US B1/B2 Visitor Visa 2026: Who Qualifies, How You Apply and What It Costs

The B-1 and B-2 visas are for people who visit the United States temporarily for business or for pleasure. This guide sets out what the Immigration and Nationality Act, the State Department's regulations and its Foreign Affairs Manual, and the Federal Register say about who qualifies, how you apply, what it costs and when a visa bond applies.

Wait times, visa validity and the list of countries subject to the visa bond differ by country and change, so check the State Department's pages for your own country before you apply.

What the B-1/B-2 Visa Is

The law describes a visitor as an alien "having a residence in a foreign country which he has no intention of abandoning and who is visiting the United States temporarily for business or temporarily for pleasure" (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(B)). The same provision leaves out people coming to study, to work or as foreign press, who need other visas.

• B-1, business: the regulation says business "refers to conventions, conferences, consultations and other legitimate activities of a commercial or professional nature. It does not include local employment or labor for hire" (22 CFR 41.31(b)). The Foreign Affairs Manual lists B-1 activities such as negotiating contracts, consulting with business associates, litigating, taking part in scientific, educational, professional or business conventions, conferences or seminars, and independent research (9 FAM 402.2-5(B)).
• B-2, pleasure: the regulation says pleasure refers to "legitimate activities of a recreational character, including tourism, amusement, visits with friends or relatives, rest, medical treatment, and activities of a fraternal, social, or service nature" (22 CFR 41.31(b)).

A visa can be issued as B-1, as B-2 or as a combined B-1/B-2 visa: consular officers may issue the combined visa to qualified applicants whose principal purpose for visiting falls at various times within either category (9 FAM 402.2-6(A)).

Two rules for B-2 applicants are worth knowing. Someone seeking medical treatment must establish a legitimate reason to travel for it, that a U.S. medical practitioner or facility has agreed to provide it, a reasonable estimate of the length of the visit and all associated costs, and the means, from lawful sources, and the intent to pay for the treatment and incidental expenses, either independently or with pre-arranged help from others. And a visa is not available for the primary purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship for a child by giving birth in the United States: an applicant a consular officer has reason to believe will give birth during the stay is presumed to be travelling for that purpose (22 CFR 41.31(b)).

Section 214(b): The Burden Is on You

The law puts the burden on you. You are presumed to be an intending immigrant until you establish, to the officer's satisfaction, that you qualify for the visa you applied for, and the presumption applies again when you apply for admission at the border. A refusal under section 214(b) means you were not able to do that. It is not a permanent ineligibility: the Foreign Affairs Manual says an applicant refused under 214(b) can reapply for the same visa and establish eligibility on the new application, and that there is no waiver for a 214(b) refusal (9 FAM 302.1-2).

What the officer assesses for a B visa is set out in the same guidance: whether you have a residence in a foreign country that you do not intend to abandon, whether you intend to enter the United States for a period of specifically limited duration, and whether you seek admission for the sole purpose of engaging in legitimate activities relating to business or pleasure (9 FAM 402.2-2(B)). The regulation adds that the officer must be satisfied that you have permission to enter a foreign country at the end of your stay and that adequate financial arrangements have been made to carry out the purpose of the visit and your departure (22 CFR 41.31(a)).

On ties, the Foreign Affairs Manual says the applicant "must demonstrate permanent employment, meaningful business or financial connections, close family ties, or social or cultural associations, which will indicate a strong inducement to return to the country of origin" (9 FAM 401.1-3(E)). It also says 214(b) "does not simply mean that applicants must have 'ties' to their home country": a refusal means the applicant failed to qualify for the visa, which can happen by not convincing the officer that they are not an intending immigrant or by failing another requirement of the category (9 FAM 302.1-2(B)). Two further points from the guidance:

• If the officer doubts your intent to return abroad, you cannot settle the doubt by offering to leave a child, spouse or other dependent abroad (9 FAM 402.2-2(B)).
• Suspicion that you might be swayed to stay by more favourable living conditions is not a sufficient ground to refuse if your current intent is to return to a foreign residence (9 FAM 401.1-3(E)).

