Business Visitor Visa for United States (inbound): How to Apply
United States (inbound) · Americas
Business Visitor Visa for United States (inbound)
What a U.S. citizen needs for a business visitor visa to United States (inbound): the requirements, the exact document checklist with its authentication routing, where to file, what it costs and how long it takes.
- U.S. passport status
- Visa required
- Visa-free days
- None
- Document route
- Apostille
- Translation
- Required
- Short-stay fee
- $185
- Schengen area
- No
What United States (inbound) specifically requires
B-1 visitor for business, or ESTA. Permits meetings and negotiations, not productive work.
- Entry status for a U.S. passport
- Depends entirely on nationality: ESTA for 40+ countries, a visa for everyone else
- Official portal
- U.S. Department of State: visas
- Where to file
- At the consulate with jurisdiction over your U.S. state of residence.
- Biometrics
- Fingerprints and a facial image are collected for most visa categories.
- Passport validity
- Generally six months beyond the intended stay, though many countries are exempt from that rule under a specific agreement.
- Fees
- Most non-immigrant visa applications are 185 dollars; petition-based categories are higher. ESTA carries a small fee. Immigrant visa and adjustment of status fees run into the thousands.
- Processing
- Immigrant visa categories range from months to many years depending on category and country of birth
- Document route
- Apostille
- Translation
- Foreign-language documents need a certified English translation with the translator certification of accuracy and competence.
Your document checklist
9 documents. 0 need authentication: 0 federal through the U.S. Department of State and 0 state-issued through a Secretary of State. Route: apostille.
- Passport No authentication needed Identity, nationality and the physical book the visa is placed in. How to get it. Renew early. Processing times published by the U.S. Department of State move with demand. Specification. Most countries require validity of at least six months beyond your intended departure. A significant minority require six months beyond entry, and some long-stay visas require twelve to fifteen months. Two blank visa pages is the common minimum; some countries require four. Lead time. Weeks; check current published processing times What goes wrong. Insufficient remaining validity is the single most common reason a traveller is refused boarding at a U.S. airport, before they ever reach the destination.
- Visa application form No authentication needed The core filing. Almost always country-specific. How to get it. Download or complete it on the official portal of the country you are applying to, or the outsourced visa application centre it uses. Never pay a third party for a form that is free. Specification. Usually signed within days of the appointment. Many systems generate a barcoded PDF that must be printed at full size and unmodified. Lead time. Same day What goes wrong. Consular jurisdiction is determined by your U.S. state of residence. Filing at the wrong consulate is an automatic rejection, not a transfer.
- Passport-format photographs No authentication needed Every application. How to get it. Check the destination specification before you sit for them. The U.S. passport photo standard is not universal. Specification. Schengen states generally require 35 x 45 mm with the face occupying 70 to 80 percent of the frame on a light grey or off-white background. The United States uses 2 x 2 inches on pure white. China requires 33 x 48 mm on white. India requires 2 x 2 inches on white. Taken within the last six months in almost all cases. Lead time. Same day What goes wrong. Glasses are prohibited in an increasing number of systems, including U.S. passport photos, and cause automatic rejection.
- Invitation or sponsorship letter No authentication needed Business visits, family visits and some student and work categories. How to get it. From the host company, institution or individual, with their registration or identity details and their commitment regarding your stay. Specification. Several countries require an official, government-issued invitation obtained by the host, not a letter they compose. Lead time. Days to weeks What goes wrong. Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and several others use formal invitation systems where a private letter has no standing.
- Employment letter or contract No authentication needed Business, work and digital nomad visas, and as evidence of ties for a tourist visa. How to get it. On company letterhead, signed by an officer, stating your role, salary, start date, approved leave and that your job continues. Specification. Usually dated within 30 days of filing. Work visas normally need the contract itself, sometimes notarised and apostilled. Lead time. Days What goes wrong. Digital nomad visas commonly require proof the employer has traded for at least a year and that you have worked there for at least three to six months.
- Flight reservation and travel itinerary No authentication needed Evidence that you intend to leave, and that your stated dates are real. How to get it. A held reservation with a real booking reference. Many consulates accept a reservation rather than a paid ticket, precisely because buying a ticket before a visa decision is a bad idea. Specification. Must show entry and exit within the requested visa validity, with a verifiable PNR. Lead time. Same day What goes wrong. Do not buy a non-refundable ticket before the visa is approved.
