E-Filing the DS-160

What happens after you submit: we fill in and sign the official DS-160, you type two security codes, and you get the confirmation page and a PDF of the filed application.

When you submit a form, we file it on the official DS-160 site (ceac.state.gov) from the first page through to the confirmation page. We fill in every page, upload the photo, and sign. The one thing we need from you is two security codes (captchas) that the official site shows along the way, because a person has to type them. We email you when each one is waiting.

Start a submission

Open the form and click View Submissions. Pick the Location — the U.S. embassy or consulate where the application will be filed — and click New Submission.

A submission will not start while a section of the form is incomplete, or is marked invalid in the form overview (for example, an answer containing a character the official site rejects). The message names the sections to fix. It also will not start if the application photo failed the DS-160 photo checks, until you tick the box to go ahead without it — see Document Storage & Photo Automation.

Your workspace’s security answer and preparer details are read when the submission starts.

What happens, step by step

  1. The application is started. We open the official site and select the location. The site shows its first security code, and we email you.
  2. The Application ID is issued. We answer the security question, then save the Application ID and the answer on the submission straight away, before anything else is filled in.
  3. Every page is filled in. The submission page shows how many fields have been filled out of the total, with a progress bar that moves as each one is entered, and a table of the form’s steps.
  4. The photo is uploaded to the official photo tool. If the photo will be taken in person at an Applicant Service Centre, this step is skipped.
  5. Every page is reviewed and saved. The official site shows each page of the application back for review; we keep all of them as one PDF.
  6. The preparer section is filled in, from your preparer details if you have them turned on, otherwise from the form’s answers.
  7. The application is signed. The site shows its second security code on the Sign and Submit page, and we email you again.
  8. Done. The submission shows Completed, with the confirmation number and the confirmation page.

The security code emails

The official site asks for a security code twice: once when the application is started, and once on the Sign and Submit page. We cannot type them for you. When one is waiting, we email you:

  • Action needed to continue — the first code, while the application is being started.
  • Action needed to submit — the second code. By this point the application is completely filled in and only needs signing, so this is the one not to miss.

Click Enter the code in the email. It opens the submission, where the code’s image is shown with a countdown. Type the code exactly as shown and click Submit captcha; the submission carries on by itself.

Example: how this looks on the platform
  • You have about 5 minutes for each code.
  • Only the person who clicked New Submission receives the emails and can enter the codes. A teammate who opens the same submission will not see the code, so start the submission yourself if you are the one who will be at the screen.
  • A refused code is not the end. If the official site does not accept a code, it shows a new image and you can try again — three tries in all.
  • You do not need the email. While a code is waiting, the submission’s status reads Awaiting captcha or Awaiting signature captcha, and opening the submission shows the code.

What you get

A completed submission shows:

  • Confirmation — the confirmation number, and a download of the confirmation page. The applicant brings this to the visa interview.
  • CEAC’s copy of your application — a PDF of every page the official site shows back for the application, including the confirmation page. Click Download PDF.
  • Submission Details — the Application ID, the first five letters of the surname, the year of birth, and the security answer: everything needed to open the application on the official site. Retrieve DS160 Form takes you there.
Example: how this looks on the platform

If a submission does not finish

StatusWhat happenedWhat to do
Captcha timed out or Captcha not acceptedThe first code was not entered in time, or the site refused all three tries. Nothing was filled in.Start a new submission.
Signature captcha timed out or Signature captcha not acceptedThe application is completely filled in at the official site, but unsigned.Open it on ceac.state.gov with the Submission Details and sign it yourself, or start a new submission.
Photo neededThere was no usable photo — none was on file, or you went ahead without one that failed the checks. We filled in the application and stopped before signing, because signing cannot be undone and the site needs the photo first.Open the application on ceac.state.gov with the Submission Details, upload the photo, then sign and submit.
DS160 Form ErrorThe official site refused one of the pages. The submission shows a screenshot of what it said.Correct that answer in the form and start a new submission.
ErroredSomething went wrong on our side. We are alerted automatically.Start a new submission.

A new submission always starts a new application with a new Application ID; it does not pick up the unsigned one. If you would rather keep the Application ID you already have, finish that application on the official site instead. The official site keeps an unsigned application for 30 days.

Example: how this looks on the platform
Example: how this looks on the platform