What Is the DS-160 Barcode Number?

The DS-160 barcode number is the number shown on your completed DS-160 confirmation page. You may need it when creating or updating a visa appointment profile. It is also called the confirmation number in some visa instructions.

The main source of confusion is that this number is not automatically the same as your Application ID. The Application ID helps you retrieve the DS-160. The barcode or confirmation number is the number tied to your completed form and used for appointment-related identification.

Keeping those two numbers separate will make the next steps much easier.

What the DS-160 barcode number is

The DS-160 barcode number identifies your completed online nonimmigrant visa application. It appears after you finish and submit the form, on the page that confirms the submission.

That page is often called the DS-160 confirmation page or barcode confirmation page. The name comes from the barcode printed on the page, along with the identifying number.

You may need this number before scheduling a visa interview. The DS-160 must be completed first, so you should have the confirmation page available when you begin the appointment process.

Think of the number as the link between:

• Your submitted DS-160
• Your confirmation page
• Your visa appointment profile

The number entered in the appointment profile must match the number shown on the DS-160 form. A small mistake, such as leaving out a letter or typing one digit incorrectly, can create a mismatch.

Where to find it on the DS-160 confirmation page

Look for the page you received after submitting the DS-160. It is different from the pages you filled out while answering questions.

The confirmation page contains the submission information and a barcode. The number printed near that barcode is the number you are usually looking for when an appointment system asks for your DS-160 barcode number or confirmation number.

If you are looking through saved or printed pages, find the page that:

• Confirms that the DS-160 was submitted
• Shows the barcode
• Includes the identifying number connected to that barcode

You do not usually need to print the entire DS-160. The key document to print and keep is the confirmation barcode page.

If you only have pages showing your answers, you may not yet be looking at the right document. The barcode number is associated with the completed application’s confirmation page, not simply with any page from the form.

What the DS-160 number looks like

The barcode number on the DS-160 visa application page starts with “AA.” After those letters, it includes additional characters or numbers.

So, if you are asking, “What does the DS-160 number look like?” the useful first check is this: look for the number beginning with AA on the confirmation page.

Do not rely on memory or try to create the number yourself. Copy it directly from the page. Pay attention to:

• The two starting letters
• Every number that follows
• Any characters shown with the number
• The exact order of the letters and numbers

The number may be described as a CEAC barcode number. In this setting, that means the barcode-related number shown on the completed DS-160 confirmation page. It is the number that may need to be entered in your visa appointment profile.

The page itself is more reliable than a label someone used in an email or informal instruction. If two numbers appear on your paperwork, check what the appointment screen is asking for before choosing one.

How the Application ID differs from the barcode number

Your DS-160 has an Application ID. This is the ID used to retrieve the form.

That makes it easy to confuse the Application ID with the barcode number, especially if you are trying to return to an application or are looking at more than one DS-160 page. They serve different tasks:

The Application ID is connected to accessing the form again. The barcode number is connected to the submitted application’s confirmation page and the appointment process.

This distinction matters because entering the Application ID where an appointment system asks for the barcode number may not work. Likewise, the barcode number may not be the number you need when the CEAC page asks you to retrieve an unfinished or previously started application.

Before typing anything, read the label beside the empty field:

• If it asks for an Application ID, use the ID connected with retrieving the form.
• If it asks for the DS-160 barcode number or confirmation number, use the number on the confirmation page.
• If the wording is unclear, follow the instructions shown by that specific CEAC or appointment page.

Are the DS-160 application ID and confirmation number identical?

You should not assume they are.

The available instructions treat the Application ID and the barcode or confirmation number as separate identifiers. The Application ID is used to retrieve the DS-160. The barcode number appears on the completed confirmation page and may be required when you schedule the visa interview.

People sometimes use “DS-160 number” as a general phrase. That can make the issue sound simpler than it is. The safest approach is to match the number to the job the screen describes.

For example, you may be dealing with two different tasks:

1. Returning to the DS-160: Use the Application ID.
2. Connecting the DS-160 to an appointment profile: Use the barcode or confirmation number shown on the confirmation page.

If a particular CEAC or appointment screen uses different wording, follow that screen’s instructions. Do not decide that two numbers are identical just because both are linked to the same application.

How the barcode number is used when scheduling a visa interview

You need to complete the DS-160 before scheduling a visa interview appointment. Once the form has been submitted, use the confirmation page to find the barcode number.

The appointment system may ask you to enter that number in your profile. Enter the number exactly as it appears on the DS-160 confirmation page.

A simple check can prevent many problems:

1. Open your printed or saved confirmation page.
2. Find the barcode number beginning with AA.
3. Compare it with the number in your appointment profile.
4. Correct the profile if the numbers do not match.
5. Continue only after both numbers are the same.

Do not type the number from a different applicant’s confirmation page. Also check that you are using the confirmation page for the DS-160 connected with your appointment details.

If you completed more than one DS-160, slow down and identify the correct confirmation page before entering anything. The number in the appointment profile must match the number on the DS-160 form you are using.

Can you access a submitted DS-160 again?

You can retrieve the DS-160 using its Application ID. That does not mean the Application ID is the barcode number, and it does not mean you should use the barcode number for the retrieval step.

The information available here confirms retrieval through the Application ID. It does not establish that every submitted DS-160 can be downloaded as a complete file. So be careful with the word “download.” You may be able to retrieve or access application information through the CEAC process, but you should not assume that a full submitted form will always be available as a downloadable document.

The confirmation page is the document you should make sure you have saved and printed. If you no longer have it, use the available retrieval instructions and read the messages shown on the official CEAC page carefully.

When you are unsure which number to enter, separate the task:

• Retrieving the application: Look for the Application ID.
• Finding the appointment number: Look at the barcode confirmation page.
• Checking an appointment profile: Compare the profile’s barcode number with the confirmation page.

That approach is safer than treating every DS-160-related number as interchangeable.

What to print and bring to the visa appointment

You do not need to print the full DS-160 application. Print and keep the DS-160 barcode confirmation page instead.

This page contains the information used to identify the submitted application. Keep it somewhere you can find it again, since you may need the barcode number while working through the appointment process and should have the page available for the visa appointment.

Before you leave for the appointment, check that:

• You have the confirmation barcode page
• The page is readable
• The barcode number is visible
• The number begins with AA
• The number in your appointment profile matches the page
• You have not confused it with the Application ID

You can also keep a saved copy of the confirmation page if the system allows it, but the printed page is the one applicants are told to keep. The full application is not the document you need to print for this purpose.

The last check is the one that matters most: compare the number on your DS-160 confirmation page with the number entered in your visa appointment profile before scheduling.