- Proof of accommodation No authentication needed Where you will actually be, for the whole stay. How to get it. Hotel confirmations covering every night, a signed lease, a property deed, or an official invitation from a host. Specification. Must cover every date of the requested stay with no gaps. Gaps are a frequent refusal reason. Lead time. Days What goes wrong. Several countries require the host invitation to be on an official form obtained by the host from their local authority, not a letter the host writes.
- Proof of funds No authentication needed Evidence you can support yourself without working illegally or becoming a public charge. How to get it. Three to six months of bank statements, sometimes stamped or certified by the bank, plus pay slips or a benefit award letter. Specification. Most Schengen states apply a published per-day minimum. Long-stay categories set an annual or monthly figure, often indexed to a local benchmark. Lead time. 1 to 10 days What goes wrong. A large deposit shortly before filing looks like borrowed money and frequently triggers a refusal. Season the balance for several months.
- Travel or health insurance No authentication needed Mandatory for the Schengen area and for a growing number of long-stay categories. How to get it. Buy a policy that names the destination, states the coverage limit and includes repatriation of remains. Specification. Schengen requires a minimum of 30,000 euros of medical cover valid throughout the zone for the whole stay. Long-stay categories often require full local-standard cover with no deductible and no waiting period. Lead time. 1 to 3 days What goes wrong. A credit card travel benefit almost never satisfies the Schengen requirement because it does not name the traveller and the zone.
- 1 Get the invitation early It is the long pole. Some countries require the host to obtain an official invitation from their own ministry or chamber of commerce, which takes weeks.
- 2 Book the consular appointment Many countries operate a business fast-track or an accredited-company scheme that shortens this materially. Ask your host whether their company is registered on one.
- 3 Prepare the file Invitation, employer letter, evidence of the relationship, itinerary, accommodation, insurance and funding.
- 4 Submit and give biometrics As for a tourist visa.
- 5 Decision Often faster than a tourist visa where the host is a known entity, because the purpose is well evidenced.
Your action Documents and authentication Government processing
- 1 Obtain a certified original From the issuing authority. Photocopies, scans and souvenir certificates cannot be authenticated.
- 2 Notarise, if it is a private document Letters, affidavits, powers of attorney and diploma copies need a notary acknowledgement first. Government-issued vital records do not.
- 3 County clerk, in some states A handful of states require the county clerk to certify the notary commission before the Secretary of State will act.
- 4 Authenticate at the right level State-issued documents go to the Secretary of State of the ISSUING state. Federal documents, including the FBI Identity History Summary, go to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications.
- 5 Apostille or embassy legalisation Hague Convention destination: the apostille ends the chain. Non-member destination: the document then goes to that country embassy or consulate. For United States (inbound) the apostille ends the chain.
- 6 Certified translation Translate the document together with its apostille or legalisation certificate. Doing this first means paying twice. Foreign-language documents need a certified English translation with the translator certification of accuracy and competence.
- 7 File with the right consulate Jurisdiction is by your U.S. state of residence. Bring originals plus a full copy set.
The two expensive mistakes. Sending a federal document such as an FBI Identity History Summary to a Secretary of State, which cannot authenticate it. And translating before authentication, so the apostille certificate is not inside the translation and the whole set has to be paid for twice.
How a business visitor visa works, anywhere
A business visitor visa lets you attend meetings, conferences, trade fairs and negotiations. It does not let you work. The distinction is genuinely important and it is not about who pays you: it is about whether you are entering the local labour market. Attending a meeting is visiting. Delivering billable services to a local client, or being productive for a local employer, is working, and it needs a work permit no matter how short the trip or who signs your paycheque.
The core requirements
- An invitation from the host organisation
- On letterhead, stating who you are, why you are coming, exact dates, who pays for what, and the host registration details. This is the single most important document in a business file.
- A letter from your own employer
- Confirming your role, that the trip is on company business, that your salary continues and that you are expected back. It is the ties-to-home evidence in a business file.
- Evidence the business relationship is real
- Conference registration, meeting confirmations, a contract, prior correspondence or a purchase order. A bare invitation with no context is weak.
