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How to apply for or renew a U.S. tourist visa

If you visit the U.S. for tourism or business, you may need a visitor visa, also known as a tourist visa. Learn how to get and renew this type of nonimmigrant visa.

To enter the U.S., you must bring a passport issued by your country of citizenship along with your visa. Officials at your port of entry into the U.S. will also issue you a Form I-94, which electronically records your arrival and departure dates. Learn more about Form I-94 and how to apply .

Find out if you need a visa to visit the U.S.

Check to see if your country participates in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) . If it does, you can get a waiver and will not need a visa. If you do not see your country listed, you will need a visitor visa.

Visitor (tourist) visa

The visitor visa, also known as a tourist visa, is a type of nonimmigrant visa for people who wish to temporarily enter the U.S. There are two categories:

• B-1 for business travel
• B-2 for tourism and medical treatment

Learn about B-1 and B-2 visas , including:

• Reasons you would need each type of visitor visa
• How to apply
• What documents you will need
• Application fees
• How to prepare for your interview at your U.S. embassy or consulate

How to renew a visitor visa

You must renew your visitor visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. Only diplomatic visa holders and their dependents can renew their visas within the U.S.

The process to renew a visitor visa is the same as getting one for the first time. Follow the process to apply for a visitor visa from the Department of State.

Find the contact information for your nearest U.S. embassy or consulate and contact them for visa renewal information.

LAST UPDATED: December 6, 2023

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Coming to the United States Temporarily - Nonimmigrant Visa Services Coming to the United States Permanently - Immigrant Services Special Visa Services

This webpage lists visa application fees and other visa related fees collected by Department of State. Note that many immigration-related forms are submitted to the Department of Homeland Security’s United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and not to the Department of State. If the type of information or form you are seeking is not shown here, select USCIS Forms and Fees  to go to the USCIS Website to review more.

Coming to the United States Temporarily - Nonimmigrant Visa Services

Nonimmigrant visa application processing fees are tiered, as shown below, based on the visa category for which you are applying.

Notice: Every visa applicant must pay the visa application processing fee for the visa category being applied for, unless the application fee is not required, as listed below .

Description of Service and Fee Amount (All fees = $ in US currency)

Nonimmigrant visa application processing fee (non-refundable) for all categories below

• Non-petition-based nonimmigrant visa (except E): $185.00

Includes (but not limited to), the following visa categories:

*Though petition-based nonimmigrant visas, the processing fee for these visas is $185.00

• Petition based visa categories: $205.00

Includes these visa categories:

• E - Treaty Trader/Investor, Australian Professional Specialty category visa: $315.00
• K – Fiancé(e) or Spouse of U.S. citizen category visa: $265.00

Border crossing card fees

• Border crossing card - age 15 and over (Valid 10 years): $185.00
• Border crossing card - under age 15; for Mexican citizens if parent or guardian has or is applying for a border crossing card (valid 10 years or until the applicant reaches age 15, whichever is sooner): $15.00
• L visa fraud prevention and detection fee - for visa applicant included in L blanket petition  (principal applicant only): $500.00
• The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-113) increases fees for certain H-1B and L-1 petitioners.  Consular sections collect this fee for blanket L-1 visa applications (principal applicant only) filed by petitioners who employ 50 or more individuals in the United States if more than 50 percent of those individuals are in H-1B or L-1 nonimmigrant status: $4,500.00 

When the nonimmigrant visa application processing fee is not required:

• Applicants for A, G, C-2, C-3, NATO, and diplomatic visas (defined in 22 CFR 41.26): No Fee
• Applicants for J visas participating in official U.S. Government-sponsored educational and cultural exchanges: No Fee (See Exchange Visitor Visas for further detailed fee information.)
• Replacement of machine-readable visa when the original visa was not properly affixed or needs to be reissued through no fault of the applicant: No Fee
• Applicants exempted by international agreement as determined by Visa Services, including members and staff of an observer mission to United Nations Headquarters recognized by the UN General Assembly, and their immediate families: No Fee
• Applicants travelling to provide charitable services as determined by Visa Services: No Fee
• U.S. government employees travelling on official business: No Fee
• A parent, sibling, spouse or child of a U.S. government employee killed in the line of duty who is traveling to attend the employee’s funeral and/or burial; or a parent, sibling, spouse, son or daughter of a U.S. government employee critically injured in the line of duty for visitation during emergency treatment and convalescence: No Fee

Nonimmigrant visa issuance fee, including border-crossing cards.