Step 1: The DS-160 Form

Every applicant for a nonimmigrant visa must make an electronic application on Form DS-160 or, as a consular officer directs, on Form DS-156 (22 CFR 41.103(a)). You sign it electronically, and the signature attests, under penalty of perjury, that you are familiar with and intend to be bound by all the statements in the application. The consular officer may question you on any relevant matter and require more information when the application is inadequate to decide your eligibility, and what you add becomes part of the application (22 CFR 41.103(b)). You also provide a photograph that meets the Department's specification, uploaded with the online application unless you are told to submit a paper copy (22 CFR 41.105(a)).

The Foreign Affairs Manual says an applicant "must have specific and realistic plans for the entire period of the contemplated visit" and that the projected length of the visit must be consistent with the stated purpose of the trip (9 FAM 402.2-2(D)).

Tips for the DS-160

Step 2: The Interview

Unless personal appearance is waived, each applicant aged 14 to 79 must appear before a consular officer and be interviewed. The officer decides the proper visa classification and your eligibility from what you say, your application and other relevant documentation (22 CFR 41.102(a)), and assesses your credibility and the evidence you submit (9 FAM 401.1-3(D)). The Department can instruct otherwise: the appointment services for China and India both say that all applicants there, including children under 14 and older applicants outside the 14 to 79 range, must appear in person for the interview, and each service lists the conditions of its own interview waiver.

Some interviews can be waived. The regulation and the Foreign Affairs Manual give examples, such as renewing a visa in the same class within 12 months of its expiry when you apply in the district where you normally live (22 CFR 41.102(b); 9 FAM 403.5-4). The regulation lets the Department instruct otherwise (22 CFR 41.102(b)), and the Foreign Affairs Manual says an officer can always require an interview of an applicant whose credibility they doubt (9 FAM 403.5-4). The regulation does not allow a waiver in several cases, including for an applicant who is not a national or resident of the country where they apply and for an applicant previously refused a visa unless the refusal was overcome or the inadmissibility waived (22 CFR 41.102(e)). Check the current rule for your post on travel.state.gov.

Examples of Specific Answers

Answer truthfully and consistently with your DS-160. These examples show the level of detail, not words to memorise.

Supporting Documents

The consular officer is authorized to require the documents considered necessary to establish your eligibility and must consider all the documents and other evidence you present (22 CFR 41.105(a)). The regulation does not set one list for every applicant. If a required document is unobtainable without actual hardship, the officer may accept satisfactory alternative evidence, a police certificate is required if the officer has reason to believe a police or criminal record exists, and fingerprints are taken as the officer requires (22 CFR 41.105).

The second list is examples of evidence that can speak to the points above, not a list the State Department requires. For a medical visit the Foreign Affairs Manual says an officer may ask for a diagnosis from a local physician, a letter from a U.S. physician or facility willing to treat you with the projected length and cost of treatment, and evidence that your transport, medical and living expenses will be paid (9 FAM 402.2-4(A)).

Booking the Interview

You normally apply at the consular office that has jurisdiction over your place of residence. A consular office for the area where you are physically present but do not live can agree, at its discretion or at the Department's direction, to accept your application (22 CFR 41.101(a)). Appointment availability differs by post and changes, so use the appointment system that your embassy or consulate's page points to for current dates, and be cautious about anyone who sells appointment slots.

Fees in 2026

From 1 July to 31 December 2026 the State Department also offers an optional $750 fee for an expedited B-1/B-2 interview appointment, paid on top of the standard application fee (a temporary final rule, 91 FR 34768). It promises an appointment within ten business days, depending on availability, is offered only at limited posts listed on travel.state.gov and in limited quantities, and the Department describes it as a proof of concept.

