DS-260 Immigrant Visa Application Guide

If you are going through consular processing — that is, your green-card interview happens at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad instead of inside the United States — the Form DS-260 is your last big paperwork hurdle before the interview. It is the online immigrant visa application managed by the Department of State, and it picks up where the NVC stage leaves off. Every applicant (principal and each family member) must file their own.

Where the DS-260 fits in the timeline

The consular green-card path follows a predictable sequence: (1) USCIS approves your I-130 or I-140 petition, (2) the National Visa Center (NVC) opens your case and asks for fees + documents, (3) you pay the fees and complete the DS-260, (4) you submit civil documents and the affidavit of support, (5) NVC schedules your interview, (6) you attend the interview at the embassy. The DS-260 is step 3 — but you cannot submit it until NVC has processed your fee payments.

Before you start: required documents

The DS-260 asks for detailed personal history. Having these documents at your desk saves time and prevents session timeouts:

• Passport — valid for at least six months beyond your intended visa issuance date
• Previous U.S. visa information — if you have visited the U.S. before
• Employment history — last 10 years, with employer names, addresses, job titles, and dates
• Education history — all schools attended from secondary onward
• Travel history — all trips to the U.S. in the last five years
• Address history — all addresses where you have lived for six months or more since age 16
• Family information — parents’ full names, dates of birth, and addresses (if living)

Accessing and completing the DS-260

Log into the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) at ceac.state.gov using your NVC case number and invoice ID. On your case summary page, click “START NOW” under “IV Application” for each applicant. The form is a multi-page web application that auto-saves as you click “Next” between sections. If your session is idle for 20 minutes, only the current page is lost — everything saved on previous pages remains.

What the DS-260 asks

The form covers these main sections, drawn from the official DS-260 sample published by the Department of State:

1. Personal information — full name, date and place of birth, nationality, marital status
2. Address and phone — current home address, mailing address, phone, email
3. Passport information — passport number, issuing country, expiration date
4. U.S. contact — the person you will live with or who knows your plans in the U.S.
5. Family information — parents, current and former spouse(s), children
6. Previous U.S. travel — all visits, visa types, and any immigration violations
7. Work and education — current occupation, employer/school, prior employment and education
8. Security and background — standard inadmissibility questions (criminal, health, immigration violations)

All answers must be in English using English characters. Letters with diacritical marks (like ñ or é) should be entered without them (e.g., Muñoz → Munoz). The form will explicitly tell you when a native-alphabet answer is required.

After you submit

Print or email yourself the DS-260 confirmation page. You must bring it to your visa interview. Do not mail it to NVC. Then proceed to the next CEAC step: uploading your civil documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate, police certificates, military records) and the financial sponsor’s affidavit of support (Form I-864). NVC reviews everything and, once complete, schedules your interview at the embassy or consulate.