Corrections and appointments
The official FAQ describes corrections when an embassy or consulate has denied an application because the DS-160 contained errors or was incomplete. Its instructions for that situation should not be read as a general method for editing any submitted form.
State Department: DS-160 frequently asked questions
1. What happens if the consulate asks me to correct my DS-160?
Ask the embassy or consulate to reopen a DS-160 submitted after April 1, 2010 when the application was denied for errors or incompleteness, then correct the reopened form. For forms submitted on or after November 1, 2010, use the application ID and the additional questions shown to access it. This is a consulate-directed correction process; you cannot reopen every submitted form yourself.
2. After correcting my application, do I need a new appointment?
Contact the embassy or consulate where you applied and follow its instructions before changing an appointment. An existing appointment may or may not remain valid, and the official answer does not explain how to change a DS-160 number in a scheduling portal.
Saving and returning to a draft
3. Can I stop filling out the form and return later?
Yes. Keep the application ID issued when you start and the answer to your security question. Use the Next button at the bottom of each completed page to save your progress. You have 30 days to return to a partially completed application; that is a draft-access period, not a stated expiration period for a submitted DS-160.
4. How can I keep my draft for more than 30 days?
Use Save Application to File and save the downloaded application to your computer or another storage device. You can use that saved file to access the application after 30 days. Do not save it where other users could access your personal information.
5. Will a timeout or lost internet connection erase my answers?
Completed pages are saved. Retrieve the application using its ID and the other requested answers; it resumes at the last completed page, and you can edit earlier pages. Unfinished edits on the current page may not have been saved.
6. Why did changes made from the review page not save?
After using an edit link on the review page, navigate with the buttons at the bottom of each form page so the changes save. Do not use the browser’s back and forward controls or the navigation buttons along the side of the screen for this purpose.
7. Can I reuse information from an earlier DS-160?
Yes, to populate a new application. Upload a previously saved application, or retrieve a form submitted after November 1, 2010 and choose Create a New Application. Check every reused answer for current accuracy. Reusing information creates a new form; it does not make an old application ready to submit unchanged.
Confirmation pages
8. Do I need to print the whole DS-160 for the interview?
No. Bring the confirmation page with the application ID so the consulate can retrieve the form, and keep it with you throughout the application process. This concerns the DS-160 printout, not the other documents your visa application may require.
9. Can I reprint a lost confirmation page?
Yes. In CEAC, select the embassy or consulate where you are applying, choose Option C—Retrieve Application, and enter the application ID. You can then view and print the submitted application’s confirmation page. This answer does not provide a recovery procedure if you also lost the ID.
Names and passport details
10. How do I enter a passport with only one name?
Enter the single name in the Surname field. Match the passport exactly. If the passport has no first or given name, enter FNU—meaning first name unknown—in Given Names.
11. Which other names should I include?
Include maiden, religious, professional, and any other names by which you are or have been known. Enter each other name in full. If only your surname changed, include the usual given name with that surname; if only your given name changed, include the usual surname with it.
12. Is a passport book number the same as my passport number?
No. The passport or travel-document number identifies the document you will use to travel. A passport book number is commonly called an inventory control number, and some passports do not have one. If you cannot determine whether yours has one, ask your passport-issuing authority.
Family applications and assistance
13. Does every family member need an individual DS-160?
Yes. Use the family or group option to copy certain shared information, such as the destination, into a new application, but complete an individual application for every family or group member. A shared trip does not turn the family into one DS-160 applicant.
14. Can I correct information copied into a family member’s form?
Yes. Modify automatically populated information before submitting the new application. Check that the copied details describe the person whose form you are completing, including details such as a dependent’s surname or nationality.
15. Can I help my parent or child complete and sign the form?
Yes, when the applicant needs that assistance. Identify the helper on the Sign and Submit page, and have the applicant endorse the application personally when possible. For an applicant under 16 or physically incapable of completing it, a parent or guardian may complete and sign on the applicant’s behalf. If there is no parent or legal guardian, a person with legal custody or a legitimate interest in the applicant may do so.
Records to prepare and form basics
16. Which records should I have beside me while filling out the form?
Have your passport, an itinerary if travel is already arranged, dates of your last five U.S. visits, and information about education and employment nearby. You may also be asked for international travel history from the past five years. These are preparation references; you do not need to purchase travel before applying.
17. Which additional documents help students and petition-based workers?
For F, J, and M applications, have the I-20 or DS-2019 available for the SEVIS ID and school or program address. For the petition-based temporary-worker categories listed, including H-1B, L, and O, have a copy of the I-129. The official answer does not explain which document to use after a school change, petition amendment, or employer transfer.
18. How many previous employers does the FAQ tell me to enter?
Enter your previous two employers. You may also bring a separate written list of all previous employers to the interview for reference. This instruction is about previous employers; there is no equivalent education-history cutoff in that help topic.
19. Can I answer in my native language?
No. Answer in English using English characters, except when the form asks for your full name in your native alphabet. You may use translations of the questions to understand them, but your answers must still follow the English-language requirement.
20. When can I leave an answer blank or select Does Not Apply?
Leave a field blank only when it is marked optional. Use Does Not Apply only when the question does not apply to you. Answer all other questions; the form will prevent submission when required answers are missing.
Official sources and scope
Every answer in this article is based only on the State Department’s DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions, checked September 14, 2026. Where that page gives a limited answer, the limit is stated. It does not supply answers here about social-media disclosures, previous 221(g) cases, salary calculations, or updating a scheduling-portal barcode. This article provides general information and does not predict a visa outcome.