How Do I Answer the Nationality Question on the DS-160?

For the DS-160 nationality question, enter the country where you hold citizenship. This is your country of citizenship, not necessarily the country where you live, apply for a visa, or hold a passport.

After that, the form asks whether you currently hold, or have ever held, citizenship in another country. That second question is where many applicants need to slow down and check their history.

What “nationality” means on the DS-160

On the DS-160, nationality means your citizenship country.

So, if you are a citizen of Canada but live in the United Kingdom, your nationality is Canada. If you are applying for a U.S. visa at a U.S. embassy in another country, that location does not change your nationality.

A simple way to answer the field is:

> Which country legally recognizes me as a citizen?

Choose that country in the nationality or country-of-citizenship field.

Do not enter:

• The country where you currently live, unless you are also a citizen there
• The country where you are submitting the visa application
• The country where you were born, unless you still hold citizenship there
• The country printed on a travel document if you are not a citizen of that country

The goal is to report your citizenship accurately. The DS-160 also asks about other nationalities, passports, national identification numbers, and certain U.S. numbers. Each one has its own field.

What to enter for country of citizenship

If you hold citizenship in one country, enter that country as your country of citizenship.

For example:

• You are a citizen of Brazil and live in Portugal: enter Brazil.
• You were born in India but are now a citizen of Australia: enter Australia, if you no longer hold Indian citizenship.
• You have citizenship in France and the United States: enter the citizenship requested by the first field, then report the other citizenship in the separate question about additional or former nationality.

The key distinction is between where you are and which country you are a citizen of. The DS-160 is asking for the second one.

Answer the field based on your actual citizenship status. Do not guess based only on your place of birth, residence, or the passport you plan to use for the visa application.

How to report another current or former nationality

After you enter your main nationality, the DS-160 asks whether you hold, or have held, nationality in another country.

Use this question to report either:

1. Another nationality you have now, or
2. A nationality you had in the past

That means a former citizenship can still matter for this question, even if you no longer have it.

If you have two current nationalities

If you are a dual citizen, answer the additional-nationality question based on your current citizenships. Then provide the other country’s details in the fields the form gives you.

For example, if you are a citizen of Mexico and Spain, one country may be entered as your main nationality. Spain, or Mexico, should then be reported as the other nationality, depending on which country you entered first.

The important point is consistency. Your answer should show that you hold both citizenships. Do not treat the second citizenship as a passport detail only.

This is the main rule for a dual citizenship DS-160 question: citizenship belongs in the nationality section, while passport information belongs in its own section.

If you used to have another nationality

If you once held citizenship in another country but no longer do, the question still covers that past nationality. Report it as a former nationality rather than leaving it out simply because it is no longer current.

Use the form’s available fields to give the requested details. Be honest and provide as much detail as you can. If you are unsure about a past status, check your own citizenship records before submitting instead of choosing an answer at random.

The DS-160 asks applicants to complete the form themselves and answer truthfully. That matters here because leaving out a former nationality can make your answer incomplete.

What to do if the former country no longer exists

Sometimes a former nationality was connected to a country that no longer exists under its old name.

In that situation, choose the country name currently used for that location. Do not try to enter an obsolete country name if it is not available in the form.

For example, if your former nationality belonged to a country that later changed or was replaced, look for the current country name used for that territory. Then use the other fields to provide the details the DS-160 requests.

This rule applies to the country name in the form. It does not mean you should change the facts of your former nationality. You are still reporting the citizenship you once held; you are selecting the current name used to identify that place.

How nationality differs from travel and ID details

The DS-160 asks for several types of information that can look similar at first. They are not interchangeable.

Citizenship and travel document details

Your nationality identifies the country where you hold or held citizenship.

Your passport information identifies the travel document you are using or reporting. A passport number is tied to that document. It is not your nationality.

For example, a person might be:

• A citizen of Italy
• Living in Germany
• Applying with an Italian passport
• Using a passport with its own separate document number

The country of citizenship and the passport number answer different questions. Do not type a passport number into the nationality field, and do not use the passport’s country as a substitute for the number requested.

Citizenship and national ID details

A national identification number is a separate number issued through a country’s identification system, where applicable. It is not the same as the country where you are a citizen.

The DS-160 asks for nationality, passport or national identification number details, and a U.S. Social Security number or number where applicable. Keep those categories separate as you move through the form.

A quick check:

• Nationality: Which country are you a citizen of?
• Passport number: Which number identifies your passport?
• National identification number: Which number identifies you in a national ID system?
• U.S. Social Security number or number: Do you have the U.S. number the form asks about?

If the form asks for a number, enter the number that belongs to that field. Do not replace a national identification number with your passport number, and do not enter a country name where the form requests digits or letters from an identification document.

Errors worth catching before you move on

Nationality mistakes usually happen because several answers seem related. These checks can help:

• Using your residence country: Living in a country does not automatically make it your nationality.
• Using your birthplace: Your birth country may not be your current country of citizenship.
• Listing only your current citizenship: If the form asks whether you have ever held another nationality, include a former nationality too.
• Forgetting dual citizenship: A second citizenship belongs in the additional-nationality section, not only in the passport section.
• Using an old country name: If a former country no longer exists, select the current name used for that location.
• Mixing up numbers: Passport and national identification numbers are separate from nationality.
• Leaving out details because they seem unimportant: The DS-160 instructions call for honest answers with as much detail as possible.

Do not let someone else answer the form for you without checking every response. You are responsible for making sure the information reflects your situation.

Reviewing your answers before submitting the form

Before submitting the DS-160, review the nationality section as a group rather than checking one box by itself.

Ask yourself:

1. Did I enter the country where I currently hold citizenship?
2. Did I answer the question about any other current or former nationality?
3. Did I use the current name for a former country that no longer exists?
4. Did I keep citizenship information separate from passport details?
5. Did I enter identification numbers in the fields that actually ask for them?
6. Do my answers give an honest and complete picture?

Also compare the spelling of names, document numbers, and country names across the form. A small typing error can be easy to miss when you review only one page at a time.

Take your time before selecting the final submission option. After submission, changes may not be as simple as correcting an unfinished answer, so review the full form while you still have access to it.

What to do after completing the DS-160 confirmation page

Once you complete and submit the DS-160, keep the DS-160 confirmation page for your records. Save it electronically, and print it if you want a paper copy available.

The confirmation page is different from the application answers themselves. It confirms that the DS-160 was submitted and contains information used to identify the application. Keep it with the rest of your visa paperwork.

Before submitting, review every DS-160 field for honest, complete, and consistent answers. Then save or print the confirmation page so you can refer to it later.