Short answer: you fill in the DS-160 online at ceac.state.gov/genniv, choosing “UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, ABU DHABI” or “UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, DUBAI” as the place you will interview. Write down the Application ID, answer every page in English, upload your photo, then sign and submit. The confirmation page with its barcode is what you use to book and attend the interview.
This guide walks through the form page by page, with the details that trip up people living in the UAE. If you would rather check the common errors first, our list of DS-160 mistakes UAE residents make covers those separately, so they are not repeated here.
DS-160 at a glance
- Where: the Consular Electronic Application Center, ceac.state.gov/genniv.
- UAE locations: “UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, ABU DHABI” (US Embassy) or “UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, DUBAI” (US Consulate General).
- Timeout: the session ends after 20 minutes of inactivity, and unsaved answers are lost.
- Retrieval: a partly completed form can be retrieved for 30 days with the Application ID and security question.
- Language: English, using English characters only, except your full name in your native alphabet.
- Output: a confirmation page with a barcode. You do not need to print the full application.
- Fee: the DS-160 itself is free. The visa application fee is paid separately in the UAE scheduling system.
What should you have ready before you open the form?
Have your documents beside you, because the session will not wait for you. The State Department lists your passport, your travel itinerary if you have one, the dates of your last five US visits if you have been before, and a CV, and says you may be asked for your international travel history for the past five years.
UAE residents should also have their Emirates address and phone number, their current employer’s name, address and phone, the details of the two employers before that, and the email addresses and social media handles they have used. Students need their SEVIS ID and the school’s address from the I-20. Use a supported browser: the CEAC start page currently says Chrome, Edge or Firefox only.
Step by step: how to fill the DS-160 from the UAE
1. Choose your location: ABU DHABI or DUBAI
On the Getting Started page, select the post where you plan to interview. Both UAE posts appear in the list. Abu Dhabi residents are not limited to Abu Dhabi, and Dubai residents are not limited to Dubai, so pick the post you intend to book and keep the two consistent.
2. Write down the Application ID and set a security question
The CEAC site tells you to write down the Application ID shown in the top right corner of the page. You then pick a security question and answer it. Without both, you cannot reopen a saved form, so store them somewhere other than the computer you are using.
3. Personal information
Enter your names exactly as they appear in your passport. If your passport has no given name, the FAQ says to enter FNU (first name unknown) in the Given Names field. List other names you have used, such as a maiden name. Your full name in your native alphabet is the only answer allowed in non English characters.
4. Travel information
Give the purpose of the trip, your intended arrival date and length of stay, and where you will stay in the US. If your employer or a relative is paying, have their details ready, and make sure they match any letter you plan to take to the interview.
5. Travel companions
Say whether anyone is travelling with you. Each family member still needs their own DS-160. The FAQ explains that you can create a family or group application so that some information, such as the destination, is imported into each new form.
6. Previous US travel
If you have visited the US, enter the dates of your last five visits. Check old passports and boarding passes rather than estimating. Questions here can also cover earlier US visas, so keep your old visa page to hand.
7. Address, phone, email and social media
Your home address is your UAE address, with the emirate and P.O. Box if you use one. Give your mobile number with the +971 code and an email address you check regularly. The form asks for the social media identifiers you have used in the last five years. Answer this honestly and completely. Visa Doctor’s guide to the US visa social media check explains why it matters.
8. Passport
Enter the passport number, book number if your passport has one, and issue and expiry dates. The FAQ says that in most cases your passport must be valid for at least six months after you arrive in the US. If your passport changes after you submit, the DS-160 usually needs replacing, which the profile fixes guide below explains.
9. US point of contact
Name a person or organisation in the US connected to your trip, such as the company you are visiting, the school, or friends or family you will stay with.
10. Family
Give your parents’ details and, if married, your spouse’s. Then answer the questions about any relatives in the US.
