Skip to content
WE LIVE IN USA
RaccoMy list
All guides ＋
My products
WEWELIVEINUSAVisa
Menu
中文

Explore visasDS-160Full guide

B-1 / B-2Business or tourist visitor

For people who want to come to the United States for a limited time, for business meetings, tourism, family visits or medical treatment, and then go home.

At a glance

How you apply
Fill out Form DS-160 online and apply at a U.S. embassy or consulate, where a consular officer reviews your case, including at a visa interview unless you qualify for an interview waiver. Nationals of Visa Waiver Program countries who meet its requirements and hold an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) can instead visit for tourism or business for 90 days or less without a visa High confidence
Checked Oct 18, 2026[1,2]
How long you can stay
Up to 1 year per admission, as authorized by the immigration officer at the port of entry and shown on your Form I-94. Extensions, generally of up to 6 months at a time, are requested from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
Checked Oct 18, 2026[3,4]
Can family come
Not as dependents: B has no dependent visa. Your spouse and children each apply separately for a B-2 visa and must qualify for it on their own High confidence
Checked Oct 18, 2026[4,5]
Can you work
Generally no. B-2 visitors may not work at all. B-1 business does not include local employment or labor for hire, and a B-1 visitor may not be paid a salary from a U.S. source; a U.S. source may pay an expense allowance or reimburse expenses incidental to the stay. A few specific B-1 exceptions exist, each with its own conditions, such as certain personal or domestic employees High confidence
Checked Oct 18, 2026[1,4,6,7]
Visa fee
$185 visa application fee per person, under the State Department's fee schedule. A visa issuance fee set on a reciprocal basis may also apply High confidence
Checked Oct 18, 2026[8]

What B-1/B-2 is

Visitor visas are nonimmigrant (temporary) visas for people who want to enter the United States temporarily for business (B-1), for pleasure (B-2), or for both (B-1/B-2). The official visa symbols are B1, B2 and B1/B2, all under section 101(a)(15)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). A combined B-1/B-2 visa can be issued to qualified applicants whose main purpose on different trips falls under B-1 or B-2.[1,9]

By statute, a B visitor has a residence in a foreign country that they have no intention of abandoning and is visiting the United States temporarily for business or for pleasure. The definition leaves out people coming to study, to perform skilled or unskilled labor, or to work as representatives of foreign press, radio, film or other information media.[10]

What B-1 and B-2 cover

B-1: business

  • Business activities of a commercial or professional nature, such as consulting with business associates, negotiating a contract, attending a scientific, educational, professional or business convention or conference, settling an estate, or taking part in short-term training. A member of a U.S. corporation's board of directors may qualify for B-1 to attend a board meeting or perform other board functions.[1,4]
  • Looking for an investment in the United States, including one that would qualify you for E-2 treaty investor status, does not by itself make you ineligible for a B visa. While in B status, though, you may not perform productive labor or actively participate in managing the business.[1]

B-2: pleasure

  • Legitimate activities of a recreational character: tourism, amusement, visits with friends or relatives, rest, and activities of a fraternal, social or service nature, including conventions or conferences of fraternal, social, religious or service organizations. An amateur (someone who normally performs without pay) who will not be paid can perform in a social or charitable setting or compete in a contest or athletic event, even if incidental expenses are reimbursed.[1,7]
  • Medical treatment. You must show a legitimate reason to seek treatment in the United States, that a U.S. doctor or facility has agreed to treat you, a reasonable estimate of how long the visit will take and what it will cost, and that you have money from lawful sources, and the intent, to pay for the treatment and all incidental expenses, including transportation and living costs, on your own or with help arranged in advance. If you cannot show this to the consular officer's satisfaction, the regulation says the visa is denied under INA 214(b). The officer may ask for a diagnosis from your local doctor, a letter from the U.S. doctor or facility with the projected length and cost of treatment, and evidence that your transportation, medical and living expenses in the United States will be paid, such as bank or other income or savings statements, or certified copies of tax returns, of you or whoever is paying for treatment.[1,7]

What you must show

The consular officer, and later the officer at the port of entry, looks at these points.