• See the  Visa Reciprocity Tables  to find out the visa issuance fee amount, if applicable:  Fee varies (Reciprocal)

When the nonimmigrant visa issuance fee is not required:

• An official representative of a foreign government or an international or regional organization of which the United States is a member; members and staff of an observer mission to United Nations Headquarters recognized by the UN General Assembly; and applicants for diplomatic visas as defined under item 22(a); and their immediate families:  No Fee
• An applicant transiting to and from the United Nations Headquarters:  No Fee
• An applicant participating in a U.S. government sponsored program which may include applicant’s dependent spouse and children:  No Fee
• An applicant travelling to provide charitable services as determined by Visa Services:  No Fee

Other - When a Visa is Not Required - Visa Waiver Program

• Citizens of Visa Waiver Program participating countries, and meeting requirements pay a small fee. Select USCIS fees to learn more.

Coming to the United States Permanently - Immigrant Services

Immigrant visa application processing fees are tiered, as shown below, based on the visa category you apply for.

Notice: Every visa applicant must pay the visa application processing fee for the visa category being applied for.

Filing an Immigrant Visa Petition  (When collected by U.S. Embassies and Consulates for USCIS. Fees subject to change.)

Immigrant Visa Application Processing Fees (non-refundable, per person) 

Note: Forms and fee amounts are listed for immigration petitions which are submitted to Department of State, either accepted at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad, or within the United States to the National Visa Center or Kentucky Consular Center. Other immigration related forms can only be approved by the Department of Homeland Security's United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). For other fees (relating to forms starting with an "I" select USCIS Forms and Fees for additional information.

Special Visa Services

Note:   These fee charts are based on the Code of Federal Regulations - Title 22, Part 22, Sections 22.1 through 22.7.)

More Information

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Visa changes coming this year will mean fewer cards for Americans

Visa customers will soon be able to use a single card for multiple credit, bank accounts and payment options.

AI allowing payment companies to develop ‘sophisticated’ models to defend against fraud: Rohit Chauhan

Co-host of ‘The Big Money Show’ Jackie DeAngelis speaks with Mastercard EVP of Artificial Intelligence Rohit Chauhan to discuss the company’s efforts to defend against credit card fraud.  

Major changes announced by Visa this week mean Americans will soon not need to carry around as many credit and debit cards .

During Visa's annual Payments Forum in San Francisco on Wednesday, the company unveiled its new Visa Flexible Credential, which will allow customers to use a single card to access payment options from multiple credit and bank accounts , and even "Buy Now Pay Later" plans when making a purchase.

Visa's flexible payment option is already available in Asia, and the company will begin rolling it out in the U.S. later this year. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo / Reuters Photos)

Visa's flexible payment option is already available in Asia, and the company will begin rolling it out in the U.S. later this year.

The card giant also said it will be expanding the ways consumers can "tap" to pay using mobile devices this year. 

CREDIT CARD DELINQUENCIES ARE SURGING

Soon, any device can be used as a point-of-sale (POS) device for payment. Customers will also be able to "tap" to confirm their identities, to add a card to a wallet or app, and to make a person-to-person payment.

Customers will also be able to "tap" to confirm their identities, to add a card to a wallet or app, and to make a person-to-person payment. (Thomas Cooper/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Visa is also introducing a new Payment Passkey Service that will allow customers to make online payments with a scan of their face or a fingerprint, replacing the need to input passwords or one-time codes.

CREDIT CARD DEBT POISED TO SMASH ANOTHER RECORD HIGH

"The industry is at a pivotal point — new technologies like Gen AI are rapidly shifting how we shop and manage our finances," said Jack Forestell, Visa's chief product and strategy officer. 

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"We’re announcing the next generation of truly digital-native payment card experiences," he continued. "Today we unveiled new card features and digital innovations that will bring consumers into a more customized, convenient and secure future."

Changes from Visa mean Americans will carry fewer physical credit, debit cards in their wallets

NEW YORK (AP) — Your wallet may soon be getting thinner.

Visa on Wednesday announced major changes to how credit and debit cards will operate in the U.S. in the coming months and years.

The new features could mean Americans will be carrying fewer physical cards in their wallets, and will make the 16-digit credit or debit card number printed on every card increasingly irrelevant.

They will be some of the biggest changes to how payments operate in the U.S. since the U.S. rolled out chip-embedded cards several years ago. They also come as Americans have many more options to pay for purchases beyond “credit or debit," including buy now, pay later companies, peer-to-peer payment options, paying directly with a bank, or digital payment systems like Apple Pay.

