Reviewing a DS-160 on CEAC Before Signing

Signing a DS-160 cannot be undone. If an attorney or case manager checks every application on the official site (ceac.state.gov) before it is filed, turn on Stop before signing. We fill in every page, upload the photo and save a PDF of the whole application, then stop on the Sign and Submit page. Your team reviews the application on CEAC and signs it there.

Before you start

• Who can change it: only a workspace Owner or Admin can turn it on for the whole workspace. Anyone starting a submission can tick it for that one submission.
• The form is ready to submit: every section complete, and a photo that passed the checks or is taken in person. See E-Filing the DS-160.
• Time to sign: the official site keeps an unsigned application for 30 days.

Turn it on for every submission

Under Workspace Settings → E-Filing → Review Before Signing, turn on Stop before signing and click Save. It is read each time a submission starts, so submissions already running are not affected.

Stop a single submission

You can also tick Stop before signing when you start a single submission, in any workspace. A submission cannot turn the workspace setting off: while it is on, the box is ticked and locked.

On a demo form the box starts ticked. If you untick it, the submission signs and sends the fictional applicant’s DS-160 to the State Department.

What happens when a submission stops

Every step happens as usual up to the preparer section, and the submission stops on the Sign and Submit page without signing:

• Nothing for you to enter. The run stops before the second security code, so there is no Action needed to submit email, and a submission rarely needs anything from your team until the review.
• The submission shows Ready to sign, and the person who started it gets a Ready to review and sign email.
• The PDF has every page, including the Sign and Submit page with the preparer section filled in, so you can check the application and keep a copy before anything is filed.

Review and sign on CEAC

1. Read the PDF. Open the submission and click Download PDF: it holds every page as the official site shows it back, so the reviewer can check it without signing in anywhere.
2. Open the application on CEAC. Click Retrieve DS160 Form and open the application on ceac.state.gov with the Submission Details: the Application ID, the first five letters of the surname, the year of birth and the security answer.
3. Review the pages. If an answer needs changing, change it on the official site before signing, and correct it in the form too, so the form stays your record of what was filed.
4. Sign. On the Sign and Submit page, enter the passport number and tick the certification box if the site shows one, then sign and submit with the site’s own security code.
5. Keep the confirmation page the site shows you, and bring it to the visa interview.

Expected result

The application is signed and submitted on the official site, and you have its confirmation page. Because it was signed outside DS160.io, the submission stays Ready to sign and has no confirmation of its own: keep the confirmation page with the client’s file.

Troubleshooting