Updated November 11, 2026

American tourist visa fee: B-1/B-2 application, Border Crossing Card and extension costs

Applying for an American tourist visa requires paying the non-petition-based nonimmigrant visa application processing fee set by the Department of State under 22 CFR 22.1, shown in the fee schedule below. This base processing fee took effect on May 30, 2023, and stays the same whether your B-1/B-2 visitor visa is issued for a single entry or a 10-year multiple-entry period. If you are already in the United States and need to extend your visitor stay, you apply to USCIS using Form I-539 and pay the online or paper filing fee in our table.

U.S. tourist visa and visitor fee schedule

Every government fee connected to applying for an American tourist visa abroad, crossing the border as a Mexican visitor, or managing your visitor status inside the United States comes from two federal schedules: the Department of State's Schedule of Fees for Consular Services (22 CFR 22.1) and the USCIS Fee Schedule (8 CFR 106.2 and Form G-1055).

Fees from ecfr.gov, federalregister.gov, and uscis.gov, as of November 2026

How the B-1/B-2 tourist visa application fee works

When you apply for a standard B-1/B-2 visitor visa, you pay the non-petition-based nonimmigrant visa application processing fee in the table above. In State Department rules, this is also called the machine-readable visa (MRV) fee. The current amount took effect on May 30, 2023, following a final rule published in the Federal Register on March 28, 2023.

By law (8 U.S.C. 1713(b)), the State Department sets this fee to recover the actual cost of providing nonimmigrant visa processing services. The agency uses an Activity-Based Costing model to calculate the direct and indirect expenses of running consular sections worldwide, including staff, equipment, materials, and office space, divided by a 10-year average of visa demand.

One question comes up constantly: does a 10-year multiple-entry tourist visa cost more to apply for than a single-entry or one-year visa? No. The State Department explains in its March 2023 final rule that it does not set nonimmigrant visa application processing fees based on the number of years a visa is valid. The work and cost required for a consular officer to adjudicate and process your application do not vary significantly whether the resulting visa is valid for one year or ten years, or for one entry or multiple entries.

What the application processing fee covers, and who is exempt under 22 CFR 22.1 Item 22:

• Every non-petition-based visitor pays the same base processing fee per person, unless they fall into a specific regulatory exemption.
• Applicants traveling to provide charitable services, as determined by the Department of State, pay no application processing fee.
• A parent, sibling, spouse, or child of a U.S. government employee killed in the line of duty traveling to attend the funeral or burial, or visiting a critically injured employee during emergency treatment and convalescence, pays no fee.
• U.S. government employees traveling on government business, applicants for A, G, C-3, NATO, and diplomatic visas, and J visa applicants in U.S. government-sponsored educational and cultural exchanges are also exempt.
• If your original machine-readable visa was not properly affixed or needs to be reissued through no fault of your own, a replacement visa carries no fee.

Border Crossing Cards, reciprocity fees and expedited appointments

Beyond the standard B-1/B-2 application fee, the State Department's Schedule of Fees at 22 CFR 22.1 includes three other consular fee lines that affect tourists and business visitors.

Border Crossing Cards (BCC) for Mexican citizens. Mexican citizens who apply for a Border Crossing Card (often called a laser visa) have two fee tiers based on age. Applicants age 15 and over pay the adult BCC processing fee in the table above, which gives a 10-year validity card and matches the standard B-1/B-2 application fee. Mexican citizens under age 15 qualify for the reduced minor BCC fee in the table above if a parent or guardian already has a Border Crossing Card or is applying for one. A minor's card is valid for 10 years or until the child turns 15, whichever comes first.

Nonimmigrant visa issuance fees (reciprocity fees). Under Item 23 of the consular fee schedule, some applicants must pay a separate visa issuance fee after their visa is approved. This fee is reciprocal: the United States charges citizens of a country an issuance fee when that country charges U.S. citizens a similar fee for the same category of visa. Exemptions under Item 24 include foreign government representatives, United Nations headquarters transit travelers, U.S. government-sponsored program participants, and travelers providing charitable services as determined by the State Department.

Nonimmigrant visa appointment expedite fee. Item 26 of 22 CFR 22.1 sets a per-person nonimmigrant visa appointment expedite fee in the table above. This entry was added by a rule published on June 9, 2026, with an effective date note running from July 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026.

Fees to extend your tourist stay in the U.S. (Form I-539)

If you are already inside the United States on a B-1 or B-2 visitor visa and want to stay past the date on your Form I-94 Arrival-Departure Record, you do not pay the State Department. Instead, you apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) using Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status.

