What is the dS-160 visa application worksheet form template?
The DS-160 is the online application for every US nonimmigrant visa: visitor (B1/B2), student (F-1, M-1), exchange (J-1), work (H-1B, L-1, O-1) and more. It can only be filled in on the State Department's Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC). There's no paper or PDF version to fill in ahead of time, and CEAC signs you out after a period of inactivity. People often get stuck partway through looking for an old visa number, a parent's date of birth or the dates of a visit three years ago.
This worksheet follows the DS-160's own sections in the same order: personal details, nationality, the trip, previous US travel, address and phone history, passport, US point of contact, family, work and education, and the additional questions. You can fill it in over several sittings, or send it to a family member who's applying. When it's done you'll have one PDF with every answer to copy across.
FileIt never submits anything to the US government. The worksheet is only for preparing your answers. You still fill in, sign and submit the DS-160 yourself on CEAC, and the official application is free there.
- Best for
- Anyone applying for a US visitor, student, exchange or work visa, and families preparing several applications
- Filled in by
- The applicant, or a family member helping them
- Time to complete
- 30–60 minutes, with your passport and travel history to hand
- Includes
- All DS-160 sections, conditional follow-ups, visa photo upload, notes
Who uses a dS-160 visa application worksheet form?
- A family preparing B1/B2 visitor visa applications for parents visiting their children in the US
- A student gathering SEVIS, school and funding details for an F-1 application
- An employee collecting the I-797 receipt number and employer details for an H-1B or L-1 visa stamp
- An applicant who has to list five years of travel, jobs, phone numbers and social media accounts
- Someone renewing a visa who needs the previous visa's foil number and issue date to hand
- A relative in the US filling in the US point of contact and address details for a visiting family member
Questions on this dS-160 visa application worksheet form
117 questions over 13 pages · includes file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages.
1 Before you start
- Which visa are you applying for?* B1/B2 visitor (business, tourism, family visit, medical treatment) · F-1 student · M-1 vocational student · J-1 exchange visitor · H-1B specialty occupation · L-1 intracompany transferee · O-1 extraordinary ability · C1/D transit or crew member · Another visa class
- Which visa class?* asked only when it applies
- US embassy or consulate where you'll apply
- DS-160 Application ID, once you've started
2 Personal
- Name exactly as in your passport*
- Full name in your native alphabet
- Have you ever used other names?
- Other names you've used asked only when it applies
- Sex, as in your passport Male · Female · X
- Marital status Single · Married · Common law marriage · Civil union / domestic partnership · Widowed · Divorced · Legally separated
- Date of birth*
- City of birth
- State / province of birth
- Country of birth
3 Nationality and ID numbers
- Country of nationality*
- Do you hold, or have you held, any other nationality?
- Other nationalities and their passport numbers asked only when it applies
- Are you a permanent resident of a country other than your country of nationality?
- Which country? asked only when it applies
- National identification number
- US Social Security number
- US taxpayer ID number
4 Your trip
- Have you made specific travel plans?
- Arrival date in the US
- Arrival flight number asked only when it applies
- Arrival city asked only when it applies
- Departure date from the US asked only when it applies
- Departure flight number asked only when it applies
- Intended length of stay asked only when it applies
- Places you'll visit in the US
- Address where you'll stay in the US
- Who is paying for your trip? Self · Another person · Present employer · Employer in the US · Another company or organization
- Name of the person or organization paying asked only when it applies
- Their relationship to you asked only when it applies
- Their address, phone and email asked only when it applies
- Are other people travelling with you?
- Name and relationship of each companion, or the group's name asked only when it applies
5 Previous US travel
- Have you ever been in the US?
- Your last five visits: arrival date and length of stay asked only when it applies
- Have you ever held a US driver's license? asked only when it applies
- License number and state asked only when it applies
- Have you ever been issued a US visa?
- Issue date of your last US visa asked only when it applies
- Visa foil number asked only when it applies
- Are you applying for the same type of visa? asked only when it applies
- Have you been ten-printed (all ten fingerprints taken)? asked only when it applies
- Has a US visa of yours ever been lost or stolen? asked only when it applies
- Has a US visa of yours ever been cancelled or revoked? asked only when it applies
- Have you ever been refused a US visa, refused entry at the border, or withdrawn your application for entry?
- What happened, and when asked only when it applies
- Has anyone ever filed an immigrant petition for you?
- Who filed it, and when asked only when it applies
6 Address, phone, email and social media
- Home address
- Is your mailing address the same as your home address?
- Mailing address asked only when it applies
- Primary phone
- Work phone
- Other phone numbers you've used in the last five years
- Email address
- Other email addresses you've used in the last five years
- Social media used in the last five years: platform and username
7 Passport
- Passport or travel document type Regular · Official · Diplomatic · Laissez-passer · Other
- Passport number*
- Passport book number
- Country or authority that issued it
- City and country where it was issued
- Issue date
- Expiry date
- Have you ever lost a passport or had one stolen?
- Passport number, country and what happened asked only when it applies
8 US point of contact
- Contact person's name
- Organization name
- Relationship to you
- Phone
- US address
9 Family
- Father's name
- Father's date of birth
- Is your father in the US?
- Mother's name
- Mother's date of birth
- Is your mother in the US?
- Do you have other immediate relatives in the US (spouse, fiancé(e), child or sibling)?
