Updated November 11, 2026

Cost of a US tourist visa: B1/B2 application, expedite and extension fees

The standard Machine Readable Visa (MRV) application fee for a B1/B2 US tourist and business visa is shown in the fee table below. Every applicant pays this processing fee after completing Form DS-160 and before scheduling a consular interview. Depending on your nationality, you may also owe a reciprocal issuance fee if approved, or you can choose to pay an optional expedited appointment fee at select posts.

All US tourist visa and visitor status fees at a glance

Every government fee tied to applying for a B1/B2 visitor visa abroad or managing your visitor status inside the United States is listed in the table below. The Department of State collects visa application and appointment fees through its consular posts, while U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) collects fees for applications filed inside the United States.

By our calculation from the Department of State temporary final rule in the Federal Register, choosing the optional expedited interview appointment increases your upfront consular fees to 5.05 times the standard base application fee alone. You only pay that optional fee if your post offers the pilot program and you select an expedited slot.

Fees from federalregister.gov, ecfr.gov, and uscis.gov (Form G-1055), as of November 2026

What the standard B1/B2 application fee covers

Temporary visitors traveling to the United States for business or pleasure apply under the B1/B2 nonimmigrant classification. According to the Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS), most nonimmigrants must complete Form DS-160, the Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application, or Form DS-156, before attending an interview at a US embassy or consulate.

You pay the Machine Readable Visa (MRV) application processing fee shown in the table above. The Department of State sets this fee based on its Cost of Service Model to recover the cost of processing visa applications. It was last updated in May 2023. Under federal law (Sec. 501 of Public Law 110-293, 8 U.S.C. 1351 note), the Secretary of State also collects a mandatory public health surcharge on all MRVs and Border Crossing Cards to support programs combating HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. That surcharge is already built into the base MRV fee, so you do not pay it separately.

Mexican citizens living in Mexico who qualify for a B1/B2 visa and hold a valid Mexican passport can also apply for a Border Crossing Card (BCC), sometimes called a laser visa. OHSS notes that a BCC is a machine-readable card with biometric data that is valid for 10 years. It allows travel for up to 30 days within the US-Mexico border region on its own, or up to 180 days anywhere in the United States when presented with a valid Mexican passport.

The MRV fee is an application processing charge. You pay it before you can schedule your consular appointment. Even when a visa is issued, OHSS notes that a visa does not guarantee entry into the United States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers conduct inspections at ports of entry and make the final decision on whether you may enter and how long you may stay.

How the optional expedited appointment fee works

While the median global wait time for a nonimmigrant visa interview is about 30 days, wait times at certain embassies and consulates exceed 12 months. To test demand ahead of major international events like the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, the Department of State issued a temporary final rule effective July 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026. This pilot program lets B1/B2 business and tourism applicants at selected overseas posts pay the expedited appointment fee in the table above to book an interview within 10 business days, without needing a written justification or a government referral.

The Department of State projects capacity for about 25,000 expedite requests (25,705 estimated annual applications in the rule's fee schedule table) across participating posts, with expedited slots capped as a percentage of each post's interviewing capacity so regular wait times are not meaningfully affected. If your embassy or consulate participates in the pilot, the booking process works in a strict order:

• Submit your completed Form DS-160 through CEAC and pay the standard MRV application fee.
• Schedule a traditional, non-expedited interview appointment first.
• Indicate in the scheduling system that you wish to book an earlier expedited appointment. If slots are available at your post, you will see open appointments within the next 10 business days.
• Select an available expedited date. The system places a 5 to 10 minute hold on that slot while you pay the expedite fee online.
• Complete the online payment before the 5 to 10 minute hold expires. If you do not pay within that window, you lose the hold, the slot reopens to other applicants, and your booking reverts to your original traditional appointment date.

What the expedited fee does and does not give you

Paying for an expedited appointment only moves up your interview date and provides enhanced passback options for returning your passport if your visa is approved and the service is available at your post. It does not change how your case is decided:

First, an expedited appointment never guarantees visa approval. You still undergo the standard in-person interview with a consular officer and must meet all visa eligibility and vetting requirements. Second, the fee does not speed up post-interview steps, including any administrative processing your case requires. Third, if you book an expedited slot and either cancel the appointment or fail to attend, you forfeit the entire expedite fee.

What if you have a genuine medical or humanitarian emergency? Consular managers at both pilot and non-pilot posts still offer no-cost expedited appointments in exceptional cases. The Department of State maintains three no-fee expedite paths: an Applicant-Requested Expedite Request for urgent humanitarian travel (such as serious and urgent medical treatment best provided in the United States), a Priority Appointment Request by an authorized US diplomatic mission employee for travel furthering US national interests, and a Referral by a senior US government employee at the mission.

Reciprocity issuance fees and visa-exempt travelers

Beyond the MRV application fee, some travelers owe a reciprocal nonimmigrant visa issuance fee after their interview is approved. Under 8 U.S.C. 1351, the Department of State must set issuance fees for foreign nationals based, as far as practicable, on the visa or entry fees that the applicant's home government charges US citizens for similar travel. You only pay a reciprocity fee if your visa is approved and your nationality's schedule on travel.state.gov lists one for B1/B2 visas.

Some temporary business and pleasure visitors do not pay US tourist visa fees at all because they do not need a B1/B2 visa to travel:

Canadian citizens: According to OHSS, temporary Canadian business or pleasure visitors generally need a valid Canadian passport or other approved identification to enter the United States, but they usually do not need a visa, ESTA travel authorization, or a Form I-94 arrival record.