“I think (with these features) we’re getting past the point where consumers may never need to manually enter an account number ever again,” said Mark Nelsen, Visa’s global head of consumer payments, in an interview.

The biggest change coming for Americans will be the ability for banks to issue one physical payment card that will be connected to multiple bank accounts. That means no more carrying, for example, a Bank of America or Chase debit card as well as their respective credit cards in a physical wallet. Americans will be able to set criteria with their bank — such as having all purchases below $100 or with a certain merchant applied to the debit card, while other purchases go on the credit card.

The feature, already being used in Asia, will be available this summer. Buy now, pay later company Affirm is the first of Visa's customers to roll out the feature in the U.S.

Some of Visa’s new features are in response to online-payments fraud, which continues to increase as more countries adopt digital payments. The San Francisco-based company estimates that payment fraud happens roughly seven times more often online than it does in person, and there are now billions of stolen credit and debit card numbers available to criminals.

Other new elements are also in response to features that non-payments companies have rolled out in recent years. The Apple Card, which uses Mastercard as its payment network, does not come with a printed 16-digit account number and Apple Card users can request a fresh credit card number at any time without having to dispose of the physical card.

Visa executives see a future where banks will issue cards where the 16-digit account number, if the new cards come with them, is largely symbolic.

Among the other updates unveiled by Visa are changes to tap-to-pay features. Americans will be able to tap their credit or debit cards to their smartphones to add the card to mobile wallets, instead of using a smartphone's camera to scan in a card's information, or tap the card to their smartphones to approve a transaction online. Visa will also start implementing biometrics to approve transactions, similar to how Apple devices use a fingerprint or face scan to approve transactions.

The features will take time to filter down to the banks, which will decide when or what to implement for their customers. But since the banks and credit card companies are Visa's customers, and issue cards with the Visa label, these are features that the financial institutions have been asking for.

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Fee Payment Options

Scheduling your interview, more information.

In most cases, each visa applicant, including children, is required to pay a non-refundable, non-transferable Machine Readable Visa (MRV) application fee, whether a visa is issued or not. The visa application fee is determined by the type of visa for which you wish to apply.

Remember, the MRV fee is non-refundable. Please confirm whether or not you need to apply for a visa. You may not need to apply for a new U.S. visa if you already hold a valid U.S. visa or are a national of a Visa Waiver Program participating country.

Certain individuals may not need a visa, or may be exempt from the fee, for example:

• If you are applying for an A or G visa for official travel, you do not need to pay the MRV fee
• If you are applying for a J visa to participate in a U.S. Government-sponsored program, you do not need to pay the MRV fee
• If you are a citizen of Canada or Bermuda (but not applying for an A, E, G, K or V visa category), you may not need a visa

If you do need to apply for a visa, please follow the instructions below for paying your visa application fee. For more information about fee exemptions, please visit this page .

Remember: Applicants are limited to the number of times they can reschedule their appointments. Please plan accordingly so that you are not required to make another visa application fee. Visa application fees are nonrefundable.

Cash at Bank

You can pay your nonimmigrant visa application fee with cash at any RCBC. Before going to the bank, you must print the applicable U.S. visa application deposit slip available below on this page. Take the printed deposit slip with you to pay your fee.

DO NOT print multiple copies of the same deposit slip. You must have a unique deposit slip for each transaction.

If you print a deposit slip in advance of the day in which you plan to make your payment, please take note of the expiration date on the deposit slip. If the expiration date passes prior to using the slip to make your payment, simply return to this site and re-click the appropriate link below to generate a new deposit slip. Bank agents will NOT accept payments based on expired deposit slips. Upon receiving of your payment, bank will issue you a receipt. Save your receipt. It cannot be replaced if it is lost. You will not be able to schedule an appointment without your receipt number.

Select the deposit slip that matches your visa application fee from the list below. Values are shown in U.S. dollars and native currency. This page has more information about the different visa application fees.

• Deposit Slip - $185 MRV Fee - B1/B2, C-1, D, F, I, J, M, T, TN/TD, U
• Deposit Slip - $205 MRV Fee - CW, H, L, O, P, Q, R
• Deposit Slip - $265 MRV Fee - K
• Deposit Slip - $315 MRV Fee - E

After you have paid the visa application fee, keep the BANK receipt for your records. It cannot be replaced if it is lost. You will not be able to schedule an appointment without your receipt number

Online Payment

You can make an online payment via PesoNet

If you are paying for more than one applicant, please DO NOT make a lump sum payment for all the applicants. A UID/receipt number is required for each visa application fee payment for EACH applicant for scheduling an appointment. After you have paid the visa application fee, please keep the fee receipt for your records.

