DS-160 Form Guide: Sections, Fields, and Common Mistakes

The DS-160 form is completed online section by section — from choosing your interview location to the final signature — and because the consular officer reviews it before the interview even starts, every field needs to match your passport exactly.

In short

• The application ID issued the first time the form is filled out is required for logging back in — without it, access to whatever was already entered is lost.
• Arrival and departure dates in the form are entered approximately and don’t obligate you to enter or leave on exactly those days.
• A “yes” answer to the question about handling firearms or explosives almost always leads to additional administrative processing of the application.
• In the security section, any “yes” answer requires a detailed written explanation — just checking “yes” isn’t enough.
• Income is entered in the currency of the country where the application is being filed, not the applicant’s country of residence or citizenship.

Getting started: choosing your interview location and creating an application

Filling out the form starts with selecting the location, city, and country where the interview will take place. After that, a code appears on screen from an image — it has to be entered into a confirmation field before you can move forward.

The system then offers two options. “Start an Application” is for filling out the form for the first time. “Retrieve an Application” is for reopening an application already created, either to edit it or just review what’s been entered so far.

On a first-time application, you’ll need to read the consent text and click “I Agree.” After that the system generates an application ID — this needs to be saved. The next time you log back into the form, that ID will be requested again, and without it, access to whatever was already entered is lost.

After that the system generates an application ID — this needs to be saved. The next time you log back into the form, that ID will be requested again, and without it, access to whatever was already entered is lost.

Another required step at this stage is choosing a security question from the list provided and coming up with an answer. The answer is worth writing down or memorizing: the system asks this question every time you log back into the form, as a security check on the account.

Personal details, nationality, and ID numbers

Last name and first name are entered exactly as they appear in the passport, followed by the last name, first name, and patronymic in the native language. If there were other names used before — a maiden name before marriage, for instance — the form asks about this separately: choose “Yes” and enter the previous name, otherwise choose “No.”

The question about a telephone country code doesn’t apply to applicants from Ukraine — select “No” there; that field is only for those whose passport includes such a concept. Next comes sex and marital status from a list: married, common-law marriage/civil union, single/never married, widowed, divorced, legally separated, or other. Choosing an option with a partner will bring up questions about them later, in the family section.

Date and place of birth go into separate fields: city of birth goes in the city field, region — without the words “region” or “province” (they’re already in the question itself), then the country is selected. If the region has no official status — Crimea, for example — the city field should say Simferopol, and “Does Not Apply” is selected in the region field. At the end of each section of the form, make sure to click “Save”: the session can time out on its own, and anything unsaved will be lost.

Nationality entered should be whatever is listed in the passport used for the visa application. The form asks separately about a second nationality — if there is one, answer “yes,” name the country, and enter that country’s passport number. Next comes a question about permanent residency in another country: if, say, the applicant moved to Canada and got PR status there, select “yes” and name the country.

In the national ID number field for Ukraine, enter the tax ID number (INN) — nearly everyone applying has one. If there isn’t one, or it can’t be located, select “Doesn’t apply.” After that come fields for a US Social Security Number and US Taxpayer ID Number — these are only filled in if the applicant has previously been in the US on a work or student visa and was issued these numbers. If the applicant has never been to the US, “Doesn’t apply” is selected here too.

Purpose of travel, dates, and place of stay in the US

The purpose of travel in the Travel section needs to match what was indicated when booking the interview — the system offers a long list, and most applicants select B1/B2. Multiple purposes can be added if the trip combines, say, tourism and a business meeting.

Next, the form asks whether there are specific travel plans. Answering “yes” and filling out the section in detail works better than avoiding the details. In that case, an arrival date and a departure date need to be entered: these dates can be approximate, and an approved visa doesn’t obligate you to enter and leave on exactly those days.

The Arrival Flight and Departure Flight fields are only filled in if tickets have already been purchased and the flight number is known. Buying tickets before the visa is approved isn’t recommended, so in most cases these fields are simply left blank. Arrival City and Departure City are entered either way — Los Angeles, for example. If several places in the US will be visited, each one is added separately through the “Add Another” button.

