Updated November 12, 2026

H-4 visa fee: Form I-539, biometrics, H-4 EAD and consular costs

Your H-4 visa fee depends on whether you apply with USCIS inside the United States or at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. Under 8 CFR 106.2 and Form G-1055, domestic applicants pay the Form I-539 and Form I-765 fees in the table below, with no biometrics fee. Applicants outside the United States confirm visa application fee amounts and local payment instructions with the U.S. embassy or consulate where they apply.

H-4 and related USCIS fee schedule at a glance

Under the Department of Homeland Security fee schedule effective April 1, 2024, USCIS removed fees from individual form instructions and placed them in Form G-1055. If you submit an application with the wrong amount, USCIS rejects your filing.

The table below lists every USCIS fee for H-4 dependents and the underlying H-1B petition, along with the consular visa pathway. Use our US visa fee calculator to compare government fees across visa categories.

Fees from ecfr.gov, federalregister.gov and uscis.gov (8 CFR 106.2, 89 FR 20101 and Form G-1055), as of November 2026

Two H-4 pathways: consular processing outside the US vs. Form I-539 inside the US

Before paying any fee, confirm which filing pathway fits your location. Under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(9)(iv), H-4 dependents are the spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age of an H-1B worker.

If you live outside the United States or its territories, or if a USCIS officer determines that you must obtain a new visa before being readmitted into the United States, you apply outside the United States. Check the appropriate International USCIS office webpage or contact the U.S. embassy or consulate for information on how to pay fees outside the United States. Prepare for your appointment with our guide to H-4 visa interview questions.

If you were lawfully admitted into the United States and want to change to H-4 status or extend your stay without leaving, you file Form I-539 with USCIS. You must apply before the expiration date on your Form I-94 Arrival-Departure Record. USCIS suggests filing at least 45 days before your authorized stay expires.

Form I-539, Form I-539A and the zero biometrics fee

Extending or changing to H-4 status inside the United States requires the Form I-539 filing fee in the table above. Filing Form I-539 online costs less than filing on paper, but online filing works only for standalone Form I-539 submissions.

Under USCIS Fee Rule guidance, if you file an online-eligible form concurrently with a form that requires paper filing, you must mail both on paper. That means you pay the paper Form I-539 fee whenever you bundle Form I-539 with your spouse's Form I-129 or a paper Form I-765.

One Form I-539 fee covers all H-4 dependents in the same household filing together. The primary dependent completes Form I-539, and each co-applicant child under 21 attaches a separate Form I-539A. List the total number of applicants in Part 2 of Form I-539 and sign every Form I-539 and Form I-539A, because USCIS rejects unsigned forms.

You no longer pay a biometric services fee with Form I-539. USCIS introduced Form I-539 biometrics in March 2019, then suspended the requirement for H-4, L-2, and E filers from May 17, 2021, through September 30, 2023. Beginning October 1, 2023, USCIS exempted all Form I-539 applicants from the biometric fee, and the April 1, 2024 fee rule removed separate biometric fees for most forms.

Most Form I-539 applicants do not attend an Application Support Center appointment, though USCIS keeps case-by-case discretion under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(9) to schedule biometrics by notice. Never add the former biometric fee to a paper Form I-539 payment. Combining a biometric fee with a paper Form I-539 fee causes USCIS to reject the entire application, whereas an over-authorized credit card is charged only the Form I-539 fee.

H-4 EAD fee (Form I-765) and category (c)(26) filing rules

H-4 status alone does not authorize employment. Under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(9)(iv) and 8 CFR 274a.12(c)(26), qualifying H-4 spouses of H-1B workers may apply for work authorization on Form I-765 under category (c)(26). Unmarried H-4 children under 21 cannot apply for an H-4 EAD.

You qualify under category (c)(26) if your H-1B spouse is the principal beneficiary of an approved Form I-140 immigrant petition. You also qualify if your spouse holds H-1B status beyond six years under AC21 sections 106(a) and (b), backed by a Permanent Labor Certification or Form I-140 filed at least 365 days before that extension period.

USCIS guidance for category (c)(26) instructs H-4 spouses to mail Form I-765 to the appropriate USCIS Lockbox or service center, where the paper Form I-765 fee in the table above applies. Keep three filing rules in mind to avoid a Lockbox rejection or employment gap:

• Do not pay the pending Form I-485 reduced EAD rate for category (c)(26): The half-fee Form I-765 rate in the table above applies only to pending post-April 1, 2024 Form I-485 adjustment applicants filing under category (c)(9). If you file Form I-765 with Form I-485, enter category (c)(9) and use the Form I-485 mailing address. Mailing Form I-485 to the category (c)(26) address triggers a Form I-485 rejection, and combining both fees on one payment can cause USCIS to reject Form I-765 too.
• Use paper forms and separate payments for concurrent bundles: You can mail category (c)(26) Form I-765 standalone if you already hold H-4 status, with Form I-539, or with both Form I-539 and Form I-129. USCIS will not adjudicate Form I-765 until after it decides your Form I-539, your spouse's Form I-129, or both.
• File renewals up to 180 days before expiration: You cannot work until USCIS approves Form I-765 and you hold your Form I-766 EAD card. For a category (c)(26) renewal, USCIS accepts Form I-765 up to 180 days before your current EAD expires.

How to pay USCIS H-4 fees: check restrictions, Form G-1450 and Form G-1650

USCIS no longer accepts personal or business checks, money orders, bank drafts, or cashier's checks for paper filings unless you qualify for an exemption and include signed Form G-1651. Cash is never accepted.

