provided fingerprints for all your fingers, as opposed to having provided only two fingerprints. - Has your U.S. Visa ever been lost or stolen?
If you answer “Yes, enter the year visa was lost or stolen, and provide an explanation. - Has your U.S. Visa ever been cancelled or revoked?
If you answer “Yes”, please provide an explanation.
- Date Last Visa Was Issued
- Have you ever been refused a U.S. Visa, been refused admission to the United States, or withdrawn your application for admission at the point of entry?
If you have ever been refused a U.S. visa, write the details about it here. You have to answer “Yes”, even if some other type of U.S. visa was denied in the past.
You must tell the truth here (and, of course, everywhere in this entire process). Consulates check your file and records anyway. They can also check whether you lied earlier, used fraud documents to apply for a visa before, or whether you violated visa terms before. If any of that is true, it would be difficult for you to get a visa.
Even if your visa is refused under Section 221(g) because of a missing document, and now you can present the document, it is nonetheless a refusal, and, therefore, you must respond “Yes” to this question and provide all the subsequent details requested.
Many people have been denied a tourist visa or student visa in the past. That is not a problem if you apply for an H1 visa, Fiance (K1) visa, etc. later. However, if you were refused because of some fraud, this application may be denied as well. - Are you or have you ever been a U.S. legal permanent resident?
- Has anyone ever filed an immigrant petition on your behalf with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service?
Choose “Yes” or “No”.
If you choose “Yes”, please explain. (Note: This question only pertains to immigrant petitions, not nonimmigrant petitions such as I-129F for a K-1 fiancé visa.)