  • Your trip is for legitimate business or pleasure, and that is the sole purpose of your admission.[1,4]
  • You plan to stay for a specifically limited period. The length must fit the purpose of the trip, and you need specific and realistic plans for the whole visit. A stay longer than six months or a year does not disqualify you by itself, if the stay has a time limit and is not indefinite.[1]
  • You have a residence outside the United States that you do not intend to abandon (for B-1, USCIS adds other binding ties that will ensure your return abroad); you intend to leave the United States at the end of your temporary stay; and you have permission to enter a foreign country at that point.[1,4,7]
  • You have made adequate financial arrangements for the trip and your departure, enough that you would not need to work unlawfully in the United States.[1,7]
  • When you apply for admission, your passport is valid for at least six months beyond the end of your intended stay, unless the regulations provide otherwise, and you are otherwise admissible to the United States.[4,6]

By law (INA 214(b)), a B visa applicant is presumed to be an intending immigrant until they show the consular officer, when applying for the visa, and the immigration officers, when applying for admission, that they qualify for nonimmigrant status. If a B visa applicant fails one or more of the core criteria (a residence abroad they do not intend to abandon, a stay of specifically limited length, and the sole purpose of legitimate business or pleasure), the consular officer must refuse the visa under INA 214(b).[1,11,12]

What B status does not allow

  • High confidence Working. A B-2 visitor may not engage in any employment, and unauthorized employment by any nonimmigrant is a failure to maintain status. B-1 business does not include local employment or labor for hire. A B-1 visitor may not receive a salary from a U.S. source for services, though a U.S. source may pay an expense allowance or reimburse expenses incidental to the stay; incidental expenses are limited to actual reasonable travel costs and living costs such as meals, lodging, laundry and other basic services.[1,6,7]
  • B-1 exceptions are specific, and each has its own conditions. Examples: an honorarium for usual academic activities under INA 212(q), which has four conditions, including no more than nine days at any single institution and payments from no more than five institutions in the last six months; personal or domestic employees of certain U.S. citizens who have a permanent home or are stationed abroad, or of certain nonimmigrants, who need at least one year of experience and a signed employment contract, among other requirements; and installing, servicing or repairing commercial or industrial equipment bought from a company outside the United States, when the sales contract requires the seller to provide that service, you have unique knowledge essential to it, and you receive no pay from a U.S. source. For other temporary employment, the consular officer must request an advisory opinion from the State Department's Office of the Legal Adviser for Consular Affairs (L/CA) before a B-1 visa can be issued.[1]
  • Building or construction work, on-site or in-plant. A B-1 visitor may supervise or train others who do such work, but may not do the work themselves.[3]
  • Enrolling in a course of study. Anyone admitted as, or changed to, a B-1 or B-2 visitor on or after April 12, 2002, or who files to extend B status on or after that date, violates that status by enrolling. You must first be admitted as an F-1 or M-1 student with a visa from a consular officer abroad, or have USCIS approve a change of status to F-1 or M-1, before you enroll.[3]

Visiting without a visa

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) lets nationals of participating countries travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without a visa, if they meet the program's eligibility requirements. VWP travelers must have a valid authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before travelling and are screened at the port of entry. USCIS lists a business visitor admitted this way as a separate classification (WB), not B-1.[2,13]

High confidence Visitors admitted under the VWP cannot apply to extend their stay, and cannot apply to change to another nonimmigrant status (except to apply for T or petition for U nonimmigrant status). Someone admitted on a B visa can ask USCIS for either, under the rules on this page.[4,6,14,15]

How it works, step by step

  1. 1. Apply and interview

    High confidence You fill out Form DS-160, the Electronic Nonimmigrant Visa Application, and pay the visa application fee. A consular officer decides whether you qualify, including at a visa interview unless you are eligible for an interview waiver. Consular officers are told to expedite, where appropriate, visitor visa applications for urgent business travel and for emergent or humanitarian purposes, if issuing the visa is consistent with U.S. immigration law and the officer is satisfied that you have overcome the presumption that you are an intending immigrant. The State Department fee schedule lists a $750 per-person fee for expediting a nonimmigrant visa appointment.[1,8]

  2. 2. The visa

    If the visa is issued, its validity (the period and number of times you can use it to apply for entry) follows the State Department's reciprocity schedules for your country, up to 10 years, and an officer can set less in an individual case. The visa only lets you apply for admission: its validity has no relation to how long you may stay. An unexpired visa in an expired passport can still be used together with a valid passport issued by your country of nationality.[16]

  3. 3. At the port of entry

    An immigration officer at the port of entry decides whether to admit you; by law you must satisfy that officer too that you qualify for nonimmigrant status. The date your authorized stay ends is on your Form I-94, Arrival-Departure Record.[4,11,14]

How long you can stay, and extensions

A B-1 or B-2 visitor may be admitted for not more than 1 year; USCIS says a business visitor may be admitted for the period needed to carry out the business activities, up to that limit. A B-2 visitor who is otherwise admissible and is issued Form I-94 is admitted for at least 6 months, even if less time is requested, provided any required passport is valid as the law specifies. Exceptions to the 6-month minimum are made only in individual cases, with specific approval for good cause.[3,4]

High confidence To stay past the date on your I-94 without leaving, file Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, with USCIS before that date; USCIS recommends filing at least 45 days before your authorized stay expires. If granted, an extension is for no more than 6 months at a time (up to 1 year at a time for members of a religious denomination coming solely to do missionary work that involves no selling and no soliciting or accepting of donations). USCIS says the total time in B-1 status on any one trip is generally no more than 1 year.[3,4,14,17]