The US address entered can belong to friends, relatives, or anyone else — the applicant doesn’t have to list their own residence. The address includes street, apartment number, city, state, and ZIP code. Next, the form asks who is paying for the trip: the applicant themselves (“Self”), another person (“Other Person”), or an employer/organization.

If there are no specific plans yet, “no” can be selected for the details question. In that case, only an approximate arrival date needs to be entered — July 1, 2026, for example — along with an approximate length of stay, say four days; the unit is chosen from a list: years, months, weeks, or days. After that, the form still asks again for the US address, ZIP code, and who’s paying for the trip — with the same answer options.

Selecting “Self” brings no further questions. If someone else is paying, their last name, first name, phone number, address, and relationship to the applicant need to be entered — child, parent, spouse, other relative, friend, and so on.

Travel companions and previous trips to the US

The form asks whether the applicant is traveling alone or with companions — and the answer determines the set of questions that follow. Choosing “traveling with others” brings up a follow-up: is this a group or organized tour. If so, just the group name needs to be entered. If not, the last name and first name of each companion need to be entered through the “Add Another” button, along with the nature of the relationship with that person (spouse, child, friend, and so on).

Previous US travel section

Next comes a block of four basic questions: has the applicant been to the US before, has a US visa ever been issued, has a visa or entry ever been denied, and has an immigrant petition ever been filed on the applicant’s behalf. If none of this applies, “no” is selected for each item.

If there have been previous trips to the US, the form opens additional fields: entry date and length of stay. If there’s a previous visa, its issue date and number need to be entered, along with an answer to whether the visa being applied for now is the same type and in the same country as the previous one. There are separate questions about whether fingerprints were taken, whether the visa was ever lost or stolen, and whether it was ever cancelled or revoked.

If there was a previous visa refusal, the form requires a written explanation in English, right in the corresponding field. The same logic applies to the immigrant petition question: if one was ever filed, the circumstances need to be briefly described, also in English.

Address, phone numbers, email, and social media

In the contact information section, the home address is entered first — where the applicant actually lives. This includes street, apartment number, city, state or province, ZIP code, and country.

Next, the form asks whether the mailing address matches the home address. If yes, select “yes”; if mail goes to a different address, it’s entered separately.

For phone numbers, the following need to be entered:

• primary number;
• secondary number, if there is one;
• work number, if there is one — if not, select “does not apply.”

A separate question asks whether other phone numbers were used within the past 5 years. If yes, several numbers can be listed; if no, select “no.”

The same logic applies to email: the address where the applicant can be reached is entered, and then the form asks whether other email addresses were used in the past 5 years. If yes, all of them need to be listed; if no, select “no.”

Social media is a required question, but not a requirement to have a profile: if the applicant isn’t registered anywhere, that’s noted in the form too. If there is an account, the platform is selected from a drop-down list — Instagram, for example — and the profile link is entered. Several platforms can be added, including Facebook. The form also asks about any other social media not on the list — most applicants answer “no” at this point.

Passport and US point of contact

In the passport section, the document type is selected first: for a regular passport, it’s the “regular” option, with official, diplomatic, laissez-passer, and Other among the other choices the form offers. Next, the passport number is entered into the Passport Book Number field — but Ukrainian passports don’t have that number, so “doesn’t apply” is selected here. The country and city of issue are entered; the region/state field for Ukrainian passports often auto-fills, and if it doesn’t, it’s left blank, since that entry doesn’t exist in the passport.

Next come the issue date and expiration date. Passports are usually valid for 10 years — one issued on January 1, 2020, for example, expires on January 1, 2030. The form asks whether the passport was ever lost or stolen: answering “yes” requires the lost passport’s number, country of issue, and an explanation of the circumstances; answering “no” simply saves the section as is.

