What Should I Enter for the U.S. Contact Relationship?

What the U.S. point of contact relationship field means

The U.S. contact relationship field asks how you know the person or organization you list in the United States. It is part of the DS-160 U.S. point of contact information section.

The point of contact can be a person or an organization connected to your trip. The contact should be someone or something that can help verify your identity or explain the reason for your visit.

A simple way to make the right choice is to follow this path:

1. Decide whether your U.S. contact is a person or an organization.
2. Identify how that contact is connected to you or your trip.
3. Choose the relationship that matches that connection.
4. Enter the same contact’s address, phone number, and email address.

For example, you might list:

• A friend who lives in the United States
• A relative you plan to visit
• A hotel where you will stay
• Another organization connected to your trip

The relationship field is separate from the contact details. “Friend,” “family,” or “hotel” describes the connection. The address, phone number, and email identify the contact itself.

Choose the most accurate option shown by the form. Don’t select “friend” simply because it seems easier if you are actually listing a hotel or a business.

How to identify the right U.S. contact for your trip

Start by asking: Who or what in the United States can confirm who I am or explain why I am visiting?

That answer may be a person you know. It may also be an organization tied to your travel plans. The best choice depends on the details of your trip, not on a relationship that sounds more familiar or more helpful.

Here are a few common situations:

• You are visiting a friend. Your friend may be the U.S. contact.
• You are visiting a relative. That relative may be the contact.
• You are traveling for a stay at a hotel. The hotel may be the relevant contact.
• You are visiting or dealing with another organization. That organization may be the contact if it relates to your trip.

The name in this section should match the contact whose details you provide. If you list a person, enter that person’s information. If you list an organization, enter the organization’s information where the form allows it.

This is the key distinction: first identify the contact, then describe the relationship. Don’t begin by guessing which relationship label sounds right.

Which relationship to choose for a relative, friend, hotel, or organization

The correct relationship depends on the actual contact you enter. The examples below can help you think through the choice.

If your contact is a friend

If a friend in the United States is the person connected to your visit, choose the friend relationship if that option appears on your form.

Then provide that friend’s:

• Full name
• U.S. address
• Phone number
• Email address

Make sure the details belong to the same person. For example, don’t enter your friend’s name with a hotel address unless the form and your situation clearly call for that arrangement.

If your contact is a family member

If you are visiting a relative, use the family-related option that best matches your situation and the choices displayed in the DS-160.

The word “family” may cover different relatives, so read the available options carefully. If the form gives a more specific relationship that accurately describes your contact, use that option instead of a broad label.

The important point is accuracy. Don’t list someone as family if you are actually staying at a hotel and have no personal contact there.

If your contact is a hotel

A hotel is an organization, not a personal relationship. If the hotel is the relevant U.S. contact for your trip, choose the hotel or organization-related option shown by the form.

Enter the hotel’s details as the contact information:

• The hotel’s name
• Its U.S. address
• Its phone number
• Its email address, if available and requested

In this situation, the relationship field should describe the hotel or organization. It should not say “friend” just because you need a contact in the United States.

If your contact is another organization

You may have a U.S. contact connected with an organization rather than a person. That could be an organization involved in the reason for your visit.

Use the organization’s name and contact details. Select the relationship category that most accurately describes that connection from the choices on your form.

If none of the options seems to fit, don’t force an inaccurate personal relationship. Check the current DS-160 instructions and the wording shown on your application before continuing.

How to complete the contact person's address, phone number, and email

The relationship answer is only one part of the section. The DS-160 also asks for contact information for the person or organization you list.

Keep these two parts separate:

• Relationship: how the contact is connected to you or your trip
• Contact details: where and how that contact can be reached

For a person, enter the person’s U.S. address, phone number, and email address as requested. For an organization, use the organization’s address and contact details instead.

Address

Enter the U.S. address connected to the contact you named. If you list your friend, the address should belong to that friend or be the address where that person can be reached.

If you list a hotel, use the hotel’s U.S. address. This may also be the address where you will stay in the U.S. DS-160, depending on how the form presents the questions and your travel plans.

