Updated November 4, 2026

Form DS-2019 Explained: J-1 Program Dates, Funding and Extensions

Form DS-2019, officially the Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status, is the two-page SEVIS document issued by a State Department designated sponsor that lets you apply for a J-1 or J-2 visa. According to the Department of State Exchange Visitor Program (BridgeUSA), you may enter the US up to 30 days before the start date in Block 3 and have a 30-day grace period to depart after your program end date.

Since April 27, 2023, sponsors can sign and email your DS-2019 digitally, though you must still print and carry a paper copy to your embassy interview and the US port of entry.

What is Form DS-2019 and how do you get it?

Form DS-2019 is the basic document used by the US Department of State to administer the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program, which brings around 300,000 foreign visitors from 200 countries and territories to the US each year. No blank Forms DS-2019 exist. The document can only be generated through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), the Department of Homeland Security database that tracks F, M, and J visa holders.

You cannot apply for a DS-2019 on your own. First, you apply to a State Department designated program sponsor, which may be a US government, academic, research, or private sector organization. The sponsor screens you for program suitability and English language proficiency under 22 CFR 62.10(a)(2). Once selected, the sponsor's Responsible Officer (RO) or Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) enters your details into SEVIS and issues your form.

Only an RO or ARO may sign Form DS-2019. Under a Department of State Interim Final Rule published March 28, 2023 and effective April 27, 2023, sponsors no longer have to sign paper forms in blue ink and mail them. Your sponsor can now send your DS-2019 in one of three ways: (1) mail a paper copy (blue ink is not required), (2) print and physically sign a paper form in ink, scan it as a PDF, and email it to you, or (3) use digital signature software to sign the form and email or mail it to you.

Even if you receive your DS-2019 by email, you must print it. Foreign nationals must sign page one of the form to agree with the certification statement on page two, and present the paper copy at your US embassy or consulate visa interview and to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the US port of entry. Holding a DS-2019 permits you to seek an interview, but consular officers decide whether you receive the J-1 visa. For the full picture of eligibility, see our guide to J-1 visa requirements.

Every field and block on Form DS-2019 explained

Page one of Form DS-2019 holds your SEVIS ID and the numbered blocks that define your status, permitted activity, and funding. In the top right-hand corner of page one is your unique SEVIS ID number, which consists of the letter N and up to 10 numerical characters (for example, N0001234567). See how DS-160 answers get checked at your visa interview to make sure your online application matches your DS-2019.

If you are applying as a J-1 Trainee or Intern (based on Box 7 on the form), the State Department requires you to also present Form DS-7002 (Training/Internship Placement Plan) when applying for a visa. If you are bringing a spouse or unmarried minor children under age 21, and your exchange category permits dependents, your sponsor issues a Form DS-2019 for each J-2 family member. Regulations prohibit an accompanying spouse or dependents in the Camp Counselor, Summer Work Travel, Au Pair, and Secondary School Student categories.

What to check on your DS-2019 as soon as it arrives

Before you pay fees or book your embassy interview, check your DS-2019 carefully. Only your sponsor's Responsible Officer or Alternate Responsible Officer can change or reprint a SEVIS record. Use this checklist to verify your form the day you receive it:

• Check Block 1 against your passport: Verify your personal identification details. If anything is wrong, contact your sponsor (whose name and telephone number are in Block 7) to have it updated in SEVIS.
• Confirm your Block 3 dates: Make sure the start date gives you enough time to complete your visa interview and travel, and check that you will not arrive more than 30 days before that start date.
• Verify Block 4 and Block 5: Check that your J-1 category (such as Research Scholar, Intern, or College and University Student, which differs from an F-1 student visa) and the financial support breakout match your program documents.
• Check for an RO or ARO signature in Block 7: Ensure the sponsor's officer has signed the form in ink or with digital signature software.
• Print and sign page one: Print the two-page document on paper, read the certification statement on page two, and sign page one.
• Verify every J-2 dependent form: If your spouse or unmarried children under 21 are accompanying you, confirm that each person has their own Form DS-2019.