Visa Waiver Program (VWP) travelers: Citizens or nationals of participating VWP countries can visit the United States for tourism or business for stays of up to 90 days without a visa. To qualify, OHSS explains that you must obtain travel authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), hold a valid machine-readable passport, travel on an approved carrier, possess a round-trip ticket if arriving by air or sea, have no prior VWP violations, and be found admissible. If you are from a VWP country but want to stay longer than 90 days or travel for another purpose, you must apply for a visa and pay the standard visa fee.

Costs to extend your stay or replace an I-94 inside the US

If you are already inside the United States on a B1/B2 visa and need to extend your authorized stay or change to another nonimmigrant classification, you apply to USCIS using Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. Under 8 CFR 106.2 and the Federal Register correction rule effective April 1, 2024, the Form I-539 filing fee is lower when you file online through your USCIS account than when you mail a paper form, as shown in the fee table at the top of this page.

If you lose or damage your Arrival/Departure Record (Form I-94) while in the United States and need a government replacement from USCIS, you file Form I-102. However, for routine travel management, OHSS notes that CBP automated the I-94 process at airports and seaports in April 2013 and offers the CBP Home mobile application (rebranded from CBP One on January 20, 2025), where travelers can access a digital copy of their Form I-94, review travel history, or apply for a provisional I-94 entry.

When paying USCIS fees for forms like Form I-539, USCIS Form G-1055 (edition 10/26/26) sets strict payment rules:

• Online filings: Pay through Pay.gov using a credit card, debit card, or US bank account.
• Paper filings by mail: Pay by credit, debit, or prepaid card using Form G-1450 (Authorization for Credit Card Transactions), or directly from a US bank account using Form G-1650 (Authorization for ACH Transactions). If you qualify for an exemption from electronic payment, you must include a signed Form G-1651 (Exemption for Paper Fee Payment).
• Filings at a USCIS office: Pay via Pay.gov with a credit or debit card, or by electronic funds transfer from a US bank using Form G-1650. Cash can never be used to pay a USCIS filing or biometric fee.
• Inflation adjustments: Under 8 CFR 106.2(d), USCIS fees not capped by statute may be adjusted at most once per year by Federal Register notice based on the CPI-U inflation measure, rounded to the nearest 5 dollars.

Checklist: 6 steps to pay your tourist visa fees without losing money

Because consular visa fees and USCIS filing fees are generally non-refundable, small mistakes during booking or payment can cost you hundreds of dollars. Follow this six-step plan from our team before you pay:

• Confirm whether you actually need a B1/B2 visa. If you are a Canadian citizen or a national of a Visa Waiver Program country visiting for 90 days or less for tourism or business, check whether passport entry or ESTA applies to your trip before paying an MRV fee.
• Complete and review Form DS-160 on CEAC first. Make sure your passport number, travel dates, and sponsor details are accurate before generating your confirmation barcode and paying the MRV fee.
• Pay the standard MRV application fee and book a regular appointment. Even if you want a paid expedited slot at a pilot post, the Department of State requires you to schedule a traditional appointment first.
• Prepare your payment card before clicking an expedited slot. If you select an expedited interview under the 2026 pilot rule, you only have a 5 to 10 minute hold to complete the online payment before the slot disappears.
• Never book an expedited slot you might have to cancel. Canceling or missing a paid expedited interview forfeits the entire expedite fee, with no refund or transfer.
• Check whether your nationality owes a reciprocity fee after approval. Look up the Department of State reciprocity schedule for your country so you have the right payment method ready if the officer approves your visa.

What the consular officer may ask about your trip costs

Paying the visa fee gets you to the interview window, where a consular officer decides whether you qualify for a B1/B2 visitor visa. According to OHSS, applicants for nonimmigrant admission must establish that their visit will be temporary, agree to depart at the end of their authorized stay, maintain a foreign residence in most cases, and show that their reason for travel matches their visa class.

Officers frequently test whether your trip budget makes sense alongside your income and ties at home. Be ready for these three money questions:

1. Who is paying for your trip to the United States? The officer is checking that your travel funds are real and consistent with your DS-160. State clearly whether you are paying from your own salary and savings or whether a relative or employer is covering the expenses, and have your bank statement or employment details in mind.

2. How much will this trip cost in total, and how long will you stay? The officer compares your planned stay against your budget and your annual leave from work. Know your exact travel dates, where you will stay, and a realistic budget for flights, lodging, and daily expenses.

3. Why did you pay for an expedited appointment for a tourist trip? If you used the paid expedite pilot, the officer may ask why your travel is time-sensitive. Give the straightforward, honest reason for your timeline, such as a scheduled sporting event, concert, conference, or fixed vacation window from your job.

Practice example

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

A strong, honest answer states in one or two sentences who is funding the visit, your approximate total budget, and how that amount fits your regular income or savings. If you are paying for yourself, name your current job, your monthly or annual income, and the savings you have set aside for flights, hotels, and daily expenses. If a family member or friend in the United States is covering part or all of your costs, state their full name, their relationship to you, their occupation, and their immigration status in the United States, and make sure this matches what you entered on your Form DS-160. Have recent bank statements, an employment verification letter or pay slips, and a clear breakdown of your planned travel dates ready in your folder in case the consular officer asks to see documentary proof.

The consular officer is checking that you have enough legitimate funds to cover your visit without working unlawfully in the United States, and that your spoken answer matches the financial and sponsor details on your Form DS-160.

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.