When you submit a standalone Form I-539 online, myUSCIS routes you to the government online payment portal to pay by card or U.S. bank withdrawal. When you mail paper forms to a USCIS Lockbox or service center, clip one of two electronic payment forms to the top of each application:

• Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions: Accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and prepaid cards from those networks issued by a U.S. bank in U.S. funds. USCIS rejects cards issued by foreign banks and gift cards. Treasury sets a daily transaction cap per card, with a higher cap only for online H-1B cap registrations and petitions. If your card is declined, USCIS will not retry it and will reject your filing.
• Form G-1650, Authorization for ACH Transactions: Withdraws funds from a U.S. checking or savings account. You must check business or personal, check checking or savings, and enter the exact 9-digit routing and account numbers, or USCIS rejects the form. USCIS retries an ACH decline for insufficient funds 1 time, and rejects declines for any other reason immediately.
• One payment form per benefit request: USCIS processes different forms across separate IT systems and may reject your whole package if you combine Form I-129, Form I-539, and Form I-765 onto a single payment. Clip a separate Form G-1450 or Form G-1650 to each form.
• Never mix payment types in one envelope: Use either Form G-1450 for every form in the package or Form G-1650 for every form. Mixing both in one package can cause a rejection.
• Whitelist USCIS before mailing an ACH form: If your U.S. bank account has an ACH debit block, give your bank the USCIS Agency Location Code before mailing. Lockbox codes are 7001010330 (Phoenix/Tempe), 7001010331 (Dallas/Lewisville), 7001010335 (Chicago), 7001010390 (Elgin/Carol Stream), 700101031F (Montclair, California), and 700101031J (Bloomington, Minnesota).

Worked example: total USCIS fees for an H-4 family

This worked example from our team applies the fee table above to a typical concurrent family extension.

Scenario: An employer mails a Form I-129 H-1B extension. In the same package, the worker's H-4 spouse and two unmarried children (ages 8 and 12) extend H-4 status, and the spouse renews a category (c)(26) H-4 EAD using an approved Form I-140. Everything goes to the service center with jurisdiction over Form I-129.

Step 1, Employer H-1B fees: The employer pays the Form I-129 filing fee and Asylum Program Fee, plus any applicable statutory H-1B fees from the table above. Read our H-1B visa fee guide for what the employer covers.

Step 2, Family Form I-539 and I-539A fee: The spouse completes paper Form I-539 and attaches two Forms I-539A for the two children. Mailing Form I-539 with Form I-129 requires the single paper Form I-539 fee from the table above, with zero biometrics fee.

Step 3, Spouse Form I-765 fee and separate payment authorizations: The spouse adds paper Form I-765 under category (c)(26), requiring the paper Form I-765 fee in addition to the single paper Form I-539 family fee. The family authorizes those two fees on two separate Forms G-1450 or two separate Forms G-1650 clipped on top of Form I-539 and Form I-765.

Photos, translations, form editions and pre-filing checklist

USCIS filing fees are final and nonrefundable regardless of the decision or a withdrawal. Before sealing your package, check these supporting document rules and our team's 6-step pre-filing checklist:

• Check Form G-1055 (10/26/26 edition) and your filing method: Verify current rates on the day you mail your package, and use the paper rate whenever mailing printed Form I-539 or Form I-765.
• Confirm accepted form editions and ink signatures: Under a September 14, 2026 court order in Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration v. DHS, USCIS accepts the 08/28/24 edition of Form I-539 and the 08/21/25 edition of Form I-765, and does not accept the 09/15/26 editions. Keep edition dates and page numbers visible at the bottom of every page, and sign in ink.
• Prepare separate U.S. payment authorizations with zero biometrics added: Leave out the former biometric fee, and attach one signed Form G-1450 or Form G-1650 per benefit request without mixing payment methods.
• Include two unretouched photos and certified translations: Category (c)(26) Form I-765 requires two identical two-by-two-inch unmounted, unretouched color passport photos. Edited photos delay processing and can trigger an Application Support Center identity check. Include a full certified English translation for any foreign-language marriage or birth record.
• Use the right mailing address and Form G-1145: Mail standalone Form I-765 or concurrent I-539 plus I-765 packages to the Form I-765 Lockbox, and full I-129 plus I-539 plus I-765 bundles to the Form I-129 service center. Clip Form G-1145 on top for text or email acceptance alerts.
• Track EAD delivery after approval: USCIS produces approved EAD cards within 2 weeks and mails them via USPS Priority Mail. Allow 30 days from approval before submitting a non-delivery inquiry.

Practice example

Have you paid the visa application fee for each H-4 dependent, and what is your spouse's current H-1B petition receipt number?

Confirm that each H-4 spouse or child applying for a visa has their fee payment receipt and application records organized in your folder according to the U.S. embassy or consulate's instructions. State your spouse's current Form I-129 receipt number clearly, or hand over a copy of their Form I-797 approval notice if asked so the officer can verify the underlying H-1B petition. Keep your marriage certificate, each child's birth certificate, certified English translations for any foreign-language civil records, and copies of your spouse's passport biometric page and most recent Form I-94 ready to present on request.

Consular intake staff and officers check that every dependent has paid the required application fee and that the principal worker holds an active H-1B petition. Having your fee receipts and Form I-797 records ready avoids administrative delays at the window.

Related guides

• US visa fee calculator
• H-4 visa interview questions
• H-1B visa fee guide

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.