You may apply to extend if you were lawfully admitted with a nonimmigrant visa, your status is still valid, you have not committed crimes that make you ineligible for a visa or violated the conditions of your admission, and your passport is valid and will stay valid for the whole stay. USCIS may excuse a late filing, at its discretion, only if you show when you file that the delay came from extraordinary circumstances beyond your control and fits those circumstances, you have not otherwise violated status, you are still a bona fide nonimmigrant, and you are not in removal proceedings. A denied extension cannot be appealed.[6,14]

If your plans change while you are here

If you want to change the purpose of your visit, you (or in some cases your employer) must file a request with USCIS on the right form before your authorized stay expires, and you must not start the new activity until USCIS approves. In general you can apply if you were lawfully admitted with a nonimmigrant visa, your status is still valid, you have not violated its conditions, and you have not committed crimes that would make you ineligible.[15]

If you came as a B-1 business visitor and want to stay on for pleasure before your authorized stay expires, you do not need to apply for a change of status. To change to F-1 student status in the United States, you need acceptance by a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), an initial Form I-20 from that school, payment of the Form I-901 fee, and a Form I-539 filed with USCIS, and you must not start classes until USCIS approves it. You can instead apply for an F-1 visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad.[15,18]

Family members

High confidence B has no dependent (derivative) classification: a principal's spouse can get derivative status in every nonimmigrant classification except B, C, D, K and V. Your spouse and children each apply separately for a B-2 visa and must meet its requirements themselves.[4,5]

B-2 is also the classification for household members who cannot get derivative status under another noncitizen's long-term nonimmigrant status, such as cohabiting partners or elderly parents of temporary workers, students or foreign government officials, and a parent accompanying a minor F-1 student. It also covers household members of a U.S. citizen who normally lives and works abroad and is returning for a temporary period. The temporary-stay requirement still applies: the State Department's example is that it is met when a cohabiting partner will accompany, and leave with, the principal on a two-year work assignment or a four-year degree program. If such a person plans to stay more than 6 months, consular officers are told to advise them to ask the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a 1-year stay at admission; if needed, they may then apply to USCIS for extensions of up to 6 months at a time, for the duration of the principal's status.[1]

Fees

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 22 CFR 22.1 (State Department fees; eCFR current as of Oct. 1, 2026) and Form G-1055, edition 10/07/26 (USCIS fees). Check the current schedules before paying.
ItemAmountWhen it applies
Visa application fee (B-1, B-2 or B-1/B-2)$185Per person, for each application; the fee for a nonimmigrant visa that is not petition-based. The schedule lists some exemptions
Visa issuance fee (reciprocity fee)ReciprocalSet on a reciprocal basis; the schedule lists no fixed amount
Nonimmigrant visa appointment expedite fee$750Per person; listed in the State Department schedule as a separate fee for expediting a nonimmigrant visa appointment
Form I-539 (extend or change status in the U.S.)$470 paper / $420 onlineGeneral filing fee; $0 to extend or change to B-1 as a United Nations Mission Observer (or B-2 as the dependent of one)
Checked Oct 18, 2026[8,19,20]

If the reciprocity schedule sets a different fee for B-1 and B-2, the higher of the two is collected for a combined B-1/B-2 visa.[1]

Common mistakes

  • Offering to leave a child, spouse or other dependent at home as proof that you will return. If the consular officer doubts your intent to return abroad, this offer cannot resolve those doubts.[1]
  • High confidence Using a B visa for a prearranged job. The B regulation says someone coming for employment or labor under a contract or other prearrangement must qualify under the State Department's rule for temporary workers and trainees (H classification), and the State Department says a B-1 visa is not appropriate for someone who intends to obtain and engage in employment in the United States.[1,7,21]
  • Starting classes while a change to student status is pending. Enrolling while in a status that does not allow it is a status violation, and people who violated status this way are not eligible to extend their status or change to F-1 or M-1.[18]

Recent policy changes

Recent policy changes

Official

Updates

Ask WELIVEINUSA Visa

Ask WELIVEINUSA Visa

Answers come from our sourced database and your own timeline, sorted into fact, public data, inference and unknown. No AI model is used in this version, so questions outside what we cover get an honest "not covered".

Questions people ask

Can my parents visit me for more than six months?

High confidence The officer at the port of entry decides how long to admit them, up to 1 year; a B-2 visitor who is otherwise admissible and is issued an I-94 is admitted for at least 6 months unless an individual exception is approved. To stay past the I-94 date they must apply to USCIS before it passes, and an extension, if granted, is for up to 6 months at a time. If they live in your household while you hold long-term nonimmigrant status (for example as a temporary worker or student), consular officers are told to advise them, when a stay of more than 6 months is planned, to ask for a 1-year stay at admission. Either way the visit must have a finite limit.[1,3,6]

Can I take classes on a B-2 visa?