Whether you schedule your appointment online or contact our call center , you will need the receipt number printed on your receipt.

You can schedule your interview after four hours of paying your visa application fee.

The table below shows the different fee payment processing times and when you can schedule your interview after paying your application fee.

If you have any questions regarding the consular currency exchange rate, see the Visa Fee page ; click here to create a profile and answer five short questions so that we can determine the correct amount you must pay.

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Biometric protections for your payments

Expansions to tap-to-pay technology, how to protect your information, the bottom line, is this the end of plastic visa’s new technology could render physical cards obsolete.

New AI advances could put all your payment methods in one place, secured by a fingerprint or facial scan.

Evan Zimmer

Staff Writer

Evan Zimmer has been writing about finance for years. After graduating with a journalism degree from SUNY Oswego, he wrote credit card content for Credit Card Insider (now Money Tips) before moving to ZDNET Finance to cover credit card, banking and blockchain news. He currently works with CNET Money to bring readers the most accurate and up-to-date financial information. Otherwise, you can find him reading, rock climbing, snowboarding and enjoying the outdoors.

Tiffany Connors

Tiffany Wendeln Connors is a senior editor for CNET Money with a focus on credit cards. Previously, she covered personal finance topics as a writer and editor at The Penny Hoarder. She is passionate about helping people make the best money decisions for themselves and their families. She graduated from Bowling Green State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism and has been a writer and editor for publications including the New York Post, Women's Running magazine and Soap Opera Digest. When she isn't working, you can find her enjoying life in St. Petersburg, Florida, with her husband, daughter and a very needy dog.

The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.

The days of shuffling through your credit cards could be at an end. You’ll soon be able to store your payment methods -- credit cards, debit cards, bank accounts -- all in one place, potentially rendering physical cards and even credit card numbers obsolete, according to credit card giant Visa.

It’s part of the credit card processor’s plans to use generative AI to change the landscape of payments. After all, when was the last time you swiped or inserted your credit or debit card to make a payment? Tap-to-pay reached 65% global adoption rates at the end of 2023, according to Visa. “The industry is at a pivotal point -- new technologies like Gen AI are rapidly shifting how we shop and manage our finances,” Jack Forestell, chief product and strategy officer at Visa, said in a press release .

In addition to bolstering its tap-to-pay capabilities, Visa announced Wednesday a suite of new payment technologies that look to change how you make payments across your accounts, including where and how you use your cards.

Within a decade, you’ll likely access all of your cards with one credential and choose which payment method you’d like to use. That includes not just credit and debit cards, but also buy now, pay later options and direct payments from your bank account.

Could this be the first step toward physical credit cards going away? “That would seem to be the logical trajectory,” said John Ulzheimer, a credit expert formerly of FICO, Equifax and Credit.com. “There are already fully digitized driver’s licenses and digitized credit cards -- Apple Card and ApplePay [for example] -- so why not go fully digital across the board?”

However, some credit card experts express wariness with this new tech.

“I’m very skeptical that this will work out well for consumers or merchants,” said CNET Money Expert Review Board member Jason Steele. “There are just too many online and telephone interactions that rely on consumers providing card numbers to merchants. Most consumers find themselves providing card numbers to complete transactions several times a week.”

Visa’s service is currently available in Asia, with plans to roll out to the US this summer.

With Visa Payment Passkey, Visa is looking to combat digital fraud and prevent bad actors from making unauthorized payments with your card.

According to the payment-processing giant, fraud occurs seven times more often digitally than it does during in-person transactions. With Passkey, you can use your unique biometrics -- your face or fingerprint -- to confirm online transactions and prevent unauthorized payments.

You’ll go through online checkout as usual and add your card information. Then an additional screen will pop up to verify your identity with either a face or fingerprint scan. It’s being piloted in the European Union now, with plans to hit North America beginning in the third quarter of 2024.

“[Biometric confirmation is] a lot harder to compromise,” said James Mirfin, SVP, global head of risk and identity solutions at Visa.

However, adoption of this technology could vary from person to person. “There will always be people who are uncomfortable using biometric anything, including face recognition, voice recognition, retinal scan tech and fingerprint tech,” Ulzheimer said. “I can see there still being a two-step authentication needed until a full biometric authentication process is deemed to be AI-fraud proof.”