Check each part of the address carefully. A small typing error can make the information harder to match with your other answers.

Phone number

Use the phone number for the contact you entered. A friend’s phone number belongs with a friend’s name. A hotel’s phone number belongs with the hotel’s name.

Don’t mix details from two different contacts unless the form specifically asks for separate information. If the number has a country or area code field, follow the format shown on the DS-160.

Email address

Enter the email address connected to the listed contact when the form asks for one. For a hotel or organization, this may be a general business email rather than an employee’s personal address.

Review the spelling closely. Email addresses are easy to mistype, especially when entering them quickly on a phone.

What to enter when you are staying at a hotel or have no personal contact

You don’t always need to have a friend or relative in the United States. If your trip involves a hotel and you have no personal contact there, the hotel may be the appropriate contact connected to your visit.

Use the hotel’s name and its listed contact details. The relationship should match the hotel or organization option available in the form.

This is where many applicants get confused. The field does not necessarily ask, “Who is your closest friend in the United States?” It asks for a U.S. point of contact connected to your identity or reason for visiting.

If you have no personal contact, don’t invent one. Don’t enter a stranger’s name, use a made-up relationship, or list a person only because the form seems to expect an individual. Use the organization connected to your plans if that is the accurate answer.

If you are staying in more than one place, pay attention to how the DS-160 asks for your address and contact information. Keep your answers consistent with your travel plans, and check the current form instructions if the situation does not fit the available choices.

How the U.S. point of contact differs from immediate relatives

The U.S. point of contact section and questions about immediate relatives serve different purposes.

The point of contact section is about the person or organization in the United States connected to your visit. That contact could be a friend, a family member, a hotel, or another organization.

Questions about immediate relatives are separate questions about your family relationships. A person may appear in both parts of the application, but the purpose of each answer is different.

For example, you might list your sister as the U.S. point of contact because you are visiting her. You may also need to answer separate questions about immediate relatives. Don’t assume that one section replaces the other.

Read each question on its own. Answer the relationship field based on the contact you are listing in that section, not based on every family detail in your life.

Common DS-160 mistakes to avoid in this section

The most common problems happen when applicants mix up the relationship and the contact details. Before moving on, check for these issues:

• Choosing an inaccurate relationship: Don’t select “friend” when the contact is a hotel, or “family” when you have no family connection.
• Mixing two contacts: Make sure the name, address, phone number, and email belong to the same person or organization.
• Using incomplete contact details: Review all required fields. Don’t skip information because you assume another section covers it.
• Entering the wrong address: The address should match the U.S. contact you named and should make sense with your travel plans.
• Typing a phone number incorrectly: Compare the number with the contact’s information before saving the page.
• Using a personal contact when the organization is the real contact: If your stay is at a hotel and you have no personal contact there, use the hotel or organization information available to you.
• Inventing a U.S. contact: Never create a person or relationship just to fill the box.
• Ignoring differences between form versions or questions: Follow the wording and options currently shown in your DS-160.

If you notice an error, use the correction options available before submitting the form. If you are unsure how to correct a serious mistake, check the current instructions rather than guessing.

What proof of relationship may be relevant to your situation

People often ask, “What can I show as proof of relationship?” There is no single document identified for every applicant and every type of U.S. contact.

What may be relevant depends on your situation. A family visit, a trip to see a friend, and a hotel stay are different circumstances. The contact listed on the DS-160 should be accurate, and any supporting information should fit the facts of your trip.

For example, your situation may involve information about:

• The family connection you described
• The friend you plan to visit
• The hotel or organization connected to your stay
• The reason for your trip
• The contact details entered in the DS-160

That does not mean one specific document is always required. Don’t assume that a particular item proves the relationship for everyone. Check the instructions that apply to your application and follow any request for supporting information from the appropriate official source.

The safest approach is to keep your answers truthful and consistent. The person or organization should match the relationship you selected. The address, phone number, and email should match that same contact.

Before submitting the DS-160, review the selected relationship and all U.S. contact details against your travel plans and the current form instructions.