How much a US visa costs in 2026
The application fee for a B1/B2 visa (B1 for business trips, B2 for tourism and family visits; usually issued as one combined visa) is $185. It is not refunded after a refusal and cannot be moved to a consulate in another country.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee | $185 |
| Vizir, Documents plan | €99 |
| Vizir, Full service plan | €169 |
A 2025 law provides for a further $250 visa integrity fee when a visa is issued. In 2026 the State Department's fee list does not include it and no payment procedure has been published, so it is not part of the cost today.
A paid fast-track appointment ($750) is being tested until the end of 2026 only in Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Honduras; it is not offered in Astana or Warsaw.
Where citizens of Russia, Belarus and Central Asia apply
Since September 2025 you book a nonimmigrant visa interview in your country of nationality or residence. For Russian nationals the State Department has designated two embassies — Astana (Kazakhstan) and Warsaw (Poland); nonimmigrant visas are not processed in Russia. Citizens of Belarus apply in Vilnius or Warsaw; both require a Schengen visa. Citizens of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan apply at home: in Astana, Almaty, Tashkent and Bishkek.
With a residence permit in a third country you apply where you live — and you need to be able to prove that you live there. Applying in a country that is neither makes a visa harder to get and the wait longer.
Warsaw requires a Schengen visa: Poland does not issue tourist visas to Russian nationals, so you need another Schengen state's visa. Poland also turns Russian visitors back at its external border: you cannot fly to Warsaw from outside the Schengen area. You enter through the state that issued the visa and travel on to Poland from there. The interview in Warsaw can be held in Russian.
Since 1 January 2026 the United States has suspended B1/B2 visas for nationals of 38 countries, among them Nigeria, Venezuela, Cuba, Iran and Afghanistan. Vizir checks your passport against the list before you pay.
What the DS-160 is and how the interview goes
The DS-160 is the online nonimmigrant visa application. It must be completed in English: personal details, travel over the past five years, work and education, relatives, social media accounts. After you submit it you get a confirmation page with a barcode — its number is needed to pay the fee and book the interview.
Almost everyone has to attend an interview. The consul decides in a few minutes, so your answers have to match the form: who pays, where you work, why you are going, when you return. The embassy in Astana and the consulate general in Almaty lock the booking at 5 pm three working days before the interview — by then the form must be fully submitted.
Vizir fills in the DS-160 from your answers, and a specialist checks it. You read the finished form, sign and submit it yourself — US rules require the applicant's own signature — and the form names Vizir as the helper. We also prepare you for the consul's questions.
What to bring to the interview
- Passport and old passports with visas.
- DS-160 confirmation page and the appointment confirmation.
- A 51×51 mm photo on a white background, taken within the last 6 months, no glasses.
- Work and money: employer letter, bank statement, business papers.
- Ties to home: family, property, studies — whatever shows you will return.
The consul may not open a single paper — or may ask for any of them. Vizir draws up the list for your case together with the form.
The visa bond
Citizens of 50 countries — Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Georgia among them — must post a visa bond of $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 once the consul approves the visa; the consul sets the amount at the interview. It is returned after you leave the United States on time, flying in and out through a commercial airport. Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan are not on the list.