Under the USCIS fee rule that took effect on April 1, 2024 (8 CFR 106.2(a)(26), corrected in the Federal Register on March 21, 2024), Form I-539 has two filing fee levels, both shown in our table above. Filing Form I-539 online costs less than mailing a paper form because USCIS sets a lower fee for online filings across eligible forms. Co-applicants included on the same extension request use Form I-539A, Supplemental Information for Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status.

Before you pay the Form I-539 filing fee, verify that you are eligible to extend your stay. USCIS states on its Extend Your Stay page that you may apply only if you meet all five conditions:

• You were lawfully admitted into the United States with a nonimmigrant visa.
• Your nonimmigrant visa status remains valid.
• You have not committed any crimes that make you ineligible for a visa.
• You have not violated the conditions of your admission.
• Your passport is valid and will remain valid for the entire duration of your stay.

Deadlines, I-94 replacements and who cannot extend a stay

Timing is critical when filing Form I-539. USCIS recommends that you apply to extend your stay at least 45 days before your authorized stay expires. You can find your exact expiration date in the lower right-hand corner of your Form I-94, Arrival-Departure Record. Remaining in the United States longer than authorized can result in being barred from returning or removed (deported) from the country.

Certain travelers are barred by regulation from filing Form I-539 to extend their stay. Even if you submit the form and fee, USCIS does not permit stay extensions if you were admitted in any of these categories:

• Visa Waiver Program (travelers who entered with ESTA rather than a visa).
• Crew member (D nonimmigrant visa).
• In transit through the United States (C nonimmigrant visa) or in transit without a visa (TWOV).
• Fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen or dependent of a fiancé(e) (K nonimmigrant visa).
• Informant (and accompanying family) on terrorism or organized crime (S nonimmigrant visa).

How to pay USCIS fees without getting your application rejected

When you file a visitor-related form with USCIS, such as Form I-539 to extend your stay or Form I-102 to replace a lost, mutilated, or destroyed Form I-94 arrival-departure record, following the payment instructions on Form G-1055 (edition date 10/26/26) is mandatory. USCIS states plainly: if the fee is incorrect, your application, petition, or request will be rejected.

USCIS consolidated all fee, fee waiver, fee exemption, and payment instructions into Form G-1055 rather than keeping them in individual form instruction booklets. Here is how to pay depending on how you file:

• Filing online: You submit your application through your USCIS online account and pay through Pay.gov.
• Filing by mail at a USCIS Lockbox: You can pay with a credit, debit, or prepaid card by completing Form G-1450 (Authorization for Credit Card Transactions), or pay directly from a U.S. bank account using Form G-1650 (Authorization for ACH Transactions). If you qualify for an exemption from electronic payment, you must include a completed and signed Form G-1651 (Exemption for Paper Fee Payment) with your paper payment.
• Filing in person at a USCIS office: You must pay through Pay.gov using a credit or debit card, or by electronic funds transfer (EFT) from a U.S. bank using Form G-1650.
• Never send or bring cash: USCIS never accepts cash to pay a filing or biometric services fee, even when you file in person at a USCIS office.
• Keep form editions consistent: If you print and mail a form, make sure the edition date and page numbers are visible at the bottom of every page and that all pages come from the same edition, or USCIS may reject your package.
• Requesting a fee waiver: If you are eligible for a fee waiver on a qualifying form, you cannot request it online for most forms. You must mail a paper Form I-912 (Request for Fee Waiver) or a written request along with the paper version of your form.

ESTA and the Visa Waiver Program: how it differs from a tourist visa

Travelers from Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries often compare the cost and rules of a B-1/B-2 tourist visa with the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) runs ESTA as an automated system that determines whether a visitor is eligible to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program without obtaining a consular visa first.

Before choosing between ESTA and a B-1/B-2 tourist visa, check three practical rules from CBP and USCIS:

• You must have an e-Passport. To use the Visa Waiver Program, your passport must be an enhanced secure passport with an embedded electronic chip, marked with the international e-Passport symbol on the front cover.
• Apply before booking flights. CBP states that ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel, and recommends applying as soon as you begin preparing travel plans or before buying airline tickets. An approved ESTA lets you travel to a port of entry, where CBP officers determine whether you are admissible upon arrival.
• No stay extensions allowed. As noted in the USCIS extension rules above, visitors admitted under the Visa Waiver Program cannot file Form I-539 to extend their stay in the United States. If your trip requires flexibility to apply for an extension later, a Visa Waiver entry does not allow it.