J-1 program dates and the 30-day arrival and grace periods

Block 3 of Form DS-2019 lists the beginning and end dates of your exchange program. An Exchange Visitor Visa holder is only allowed to perform the activity listed on their Form DS-2019 during the active window between those dates.

Worked example: Suppose Block 3 on your DS-2019 lists a program start date of September 1, 2026, and an end date of May 31, 2027. Counting back 30 days from September 1, your earliest permitted US arrival date is August 2, 2026. You may only perform your exchange activities from September 1, 2026, through May 31, 2027. Counting forward 30 days from May 31, your post-completion grace period runs from June 1, 2027, through June 30, 2027.

The Department of State and US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) apply these rules around your Block 3 dates:

• Up to 30 days before your start date: Exchange visitors beginning new programs may not arrive in the US more than 30 days before the program start date shown on their DS-2019.
• 30-day post-completion travel grace period: Following the completion of your program on Form DS-2019, USCIS allows a 30-day travel period commonly called the Grace Period. During these 30 days, you are no longer in J-visa status and are under USCIS jurisdiction to settle your affairs and prepare to return home. You may no longer continue or complete exchange activities, nor may you work. Although you may travel inside the US, it is recommended that you do not travel beyond the borders of the US as you may not be permitted re-entry.
• No grace period after termination: If your sponsor terminates your participation for just cause (such as failure to pursue exchange activities, inability to continue, willful failure to maintain required insurance under 22 CFR 62.14, or unauthorized employment under 22 CFR 62.40), the sponsor enters this into SEVIS. You must depart the US immediately and are not entitled to the post-completion 30-day period.

Funding in Block 5, fees and mandatory insurance

Block 5 on Form DS-2019 provides a breakout of the total estimated financial support for your exchange program. Beyond program costs, J-1 participants deal with three fee categories: (1) Sponsor program fees: unless you are in a federally funded exchange program, sponsors charge program fees that vary by category, sponsor, and duration, and must provide pre-arrival information on fees payable to the sponsor and likely living expenses under 22 CFR 62.10(b). (2) SEVIS I-901 fee: your sponsor will tell you if you must pay the SEVIS I-901 fee to DHS or if it is included in your program fees (in which case they provide a payment receipt). (3) Visa fees: applicants pay a nonimmigrant visa application processing fee (and bring the fee receipt to the interview) plus any visa issuance fee required by the reciprocity tables. Note: While one Common Questions page on the BridgeUSA site still mentions a $140 visa application fee, the Eligibility and Fees page links to the Bureau of Consular Affairs current fees schedule. However, US government-sponsored J visa applicants and their dependents participating in a Department of State, USAID, or US government-funded program with a program serial number beginning with G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-7 printed on Form DS-2019 are exempt from both visa application processing fees and visa issuance fees.

Sponsors must verify that your medical insurance meets regulatory requirements and facilitate the purchase of coverage if you do not have an eligible policy. Willful failure by you or your J-2 dependents to maintain active insurance coverage is grounds for termination from the program. Under 22 CFR 62.14, as of May 15, 2015, minimum medical insurance coverage for participants and J-2 dependents must provide:

• Medical benefits of at least $100,000 per accident or illness.
• Repatriation of remains in the amount of $25,000.
• Expenses associated with medical evacuation to your home country in the amount of $50,000.
• A deductible not to exceed $500 per accident or illness.

Extensions, transfers and category changes via your sponsor

Every change to your J-1 timeline or sponsor happens through SEVIS and requires a new Form DS-2019. You must direct all requests to your sponsor's Responsible Officer.

If your participation is interrupted or ends, or you remain in the US beyond the program end date on your current Form DS-2019, reinstatement to valid program status is necessary. Minor or technical infractions are considered a correction of the record that the RO may adjust without prior State Department authorization, whereas substantive violations require prior authorization from the Department of State.