- Funding
- Either company funding, evidenced by the employer letter, or personal funds. Where the host covers costs, they usually have to prove they can.
- Insurance
- The same requirement as a tourist visa, and the Schengen 30,000 euro minimum applies identically.
Where it goes wrong
- Describing the trip as "work" in the application. Say meetings, negotiations, conference. The word choice matters because the categories are legally distinct.
- Delivering services on a business visa. Installing, repairing, consulting on site and training local staff are frequently treated as work.
- An invitation that does not state who bears the costs.
- Assuming a business visa carries any right to be paid locally. It does not, anywhere.
- Ignoring that some countries require the inviting company to be registered with the immigration authority before it can invite anyone.
Business Visitor Visa for United States (inbound): common questions
Do I need a visa for United States (inbound) as a U.S. citizen?
This page is for people coming to the United States rather than leaving it. Nationals of the roughly forty-odd Visa Waiver Program countries can travel for tourism or business for up to 90 days with an approved ESTA obtained before boarding. Everyone else needs a visa, applied for on form DS-160 with an in-person interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate. There is no airside transit in the United States: every traveller connecting through a U.S. airport clears U.S. immigration and needs either ESTA or a C-1 transit visa, even for a one-hour connection.
Which of my documents need an apostille for United States (inbound)?
This route is unusually light on authenticated documents. United States (inbound) is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille is the whole chain. The routing rule that catches people: your FBI Identity History Summary is a federal record and must be authenticated by the U.S. Department of State, while birth and marriage certificates go to the Secretary of State of the state that issued them.
Do my documents need to be translated for United States (inbound)?
Foreign-language documents need a certified English translation with the translator certification of accuracy and competence. Translate after authentication, never before: the apostille or legalisation certificate is itself part of what the receiving authority reads, so it has to be inside the translation. Doing it the other way round means paying for the same translation twice.
How long does a business visitor visa for United States (inbound) take?
Immigrant visa categories range from months to many years depending on category and country of birth On top of the decision itself, budget for the parts people forget: appointment availability, document lead times, and authentication. Four to six weeks is comfortable. Where the host must obtain an official invitation from their government, add three to six weeks to that.
What does it cost?
The published short-stay fee for United States (inbound) is $185. Most non-immigrant visa applications are 185 dollars; petition-based categories are higher. ESTA carries a small fee. Immigrant visa and adjustment of status fees run into the thousands. Usually identical to the tourist fee for the same country. Schengen is 90 euros. Some countries charge more for long-validity multiple-entry business visas.
Where do I actually apply?
At the consulate with jurisdiction over your U.S. state of residence. The official portal is U.S. Department of State: visas, run by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Department of State. Use it directly rather than a third-party site: the forms are free, and paid intermediaries frequently charge several times the government fee for the identical product.
Is there anything specific to United States (inbound) I should know?
B-1 visitor for business, or ESTA. Permits meetings and negotiations, not productive work. The United States system splits sharply between non-immigrant visas, which require you to demonstrate you will leave, and immigrant visas, which do not. That single distinction explains most refusals: under section 214(b) every non-immigrant applicant is presumed to be an intending immigrant until they prove otherwise, and the burden is on the applicant. Documents from abroad used in U.S. immigration processes are apostilled in the issuing country, since the United States is a Convention party. The reverse direction, U.S. documents used abroad, is what most of this site is about.
Official sources for United States (inbound)
- U.S. Department of State: visas Every visa category and the DS-160 form.
- ESTA (official) The only legitimate ESTA site. Many commercial sites charge multiples of the government fee.
- USCIS Petitions, adjustment of status, naturalisation.
- Visa appointment wait times Published interview wait times by consulate.
Verified Sep 7, 2026 Primary sources: travel.state.gov, www.uscis.gov
Email this checklist to yourself
A plain-text email you can forward to a spouse, an employer or an attorney. Sent once. No list, no sequence.
This resource is provided free by Federal Apostille as an educational tool. It is not legal or immigration advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by using it. Visa rules, fees, processing times and entry requirements change frequently and often without notice, and individual circumstances change the answer. Always confirm current requirements with the official government source and the specific embassy or consulate that has jurisdiction over your place of residence before you book travel or file an application. Every figure on this site carries the date we last verified it and a link to the primary source.