Checklist and worked cost examples for families and visitors

Because consular fees and USCIS extension fees follow different per-person and per-form rules, our team put together three worked scenarios and a pre-payment checklist based on the regulations in 22 CFR 22.1 and 8 CFR 106.2.

Worked scenarios (By our calculation from 22 CFR 22.1 and 8 CFR 106.2):

• Scenario 1: Two Mexican parents and one 10-year-old child applying for Border Crossing Cards. Each parent pays the adult BCC fee (two adults at the 15-and-over rate), while the 10-year-old qualifies for the under-15 minor BCC rate because a parent is applying at the same time. By our calculation from 22 CFR 22.1 Item 21(e) and 21(f), the child's application fee is less than one-twelfth of the adult fee, saving the family most of the standard fee on the child's card compared to a standard B-1/B-2 application.
• Scenario 2: A tourist in the U.S. filing Form I-539 online vs. by mail. A visitor filing to extend their stay online pays the lower online filing fee shown in our table above rather than the higher paper filing fee, saving the difference between the two filing methods simply by submitting electronically through Pay.gov.
• Scenario 3: A financial supporter in the U.S. submitting Form I-134. Some visitors ask a U.S. relative or friend to complete Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support. Under 8 CFR 106.2(a)(9), USCIS charges no fee to file Form I-134.

Step-by-step fee and filing checklist before you pay

Use this six-step checklist written by our team before you submit any tourist visa or extension payment:

• Step 1: Confirm whether you need a visa or qualify for the Visa Waiver Program. If you are a VWP traveler with an e-Passport and do not need to extend your stay later, check ESTA on cbp.gov first.
• Step 2: Check age rules if you are a Mexican citizen. If a child is under 15 and a parent holds or is applying for a Border Crossing Card, select the minor BCC option under 22 CFR 22.1 Item 21(f) rather than paying the adult rate.
• Step 3: Check your nationality's reciprocity schedule. After your B-1/B-2 interview, an issuance fee under 22 CFR 22.1 Item 23 may apply depending on your passport country.
• Step 4: If you are already in the U.S. and need an extension, check your Form I-94 expiration date. Count back at least 45 days from that date so you meet USCIS's recommended filing window.
• Step 5: Choose online filing for Form I-539 if eligible. Filing online through your USCIS account and Pay.gov automatically applies the lower online fee from the table above.
• Step 6: If mailing a paper form to USCIS, attach Form G-1450 (for card payment) or Form G-1650 (for U.S. bank ACH) and verify the exact fee on Form G-1055 so the Lockbox does not reject your packet.

What the consular officer may ask about your trip budget and funding

Paying the B-1/B-2 application fee gets you to the consular window, where the officer checks whether your trip plans and finances make sense. In the State Department's March 28, 2023 final rule on nonimmigrant visa fees, the agency noted an illustrative average cost of travel to the United States in its rulemaking analysis to show that the visa application fee is a small fraction of a full international trip.

At the interview, the officer may ask what your trip will cost and who is paying for it. Prepare for these three questions:

• "Who is paying for your trip, and how much will the whole visit cost?" What it checks: whether your budget is realistic for the cities and number of weeks on your DS-160. How to prepare: add up your estimated airfare, lodging, food, and local transport before the interview so you can state one clear total and who is covering it.
• "What is your monthly income, and how can you afford this trip?" What it checks: whether spending several thousand dollars on a vacation fits your economic ties at home. How to prepare: know your annual or monthly income as shown on your tax returns or pay slips, and be ready to explain if savings or a family member are covering part of the trip.
• "Your child in the U.S. is paying for your ticket. What do they do, and what is their status?" What it checks: that your sponsor's ability to pay is real and that you know their circumstances. How to prepare: know your relative's job title, employer, city, and visa or citizenship status.

Practice example

Who is paying for your trip to the United States, and how much do you expect the entire visit to cost?

A strong, honest answer states in one or two sentences who is paying for the visit, your realistic total budget for flights, lodging, and daily expenses, and how that amount fits your income or savings. Before your appointment, check the exact travel dates and U.S. host or hotel details you entered on your Form DS-160 so your spoken numbers match your application. If you are paying for yourself, have your current employment details, monthly or yearly income, and recent bank statements ready in case the officer asks to see them. If a relative or friend in the United States is covering part or all of your expenses, know their full name, their job and annual income, their U.S. immigration or citizenship status, and whether you are staying at their home so you can explain the arrangement clearly without reciting a memorized speech.

The consular officer is checking that you have credible funds to cover your visit without working unlawfully in the United States, and that your financial story matches your DS-160 and your economic ties at home.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with the U.S. government or the Department of State.