The Section 212(e) two-year home-country physical presence requirement

Under Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, certain J-1 exchange visitors must return to their home country for a cumulative total of two years at the end of their exchange visitor program. While subject to this requirement, you are not prohibited from traveling to the US, but you may not benefit from certain employment-based or family-based visas until the requirement is satisfied.

You are subject to the two-year home-country physical presence requirement if your exchange program meets any of three conditions: (1) Government funding: your exchange program is funded by either your government or the US government, (2) Specialized knowledge or skills: your program involves fields of specialized knowledge or skills designated by the Department of State as clearly required by your home country, or (3) Graduate medical training: you received graduate medical training.

If you do not know whether Section 212(e) applies to you after reviewing the eligibility information, you can request an Advisory Opinion from the Department of State Waiver Review Division, which reviews your exchange visitor program documents to determine if you are subject to the requirement. If you are unable to fulfill the two-year requirement, you must apply to the Department of State for a waiver recommendation under one of five statutory bases:

• A No Objection Statement from your government.
• A request from an interested US Government Agency on your behalf.
• A claim of Exceptional Hardship to a US citizen or legal permanent resident spouse or child if you are required to return to your country of residence.
• A claim that you will be persecuted due to race, religion, or political opinions if you return to your country of residence.
• A request by a designated State Health Department or its equivalent.

International travel validation, expired visas and lost forms

Your sponsor is responsible for assisting and advising you on all matters relating to your J-1 program, including authorizing travel outside the US and ensuring your J-1 documents are valid at all times. Even college and university students approved by their sponsor for a rare temporary medical interruption abroad (which requires a physician's written statement under 22 CFR 62.23(e)(2)) must obtain a travel validation signature on their Form DS-2019 prior to international travel.

If your Form DS-2019 is lost or stolen, contact your sponsor. Forms DS-2019 can be reprinted in SEVIS by your sponsor with an appropriate explanation entered in your record. If you lose your passport in the US, immediately contact your home country's embassy or consulate to report the loss, and contact your sponsor for a new copy of your Form DS-2019 to present when replacing your passport.

Here is how the State Department handles expired J-1 visas and second programs:

• Staying in the US with an expired visa: If your visa has expired and you do not plan to travel outside the US, you do not need to renew the visa.
• Traveling outside the US with an expired visa: If you travel outside the US during your current exchange program after your J-1 visa has expired, you must apply for a new J-1 visa in your home country in order to re-enter the US to continue your program.
• Pursuing a second J-1 program: Your current J-1 visa is only applicable for your current exchange program and sponsor. If you finish your program and intend to pursue a second exchange program in a different category and with a different sponsor, you must apply for a new J-1 visa for the new program and sponsor to re-enter the US.

What the consular officer may ask about your DS-2019

At your visa interview (required for applicants age 14 through 79, with few exceptions), you must demonstrate to the consular officer that you have binding ties to a residence in a foreign country that you have no intention of abandoning, and that you are coming to the US for a temporary period. For a full list of questions, read our guide to J-1 visa interview questions.

Here are four questions officers ask from the fields on your DS-2019, what each checks, and what facts to have ready:

• "What will you be doing in the United States, and who is your sponsor?" Checks Block 2 and Block 4. Be ready to state your exchange category, the name of your designated sponsor, and the activity listed in Block 4 (plus your Form DS-7002 placement plan if you are a Trainee or Intern).
• "When does your program start, and when do you plan to travel?" Checks Block 3. State the start and end dates in Block 3, and make sure your arrival date is no more than 30 days before the start date.
• "How are you funding this exchange program?" Checks Block 5. Know the estimated financial support listed in Block 5 and whether your program is funded by your sponsor, personal funds, or a US government program (such as a G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-7 program).
• "What will you do when your exchange program ends?" Checks binding ties to your home country, the Exchange Visitor Program's purpose (returning home to share exchange experiences), and whether Section 212(e) requires you to return home for two years.

Visaful is an AI mock interview app for US visa interviews: an AI officer asks your visa's questions out loud and shows what to fix.

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.