- Each one's name, relationship and US status asked only when it applies
- Spouse's name
- Spouse's date of birth asked only when it applies
- Spouse's nationality asked only when it applies
- Spouse's city and country of birth asked only when it applies
- Spouse's address, if different from yours asked only when it applies
10 Work and education
- Primary occupation Employed · Self-employed / business · Student · Homemaker · Retired · Not employed · Government · Other
- Present employer or school
- Its address
- Its phone
- Start date
- Monthly income, with the currency
- Your duties, briefly
- Were you employed before your present job?
- Previous employers: name, address, phone, job title, supervisor, dates and duties asked only when it applies
- Have you attended secondary school (high school) or above?
- Each school: name, address, course of study, dates asked only when it applies
11 Additional questions
- Languages you speak
- Have you travelled to any country in the last five years?
- Countries visited in the last five years asked only when it applies
- Have you belonged to, worked for or contributed to any professional, social or charitable organization?
- Organization names asked only when it applies
- Have you ever served in the military?
- Country, branch, rank, specialty and dates asked only when it applies
- Explanations you'll need for the background questions
12 Students, exchange visitors and workers
- Are you applying for a student, exchange or work visa?
- SEVIS ID asked only when it applies
- US school or program name asked only when it applies
- Petition receipt number asked only when it applies
- US employer or sponsor asked only when it applies
- Where you'll study or work in the US asked only when it applies
- Offered salary or monthly support asked only when it applies
13 Photo and notes
- Your visa photo, for the upload step
- Notes for yourself
The dS-160 visa application worksheet form, page by page
1 Before you start
Explains that the DS-160 is filed only on ceac.state.gov, then asks which visa you're applying for, the embassy or consulate, and your Application ID once CEAC gives you one. CEAC keeps an application you haven't submitted for 30 days.
2 Personal, nationality and ID numbers
Name exactly as in the passport, any native-alphabet name and other names used, sex, marital status, and date and place of birth. Then nationality, other nationalities, permanent residence in another country, national ID number and any US Social Security or taxpayer number.
3 Your trip and previous US travel
Flights or intended arrival and length of stay, places you'll visit, your US address, who is paying and who's travelling with you. Then your last five US visits, any US driver's license, previous visas (with the foil number and issue date), refusals and any immigrant petition. Each follow-up appears only when it applies.
4 Contact history and passport
Home and mailing addresses, phone numbers and email addresses from the last five years, and social media usernames. Then passport type, number, book number, issuing authority, dates, and any lost or stolen passport.
5 Point of contact, family, work and education
Your US point of contact, your parents and spouse, and immediate relatives in the US. Then your present job or school, monthly income and duties, previous employers and schools, languages, countries visited, organizations and military service.
6 Student and work visas, photo and notes
For F, M, J, H, L and O visas: the SEVIS ID, school or program, petition receipt number and US employer. Finally, your visa photo (CEAC's size rules are in the help text), a place to draft explanations for the background questions, and notes for yourself.
Make the template yours
- Remove the student and work page if your family only ever applies for visitor visas
- Set the vault folder and family member so each applicant's worksheet is filed under their name
- Send it by email to each family member who's applying, so everyone fills in their own
- Make more questions required if you want a complete worksheet before anyone opens CEAC
- Add a checklist of supporting documents your embassy asks to see at the interview
Tips for a better dS-160 visa application worksheet form
- Write down your DS-160 Application ID as soon as CEAC shows it, and record it on the first page of the worksheet
- Copy names, passport numbers and dates exactly as printed. A mismatch with your passport can delay the visa
- Check that your passport will be valid for at least six months beyond your stay, unless your country is exempt
- Answer the security and background questions on CEAC yourself, carefully. Use the worksheet only to draft explanations
- After you submit, print the confirmation page with the barcode. You'll need it for your interview appointment
- This worksheet is for preparation only and isn't legal or immigration advice. Ask an immigration lawyer if your situation is complicated
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
When the worksheet is submitted, FileIt saves it as a PDF in the vault folder you chose, filed under the family member if you set one, with the visa photo attached. Open it next to ceac.state.gov and copy each section across.
After CEAC accepts the DS-160, upload its confirmation page to the same folder. FileIt recognizes it as a Visa Application and reads the Application ID. When the visa itself arrives, upload it too. FileIt reads its expiry date and reminds you before it runs out.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
DS-160 visa application worksheet form: frequently asked questions
Is this the official DS-160 form?
No. The DS-160 exists only online at ceac.state.gov, and there's no paper or PDF version. This is a worksheet that follows the same sections so you can prepare your answers first.
Does FileIt submit my DS-160?
No. FileIt never submits anything to the US government. You copy your answers into CEAC, then sign and submit the application there yourself.
Is the worksheet free?
Yes. It's included in the Forms app on every FileIt account, including the free plan. The DS-160 itself is also free. Only the visa fee is paid, to the embassy or consulate.
Why does it ask about the last five years?
The DS-160 asks for phone numbers, email addresses, social media accounts, countries visited and US visits from the last five years. Those are usually the answers people have to look up.
Can I fill in a worksheet for my parents or children?
Yes. Fill it in for them, or send it to them by email. Each worksheet is filed as a separate PDF, and you can file it under that family member's folder.
Is my information kept private?
The answers are encrypted and the PDF is stored in your own vault. Don't enter passwords or the answer to your CEAC security question. The worksheet doesn't ask for either.
Does it cover the security and background questions?
It leaves space to draft any explanation you'll need, but you should read and answer those questions yourself on CEAC, exactly as they're worded there.