Gen AI could be a big concern when it comes to using biometrics to confirm a purchase, said credit expert and CNET Expert Review Board member Gerri Detweiler. “There are serious and valid concerns with voice recognition and face recognition technologies in banking and payment technology,” she said. “However, when we are talking about credit cards, issuers and merchants bear a lot of the risk, since consumers have strong fraud protection under federal law.”

Visa is also expanding its tap-to-pay capabilities. The days of taking a photo of your card to add to your digital wallet are gone. Instead, Visa is rolling out technology that will allow you to tap your card on your smart device to add it to your wallet. You’ll also be able to tap your card to your phone to confirm a transaction without needing to input any additional information. 

With physical card numbers become less important, and borderline more risky compared to using a virtual credit card number for your online shopping, it stands to reason cards could soon be shipped without physical numbers printed on the card itself. “I don’t expect the transition to numberless cards will happen that quickly,” Detweiler said. “There are still plenty of cardholders who want a physical card with a number, or who will need that information for certain types of purchases. But we’re moving in that direction, and these changes are where that starts.”

While the new technology could potentially help protect you from bad actors, there are ways you can help protect yourself from fraud right now:

• Use a virtual card number . A virtual credit card number generates a unique card number to use online. It prevents a merchant from storing your credit card information, helping keep your financial data more secure.
• Don’t give out your personal information. Even if you agree to receive texts from your bank or credit card, they’ll never ask for personal or confidential information via text messages. 
• Consider using an identity theft protection and monitoring service . The best services monitor your personal data for signs of fraud and identity theft. Many also flag suspicious credit and bank activity.
• Sign up for a free credit monitoring service . Some of them will monitor the dark web for your personal identifying information like your Social Security number and email.

Visa is pushing the digital payment space into the next stage while also expanding the popular tap-to-pay capabilities of its cards. Its work with AI fraud detection aims to add extra layers of security for online transactions.

But whether these new products will become standard across the board remains to be seen. For them to truly become commonplace, it’ll take the adoption of these new methods by the banks that issue cards and the merchants that accept them. 

“There’s a constant race for innovation among payment networks, brands and issuers,” Detweiler said. “The way many of us make payments will look different in a year or five years from now.”

Other card networks -- American Express, Discover and Mastercard -- would also need to allow their products to be added to Visa’s Flexible Credentials for it to truly be a one-stop shop for all of your card and payment information.

CNET editors independently choose every product and service we cover. Though we can’t review every available financial company or offer, we strive to make comprehensive, rigorous comparisons in order to highlight the best of them. For many of these products and services, we earn a commission. The compensation we receive may impact how products and links appear on our site.

JPMorgan Offers Faster Domestic Payments Via Visa Direct 

J.P. Morgan  and  Visa  have teamed to offer faster domestic payments via  Visa Direct .

The collaboration, announced Monday (May 6) is designed to improve merchant experiences and empower cardholders for customers of  J.P. Morgan Payments .

“With Visa Direct’s extensive reach in the U.S., J.P. Morgan Payments will empower merchants, businesses and FinTechs to embed faster domestic payments into their solutions,” the companies said in a news release provided to PYMNTS.

This includes its Push to Card payment rail, which allows for the fast and secure movement of funds directly to recipients’ bank accounts and digital accounts by leveraging the debit card credential. 

“This is an important collaboration for our clients and our business. Visa Direct’s capabilities align strategically with our commitment to delivering innovative solutions to our clients,” said John Skinner , co-head of treasury services at J.P. Morgan Payments.

“By boosting our ability to deliver faster payments, we’re streamlining payment processes, enhancing liquidity management, and providing greater convenience for our customers.”

The partnership comes days after J.P. Morgan announced a  new program for its small business clients, letting companies opt for real-time payments on a pay-as-one-goes continuum. Chase is a participant in both real-time payment rails operating today: the RTP® network, via The Clearing House, and the FedNow® Service.

Writing about the partnership last week, PYMNTS noted that in “B2B interactions, faster payments — especially ad hoc payments — may prove to be a competitive advantage .”

Research by PYMNTS Intelligence has shown that nonrecurring payments account for roughly a quarter of total accounts payable volume, with a third of companies surveyed saying that improved customer/client satisfaction would be part of improved ad hoc payments.

In addition, 60% of companies sending tips and payments to employees and gig workers will pay a fee to use instant payments, according to research from “ Streamlining Ad Hoc Payments With Instant Pay,”  a collaboration with Ingo Payments.

“The greenfield opportunity for instant payments to be part of a business’s payment options — depending on the use case — looms large,” PYMNTS wrote. “As many as 30% of these types of payments are made to individuals, and roughly a quarter are made to other businesses.”

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