US point of contact

The next section is the point of contact in the US. If the trip is to visit a friend or relative, their last name and first name are entered. If the applicant doesn’t know anyone in the US and is traveling as a tourist, “Don’t Know” is entered in this field.

Next comes the organization name field — this is where a hotel name goes, for example, if that’s where the applicant will be staying. In the relationship to you field, options like relative, spouse, friend, or business associate are offered for a person, but none of those fit a hotel — Other is selected here instead. The hotel address is entered next, and it usually matches the place of stay already entered in the Travel section. The section ends with the hotel’s phone number and email.

Family: parents and relatives in the US

The Family section starts with information about the father and mother, and ends with questions about relatives in the US. If “married” was selected earlier in the form, an additional block about the spouse appears before this.

The father’s last name and first name are entered the same way they appear in the passport. If the applicant doesn’t know their father or has lost contact with him, “don’t know” can be selected — after that, the remaining questions about him simply won’t appear. If the details are known, the father’s date of birth and whether he lives in the US are also entered.

When the father lives in the US, the form requires his status to be specified: US Citizen, Legal Permanent Resident (Green Card holder), or Non-immigrant — meaning present on a visa, a student or work visa, for example. If the status is unknown, “I don’t know” is selected. The same set of questions repeats for the mother, including the “don’t know” option.

Next, the form asks whether the applicant has any immediate relatives in the US, aside from parents, who were already covered above. If there are such relatives, each one’s last name, first name, degree of relationship (husband, wife, fiancé/fiancée, child), and US status are entered. If there are no immediate relatives, a separate question about a wider circle of relatives in the US appears.

All questions in this section require honest answers, with nothing left out.

Work, education, and additional skills

The work section starts with the applicant’s current occupation: it’s chosen from a drop-down list, and if nothing fits, “other” is selected and the occupation is typed in manually. Next, the form asks for the organization name (Present Employer or School Name field), its full address — street, city, state or province, ZIP code, phone number, and country — as well as the start date and monthly income.

Income is entered in the currency of the country where the application is being filed, not the country of residence or citizenship: if the applicant works in Ukraine but is filing in Poland, the salary is entered in zloty. A brief description of job duties is added as well — just a few sentences. For those not working, the form has separate statuses for “retired” and “unemployed”: in the second case, a reason needs to be given, such as looking for work or maternity leave.

The next block covers previous jobs, and here the form only asks about the last five years. If there was other employment during that period, answering “yes” opens a details section: company name, address, job title, supervisor’s last and first name, employment dates, and duties — several jobs can be added through the “add another” function. If there was no other employment in the past five years, “no” is selected.

The education question covers any secondary-level institution and above — school, gymnasium, college, university. “Yes” needs to be answered even if the education wasn’t completed and no diploma was received: the fact of having studied at all, for any length of time, already requires a yes answer. Next, the institution’s name, address, and field of study are entered.

Additional questions cover tribal or clan affiliation (answering “yes” requires naming it), languages the applicant speaks, travel over the past five years, and participation in professional, social, or charitable organizations.

A separate question asks about special skills: handling firearms, biological, chemical, or explosive materials. Answering “yes” requires a written explanation and most often leads to administrative processing — additional review of the application. The answer needs to be honest, even though it raises the odds of that review.

Answering “yes” requires a written explanation and most often leads to administrative processing — additional review of the application.

The last two items in this section cover military service and involvement in paramilitary organizations. Answering “yes” to military service requires entering the country, branch of service, rank, military specialty, and dates — several periods can be added. For paramilitary organizations, a “yes” answer also requires details and an explanation.