11. Work, education and training
Describe your current job in the UAE, including the employer’s address and phone, your role and your income. The FAQ asks for your previous two employers only. Use your employer’s legal name as it appears on your labour contract or salary certificate, so the form matches your documents.
12. Security and background
Read each question in full and answer it truthfully. The FAQ warns that false or misleading statements may result in the permanent refusal of a visa.
13. Photo
Upload a recent digital photo that meets the US requirements. If the upload fails, the FAQ says to bring one printed photo meeting the requirements with your confirmation page. Our page on US visa photo requirements for UAE residents covers the specification.
14. Review, sign and submit
Read every page on the review screen. You sign electronically by clicking “Sign Application”. If someone helped you prepare the form, they are identified on the Sign and Submit page. Parents or guardians may sign for a child under 16. Your fingerprints are scanned on the interview day, which reaffirms that the answers are yours.
15. Print or save the confirmation page with the barcode
After submitting, you receive the confirmation page. The State Department says to print and keep the barcode page and that you do not need to print the full application. Bring it to every stage of the process. If you lose it, choose “Retrieve Application” on the Getting Started page and enter your Application ID to reprint it.
How does the 20 minute timeout work?
The CEAC site says the system times out after 20 minutes of inactivity and you lose all unsaved information. Each page is saved when you complete it, so the risk is a half finished page. Move through the form with the buttons at the bottom of each page, not your browser’s back and forward buttons, or your changes may not save.
How do you retrieve a DS-160 application?
You have 30 days to return to a partly completed form on the website. Choose “Retrieve Application” on the Getting Started page, enter the Application ID and answer your security question. To keep a copy beyond 30 days, use “Save Application to File” and later “Upload a Previously Saved Application”. The FAQ warns that files saved on a public or shared computer could be accessed by others, so use your own device.
Linking the DS-160 to your appointment
Once the form is submitted, you pay the visa application fee and book the interview through the UAE scheduling system, ustraveldocs.com/ae and usvisascheduling.com. The confirmation number on your DS-160 must match the one linked to your appointment. If you complete a new DS-160, for example after a passport change, the appointment has to be updated with the new number. Our guide to US visa appointment profile fixes explains how to do that, and our page on booking a US visa appointment from the UAE covers the scheduling steps.
Doing it yourself or having it prepared
Many people complete the DS-160 themselves without trouble. Others prefer someone to prepare it with them and check it before it is signed. FastUSTravel prepares the DS-160 as part of every package and goes through it with you question by question. You still read and sign it, because the answers are yours. See our appointment packages for what is included.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I fill the DS-160 form online?
Only on the official Consular Electronic Application Center at ceac.state.gov/genniv. The form itself has no fee. If anyone charges you, it is for their own help with the form, and the answers must still be entered on the official site.
Should I choose Abu Dhabi or Dubai on the DS-160?
Choose the post where you plan to book your interview. Either can be selected wherever you live in the UAE. Keep the post on the form consistent with your booking.
How do I log back in to my DS-160?
There is no username or password. On the Getting Started page, choose to retrieve an application, then enter your Application ID and the answer to your security question. This works for 30 days unless you saved the application to a file.
Can I change my DS-160 after submitting it?
Not in the normal way. The usual fix is to complete a new DS-160, importing your earlier answers from a saved file or a retrieved application, and then update the confirmation number on your appointment.
Do I need to print the whole DS-160 for the interview?
No. You need the confirmation page with the barcode. The State Department says you do not need to bring the full application.
Can someone else fill in my DS-160?
Someone can help you prepare it, and the Sign and Submit page records who assisted. You remain responsible for the accuracy of every answer, because you certify the form when you sign it.
Sources
- US Department of State: DS-160 Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application (checked October 2026)
- US Department of State: DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions (checked October 2026)
- Consular Electronic Application Center: DS-160 Getting Started (checked October 2026)
- US Mission to the UAE: Visas (checked October 2026)