Public Law 119-21 (section 100007, codified at 8 U.S.C. 1806) directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to require a visa integrity fee from any alien issued a nonimmigrant visa, to be paid when the visa is issued. For fiscal year 2025 the amount is the greater of $250 or an amount DHS sets by rule, and it is adjusted for inflation each fiscal year from 2026. The fee cannot be waived or reduced. After the visa expires, DHS may reimburse it to a holder who complied with the visa's conditions and who did not seek an extension and left no later than 5 days after the last day of the visa's validity, or who was granted an extension or an adjustment to permanent resident status.

In July 2025 DHS wrote in the Federal Register that this fee "requires cross-agency coordination before implementing" and "will be implemented in a future publication". As of 9 October 2026 we found no Federal Register rule that sets the date or the amount, so check the State Department's fee page and your post's page for whether and how it is collected before you apply.

The Visa Bond: Permanent Since 3 August 2026

The State Department's final rule "Visas: Visa Bond Program" (91 FR 48757) took effect on 3 August 2026. It makes permanent the pilot that began on 20 August 2025.

Under the program, consular officers require a bond as a condition of visa issuance from B-1/B-2 applicants who are nationals of covered countries. The officer sets the amount at $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000, and the Department says officers are expected to set $15,000 unless there is reason to set another amount. Bonds are posted in U.S. dollars, and the maximum adjusts for inflation from 1 October 2027 and every seven years after. A visa issued under the program is valid for three months (single or multiple entry) or up to 12 months (multiple entry), depending on visa reciprocity, and carries an annotation that a bond was posted.

The mechanics, in short:

• Who: B-1 and B-2 applicants who are nationals of a covered country. The Department publishes the list on travel.state.gov, adds countries with 15 days' notice and removes them immediately. During the first ten months of the pilot, 50 countries were added, and nationals of pilot countries stay covered under the permanent rule.
• How you pay: through the payment platform after the officer's notice, with DHS Form I-352B (Immigration Bond (Visa)). The person who posts the bond is the obligor and is notified of a breach.
• Travel conditions: you may enter and depart the United States only through commercial airports of entry, including CBP preclearance locations, not through land or sea ports.
• Return: the bond is cancelled and the principal returned to the original form of payment, without interest and subject to the Treasury Offset Program, when the visa holder complies with its terms, for example when the visa expires and you did not travel, or you left on time through a commercial airport. A holder who has not travelled can ask for an appointment with consular officials outside the United States to cancel it before the visa expires.
• Forfeiture: the entire amount is forfeited on a substantial violation of the bond's terms. The regulation lists remaining in the United States after the temporary period of admission ends, filing an untimely request for a change of status or an extension of stay, not leaving within 10 days after a timely request is denied, and filing for asylum or other humanitarian protection on Form I-589.

Check the country list on travel.state.gov before you apply rather than relying on a version you saw months ago. Our guide to the visa bond programme covers it in more detail.

Next Steps

Check your documents against the points above before you book your interview. TravelReady's Smart Visa Checklist gives you a starting list from your trip details. Confirm it against the official instructions before you apply.

Sources: checked on 2026-10-09 against the Immigration and Nationality Act as published in the U.S. Code (8 U.S.C. 1101, 1182 and 1184); the State Department regulations in 22 CFR on eCFR (22.1, 41.31, 41.101, 41.102, 41.103 and 41.105); the Foreign Affairs Manual (9 FAM 302.1, 401.1, 402.2 and 403.5, whose public text leaves some paragraphs out); Public Law 119-21; and the Federal Register (the visa bond final rule, the 2026 consular fee rule and the July 2025 notice on HR-1 fees). The in-person interview instruction for China and India comes from the State Department's appointment services for China and India. Appointment availability, interview waiver policy for your post, visa validity for your nationality, the photograph specification and the country list for the visa bond are published by the State Department on travel.state.gov and change often, so check them there before you apply.