Security section, photo, and submitting the form

1. Complete the security section. It usually consists of five parts — the questions cover mental disorders, drug use, and criminal offenses. Most applicants answer “no” to every question, but that’s no reason to skim through the section quickly: every question needs to be read carefully, including the one about deportation from any country.
2. Explain any “yes” answer. If even one question in this section gets a “yes” — on deportation, a criminal record, or anything else — the form requires a detailed written explanation of the circumstances. Leaving just the “yes” checked without an explanation isn’t an option.
3. Upload a photo. The image needs to meet visa photo format requirements. After uploading, a “Confirm Photo” button appears: if the system accepts the photo, the application moves forward; if not, the form states directly that the photo doesn’t meet requirements and needs to be replaced.
4. Review the form in the Review section. The entire completed form opens up here — every section can be gone through, answers corrected, or anything forgotten earlier added.
5. Sign and submit in the Sign section. This is the last step: the form is signed electronically and submitted. After that, the DS-160 is considered filed.

Leaving just the “yes” checked without an explanation isn’t an option.

There are a lot of small details in the form, and each one could theoretically affect the consular officer’s decision. If the situation is more complicated than typical, or there’s uncertainty about how to answer, consulting a lawyer before filing works out cheaper than sorting out a refusal after the interview.

Final steps before submitting the DS-160

• Complete the five-part security sectionquestions on mental disorders, drugs, crimes, deportation
• Give a written explanation for any “yes” answerjust checking “yes” isn’t allowed
• Upload a photo that meets format requirementswait for “Confirm Photo” confirmation
• Review the entire form in the Review sectiongo through all sections, correct mistakes
• Sign the form electronically in the Sign sectionafter this the DS-160 is considered filed

Frequently asked questions

What should I do if I forgot my DS-160 application ID or lost it?

If the application ID is lost, there’s no direct way to recover access to whatever was already entered — the form specifically asks for that ID on the next log-in. In practice, the applicant has to create a new application through “Start an Application” and fill out the form from scratch. That’s why the ID is worth saving in more than one place, rather than relying on memory.

Can I fix a mistake in the DS-160 after the form has already been submitted?

Once it’s been signed in the Sign section, the form is considered submitted, and no changes can be made to it after that. Any mistakes need to be caught before that point — that’s exactly why the Review section exists before signing, so every section can be checked and answers corrected. If an inaccuracy turns up after submission, it’s usually clarified during the interview itself.

What happens if I didn’t fill out the DS-160 myself but had someone else do it?

The form doesn’t prohibit having someone else enter the information, but the applicant is the one responsible for the accuracy of every answer — it’s the applicant who signs the form in the Sign section. A mistake or inaccuracy made by whoever helped will be treated the same as if the applicant had made it personally. So the final version of the form is worth checking yourself before signing.

What if the security question is forgotten the next time I log into the form?

The system asks the security question as a security check every time you log back in, and without the correct answer, continuing to fill out an already-created application isn’t possible. There’s no special recovery process built into the form, so the answer to this question is worth writing down alongside the application ID right after coming up with it. Losing both usually means starting the application over from scratch.

Do I need to list relatives in the DS-160 who have already been refused a US visa?

The section on relatives in the US asks for last name, first name, degree of relationship, and US status, but not their visa history — the questions about refusals in the form apply only to the applicant. Past refusals affecting relatives aren’t reflected directly in the form. That doesn’t excuse answering honestly about the applicant’s own travel history and status.

What happens after submitting the DS-160 — does the interview get scheduled right away?

Submitting the form completes the application itself, but doesn’t replace scheduling an interview — these are two connected but separate actions. The application ID is usually needed when booking an interview date at the consulate. What happens after that goes beyond the DS-160 form itself.

What should I do if my monthly income is irregular or I have no income?

The form has separate statuses for those not working — “retired” and “unemployed” — and in the second case, a reason needs to be given, such as looking for work or maternity leave. An exact procedure for irregular income specifically isn’t laid out separately. In that situation, the applicant should pick whichever status comes closest to their actual circumstances at the time of filing.

Can a visa be denied just because of administrative processing after answering “yes” about special skills?

Administrative processing is additional review of the application, not an automatic denial, so it doesn’t determine the outcome by itself. A “yes” answer to this question requires a written explanation of the circumstances, and the answer needs to be honest even though it raises the odds of that review. The final decision remains with the consular officer either way.