High confidence Not a course of study: enrolling in one violates B-1 or B-2 status, so you need F-1 or M-1 status first. B-2 does cover a short course of study that is incidental to a trip whose main purpose is tourism, and travel whose main purpose is avocational or recreational study. When a school's program is hard to classify, consular officers are told to ask DHS for the proper classification. An immigration attorney can tell you how this applies to a specific program.[1,3]

My visa was refused under 214(b). Can I apply again?

Yes. A 214(b) refusal is not a permanent ineligibility: it means that application did not establish that you qualify for the visa. You may reapply for the same visa and establish eligibility on the new application. There is no waiver for a 214(b) refusal; it is overcome in a later application by showing that you meet the requirements of the visa.[12]

Can I use a B-2 visa to give birth in the United States?

Not for that purpose. Visiting for pleasure does not include travel whose primary purpose is getting U.S. citizenship for a child by giving birth in the United States, and a consular officer who has reason to believe you will give birth during your stay must presume that is your primary purpose. You may be able to rebut the presumption by satisfying the officer that you have a different, permissible primary purpose; the State Department's examples are specialized care for a medically complicated pregnancy that is not available in or near the country where you live, and visiting a dying family member. A birth plan with a U.S. doctor or facility, or simply preferring to give birth in the United States, is not enough. The presumption does not apply if the child would acquire U.S. citizenship at birth even if born outside the United States. Officers may not ask whether you are pregnant without a specific, articulable reason.[1,7]

Can I visit my fiancé(e) on a B-2 visa?

B-2 can cover meeting their family, getting engaged, planning the wedding or renewing the relationship. Someone coming to marry a U.S. citizen petitioner within 90 days of admission is classifiable as K-1. The fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen or permanent resident may be classified B-2 to marry if the officer is satisfied that they intend to return to a residence abroad soon after the marriage.[1]

Could I be asked to post a bond?

It is possible. If your departure does not seem fully assured, the regulation authorizes consular officers to require a bond posted with the Secretary of Homeland Security, in a sufficient sum to ensure that you leave at the end of the visit, or if you fail to keep visitor status or any status you later change to. Separately, the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the USCIS Director, an immigration judge or the Board of Immigration Appeals may require a bond of at least $500 on Form I-352 when you apply for admission or an extension of stay.[6,7]

Related categories

Content last reviewed: Oct 18, 2026 · General information, not legal advice.

Sources

  1. 1.9 FAM 402.2 TOURISTS AND BUSINESS VISITORS AND MEXICAN BORDER CROSSING CARDS – B VISAS AND BCCSU.S. Department of State (Foreign Affairs Manual) · USCIS Policy Manual · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  2. 2.WB Temporary Business Visitor under Visa Waiver Program - USCISUSCIS · Agency page · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  3. 3.8 CFR 214.2(b) - VisitorseCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  4. 4.B-1 Temporary Business Visitor - USCISUSCIS · Agency page · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  5. 5.9 FAM 402.1 OVERVIEW OF NIV CLASSIFICATIONSU.S. Department of State (Foreign Affairs Manual) · USCIS Policy Manual · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  6. 6.8 CFR 214.1 - Requirements for admission, extension, and maintenance of statuseCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  7. 7.22 CFR 41.31eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  8. 8.22 CFR 22.1 - Schedule of fees for consular services (Department of State)eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  9. 9.22 CFR 41.12eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  10. 10.8 U.S.C. 1101 (INA 101) - Definitions, incl. 101(a)(15)(E), (H), (L), 101(a)(44), 101(a)(45)U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel · Statute · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  11. 11.8 U.S.C. 1184 (INA 214) - Admission of nonimmigrantsU.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel · Statute · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  12. 12.9 FAM 302.1 - Ineligibility based on inadequate documentation (INA 214(b), 221(g))U.S. Department of State (Foreign Affairs Manual) · USCIS Policy Manual · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  13. 13.Temporary Visitors for Business - USCISUSCIS · Agency page · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  14. 14.Extend Your Stay - USCISUSCIS · Agency page · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  15. 15.Change My Nonimmigrant Status - USCISUSCIS · Agency page · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  16. 16.22 CFR 41.112 - Validity of visaeCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 12, 2026
  17. 17.I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status - USCISUSCIS · Form / instructions · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  18. 18.Changing to a Nonimmigrant F or M Student Status - USCISUSCIS · Agency page · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  19. 19.Fee Schedule (Form G-1055) - USCISUSCIS · Form / instructions · Checked Oct 12, 2026
  20. 20.8 CFR 106.2 - USCIS feeseCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  21. 21.22 CFR 41.53eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026