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Nonimmigrant Visas

EVAF INSTRUCTIONS

What is the “Electronic Visa Application Form” (EVAF)?
The Electronic Visa Application Form (EVAF) is the new electronic version of the non-immigrant visa form DS-156.  The applicant completes the form at the EVAF website, which is http://evisaforms.state.gov/.  This website creates a barcode that contains all the application data.  Applicants must print out all three pages of the form and bring them to the visa interview.
Instructions for completing the Electronic Visa Application Form:

1. Log on to the EVAF website at http://evisaforms.state.gov/

2. Enter the information requested into the appropriate spaces on the form.

• You must answer all the questions.  (See #6 below for tips on completing specific questions.)
• If a question does not apply to you, do not leave it blank.  Instead, write “none” or “not applicable.” 
The only exception to this rule is questions 8, 9 and 14.  If you have used no other names and/or do not have a national identification number, please leave those fields blank.
• All of the answers must be in English.
• In a field showing “select” with an arrow on the right edge, you must click the arrow and scroll down to select your answer.  (Example: question 12)
• For “circle buttons”, you must click the button that best describes your circumstances.  (Example:  question 17)

3. When you have answered all the questions, please click the “Continue” button at the bottom of the page.  Clicking this button creates a 3-page application form in PDF format that you can either print out immediately (recommended) or save for printing at a later date.

Once you have printed the form, please staple the three pages together in the upper left corner and sign your name on page 3.  Please do not fold the printed application form.

4. The EVAF program does not allow you to save your data.  This means that if you close the EVAF website before completing the form, all of your data will be lost.  Therefore, it is important that you complete all the questions in one sitting, review all the information for accuracy, and click on the “Continue” button to create the PDF form.

5. You can save time filling out the EVAF for family members!  After you have completed and printed your EVAF, click the “back” button to return to the EVAF site and then click on the “generate family duplicate” button on the bottom.   Several of the fields considered common to all members of a family (such as surname, home address, and date of expected arrival in the U.S.) will remain filled in, saving you the trouble of typing them again.  Of course, if some of this data does not apply to your family member, you should make the appropriate changes.

The tips below will help you to answer specific questions:

 

Question 6

(surname)

Please fill in ONLY the last name as written in your passport

Question 7

(first and middle names)

Please fill in all of your other names, in the order they are written in your passport

  • Example:
    Name in passport:  “Salwa Ahmed Mahmoud  Elmasry”
    Answer to question 6 (surname):  Elmasry
    Answer to question 7 (first and middle names):  Salwa Ahmed Mahmoud

Question 8

(other surnames)

If you are married and have changed your surname to match your husband’s, please write your maiden name here.

If you have taken a new name for religious reasons (e.g. if you are a priest), please write your original surname here.

If you have no other surnames, please leave this question blank.

Question 9

(other first and middle names)

If you have used other first and/or middle names (e.g. if you are a priest), please write your original first and middle names here.

If you have no other first or middle names, please leave this question blank.

Question 14

(national identification number)

If you have a national identity card with an identification number, please write it here.  If not, please leave this question blank.

Question 15

(home address)

Please write in your home address.  Line 2 can be left blank if it is unnecessary.

Please do not use the “/” in your address, as EVAF does not accept this character.  Instead, use a “-“ or put in a space in place of the “/”.

Question 16

(contact numbers)

Please provide all available contact numbers.  If none, write “None”.

Question 18

(spouse’s full name)

If you are currently married, or are divorced, separated or widowed, please write in the full name of your spouse.

If you are single and have never been married, please write “None”.

Question 20

(current employer)

If you are neither working nor attending a school, please write “None.”

If you are a free-lance worker, please write “freelance”.

Question 21

(occupation)

Examples:  office worker, self-employed, researcher, student, housewife, temporary worker, minor child, retired, etc.

If applicable, you may write “none.”

Question 24

(address in U.S.)

If you are visiting a friend or family member, please write his/her address.  You will then write his/her name and contact numbers in Question 25.

If you are staying in a hotel, please write the name and address of the hotel.

If you have not yet decided, please write “undecided” in Street Address Line 1 and then provide as much information as possible in the other fields (e.g. city and state)

Question 25

(name of U.S. contact)

Please write the name of the person with whom you will be staying OR the name of the person you will be visiting for business or tourism.

If you are visiting for tourism and will not be in contact with anyone in the U.S., please write “None.”

If you are visiting the U.S. for a reason other than tourism or business (e.g. for study), please write “Not Applicable.”

Question 27

(purpose of trip)

Please write the purpose of your trip.  Be brief but specific.

Examples:  “study at university”, “work as a company transferee”, “honeymoon”, “school trip”, etc. 

Question 28

(who will pay for trip)

Please indicate who will pay for your trip.  If you will pay for it yourself, write “Myself.”

Question 34

(persons traveling with you)

Please write the names of people traveling with you in the U.S., even if you will not arrive in the U.S. at the same time.

Question 36

(immigrant visa petitions filed?)

Has anyone ever filed an immigrant visa petition on your behalf?  (An immigrant visa petition refers to I-129F or I-130 petitions filed by U.S. citizens or permanent residents on behalf of a family member or fiancé abroad.)

Question 37
(family/fiancé in U.S.)

Please select the appropriate button (“yes” or “no”) for each item.  If you select “yes” for any family member or for a fiancé, please indicate that person’s status in the U.S. by using the drop-down menu.

Question 38

Please select the appropriate button (“yes” or “no”) for each item.

Question 41

After you have printed your EVAF, please remember to sign your name and write the date.  You may sign either in English or in your native language.

For minor children under 16 years of age, a parent should sign the form and then write “father” or “mother” (as applicable) next to the signature. 

Barcode Specifications Make sure that the barcode complies with the required specifications

Please check all your answers for accuracy and then press the “Continue” button.  This will generate your completed 3-page application form, which you will need to print out and then bring to the Embassy on the day of your interview.

What about the DS-157, DS-158 and Iraq supplemental?
The DS-157 is an additional form that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad requires for all applicants.  The DS-158 is an additional form required for applicants for F, M, or J visas. The Iraq supplemental is required for all visa applicants in Iraq.

These forms do not exist electronically, meaning that applicants need to print them out and then fill them out by hand.  They can be obtained on our website at http://iraq.usembassy.gov/iraq/visa_forms.html