B-1/B-2 Visitor Visa Guide: Application, Visa Bonds and ESTA Alternatives

To get a US visitor visa, you complete the online DS-160, pay the $185 visa application fee, and attend an in-person interview at a US embassy or consulate in your home country, where you must show you will return home after a temporary trip. Citizens of the 42 Visa Waiver Program countries can usually use ESTA instead, which costs $40.27 ($40.62 from October 16, 2026). Applicants from about 50 countries may also have to post a refundable visa bond of $10,000 to $20,000.

Key points

• B-1 covers business visits such as meetings, conferences and contract negotiations. B-2 covers tourism, family visits and medical treatment. Most visas are issued as a combined B-1/B-2.
• Costs: $185 application fee, a possible reciprocity fee, and a possible visa bond. The $250 Visa Integrity Fee is enacted but had not been collected in the latest reports.
• Interviews are required for almost everyone since September 2, 2025, except some renewals within 12 months.
• Visa bonds became permanent on August 3, 2026, at $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000.
• Nationals of the 39 travel-ban countries generally cannot get B visas unless an exception applies.

What you can and cannot do on a B-1/B-2 visa

Allowed	Not allowed
Tourism, vacations, visiting friends and family	Working for a US employer or being paid by a US source (with narrow exceptions)
Business meetings, conferences, negotiating contracts	Study for credit (short recreational courses are allowed)
Medical treatment	Working as a performer or journalist (other visas apply)
Settling an estate	Permanent residence
Amateur events or contests without pay	Arriving to give birth mainly to obtain US citizenship for the child (officers may treat this as an improper purpose)

If your plans fall outside the “allowed” column, you need a different visa. Officers check whether your stated purpose matches your documents.

How to apply, step by step

1. Check whether you need a visa. If you are a citizen of a Visa Waiver Program country and your trip is 90 days or less, ESTA may be enough (see below).
2. Complete Form DS-160 online. Answer every question honestly, including all social media identifiers you have used in the past 5 years, and upload a photo that meets the requirements.
3. Pay the $185 application fee (State Department fees). It is not refundable, even if you are refused.
4. Book your interview at the embassy or consulate in your country of nationality or residence. Since September 2025, third-country appointments are generally not available.
5. Prepare documents. Bring your passport, DS-160 confirmation page, appointment confirmation and fee receipt. Also bring evidence of ties and finances, such as an employment letter, pay slips, business registration, property records, bank statements, a travel itinerary and an invitation letter if visiting someone.
6. Attend the interview. Answer clearly and consistently. The officer decides mostly from your answers and your DS-160.
7. Receive the decision. If approved, your passport is returned with the visa. If you are from a bond country, you may be asked to pay a bond first (see below).

Interview waivers

Most applicants must interview in person. You may qualify for a waiver if you are renewing a full-validity B-1/B-2 visa or Border Crossing Card within 12 months of its expiration, were 18 or older when it was issued, have no prior refusals, and apply in your home country. Full details are in our guide to US visa appointments, interview waivers and social media checks.

The 214(b) test: why visitor visas are refused

Under INA section 214(b), every visitor visa applicant is presumed to be an intending immigrant until they convince the officer otherwise. To overcome this, show:

• a clear, temporary purpose for the trip;
• enough money to pay for it;
• strong ties that will make you return: a job, a business, studies, family, property;
• a good travel history, especially previous trips to the US, UK, Schengen area, Canada or Australia where you followed the rules.

There is no fixed list of documents, and no document guarantees approval. A 214(b) refusal is not permanent. You can reapply when your circumstances have changed or you can present your case more clearly.

Visa fees and bonds in 2026

Cost	Amount	Notes
Visa application (MRV) fee	$185	Non-refundable
Reciprocity (issuance) fee	Varies by nationality, often $0	Paid only if the visa is issued
Visa Integrity Fee	$250 (enacted by H.R. 1)	Not being collected in the latest reports. Check before your appointment
Visa bond (designated countries)	$10,000, $15,000 or $20,000	Refundable if you follow the visa’s terms

Visa bonds

The State Department made its visa bond program permanent on August 3, 2026 (Federal Register):

• Applies only to B-1/B-2 applicants from designated countries. About 50 countries are listed, many in Africa, plus countries in Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific. The list can change with 15 days’ notice.
• The officer sets $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000, with $15,000 as the default. These are higher than the 2025 pilot amounts ($5,000 to $15,000).
• You pay through Form I-352 on pay.gov after the interview. A relative or other third party may pay.
• You must enter and depart through a commercial airport or CBP preclearance location.
• The bond is refunded if you leave by your I-94 date or timely file to extend or change status. It is forfeited if you overstay or violate your status, and the rule lists filing for asylum as a breach.

How long you can stay

The visa is your permission to travel to a US port of entry. The I-94 record created when you arrive shows how long you may stay. B-2 visitors are commonly admitted for up to 6 months, and the regulations allow up to 1 year. Check your I-94 online at the CBP website after each entry.

You can ask USCIS to extend your stay or change status with Form I-539 ($470 paper / $420 online) before your I-94 expires. Changing to student status, for example, is possible but slow and risky if your intent changed soon after arrival. See USCIS fees 2026.

ESTA: the visa-free alternative

The Visa Waiver Program lets citizens of 42 countries visit for up to 90 days for tourism or business using an ESTA approval instead of a visa (DHS).

	ESTA (Visa Waiver Program)	B-1/B-2 visa
Who	Citizens of 42 VWP countries	Anyone eligible
Interview	No	Usually yes
Cost	$40.27; $40.62 from Oct 16, 2026	$185 + any reciprocity fee or bond
Maximum stay	90 days, no extension	Set at entry, often up to 6 months; extension possible
Change of status inside the US	Not allowed	Possible with Form I-539
Validity	2 years or passport expiry	Varies by nationality, up to 10 years

The ESTA fee rose from $21 to $40 on September 30, 2025 under H.R. 1. It is now adjusted for inflation each year. The FY 2027 notice sets it at $40.62 from October 16, 2026 (Federal Register). CBP has also proposed making 5 years of social media history mandatory on ESTA applications. As of October 2026 this was a proposal, not a confirmed requirement.

Some VWP citizens must get a visa instead, for example people who have traveled to Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen on or after March 1, 2011, or to Cuba on or after January 12, 2021 (limited exceptions apply), and people who were refused ESTA or previously overstayed.

Chinese nationals with 10-year B visas must also enroll in EVUS ($30.75; $31.75 from October 16, 2026).

What to do next

1. Decide whether you can use ESTA or need a B-1/B-2 visa.
2. Check the wait time at your local US embassy and book early.
3. Gather proof of your purpose, finances and ties before completing the DS-160.
4. If your country is on the visa bond list, plan for a possible $15,000 bond and keep proof of timely departure.
5. If you have a past refusal, overstay or arrest, consult a licensed immigration lawyer first.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Fees and rules checked October 11, 2026. More guides are on our US hub and updates page.