Where Do I Find Visa Number on Us Visa

Where the U.S. visa number appears

The U.S. visa number is printed on the visa foil inside your passport. The foil is the visa sticker or page attached to one of your passport pages.

Look at the lower-right area of the visa itself. The visa number is usually printed in red ink. It stands out from much of the other information, which may appear in black or in different colors.

A quick way to find it:

1. Open your passport to the page with your U.S. visa.
2. Look at the visa foil, not the passport number or the page number.
3. Move your eyes to the lower-right corner of the foil.
4. Find the red number printed there.
5. Use that number when a form asks for your U.S. visa number or visa number.

The red number may be easy to miss because the visa also contains your photo, name, dates, visa class, and other printed details. Focus on the position and color first. That usually gets you to the right place faster than reading every line.

How to recognize the visa number

The number you need is generally the red number near the lower-right corner of the visa. It is separate from your name, your passport number, and the text at the bottom of the visa.

One common description of the U.S. visa number is an eight-digit number. The exact appearance can be hard to see in a scan or phone photo, so count the characters carefully before entering them.

Use these visual clues:

• Color: Usually red
• Position: Near the lower-right corner of the visa foil
• Format: Often described as eight digits
• Location: On the visa page inside your passport, not elsewhere in the passport

The visa number is not necessarily the largest text on the page. It may sit close to other small printed details, which is why checking the lower-right corner matters.

If you're completing an online form, compare the number you type with the red number on the foil one more time. A single mistyped digit can cause a form entry to disagree with your document.

What the visa number looks like

A simple, fictional example would look like this:

Visa number: 12345678

That example is only a format example. It is not a real visa number and should not be used on a form.

In the passport, the number may appear as a short line of red digits. You might see other information directly above it, beside it, or elsewhere on the foil. The key point is that the visa number is the red number near the lower-right section, rather than the machine-readable text along the bottom.

If the red printing is faint, view the page under good light. You can also enlarge a private photo of the page on your own device, but avoid sharing passport images or visa details publicly. Your visa number is part of a personal travel document.

Finding the number on a B1/B2 visa

If you have a B1/B2 visa, look in the same place. B1/B2 describes the visa class shown on the visa foil. It does not move the visa number to a different part of the page.

Find the visa foil in your passport, then check the lower-right corner for the red number. The B1/B2 wording may appear in the section that identifies the visa class, but that wording is not the visa number.

For a B1/B2 visa, keep these items separate:

• B1/B2: The visa class
• Your name: The traveler’s name
• Visa dates: The dates printed on the foil
• Red number near the lower right: The visa number
• Text at the bottom: The machine-readable line

If a form asks for the visa number, it normally wants the red number, not “B1/B2” and not the date range.

Visa number versus the machine-readable line and other identifiers

A U.S. visa contains several pieces of information that can look like numbers or codes. They are not all interchangeable.

The machine-readable line

Near the bottom of the visa, you may see a machine-readable line. This is the part designed to be read by document-scanning systems. It contains information such as the visa holder’s name and is separate from the red visa number.

Do not copy the bottom line just because it contains letters and numbers. If the form asks for the visa number, go back to the red number near the lower-right corner.

The passport number

Your passport number belongs to the passport issued by your country. It is not the U.S. visa number. A form may ask for both, but they come from different places:

• Find the passport number in the passport’s identification details.
• Find the visa number on the U.S. visa foil.

The visa class

The visa class may be shown as B1/B2 or another letter-and-number combination. This tells the form what type of visa you have. It is not the visa number.

The control number

Some forms or instructions may ask for a control number instead. Treat that as a different field. The control number is not automatically the same as the red visa number.

This is where the phrase “U.S. visa number vs. control number” matters. Read the form’s label carefully:

• If it says visa number, look for the red number near the lower-right corner.
• If it says control number, look for the number identified by that exact label or follow the form’s instructions.
• If it asks for both, enter them in their separate fields.

Don't swap one number for the other just because both appear on the visa.

What to do if you are unsure which number a form requests

Start by reading the field label, including any help text or instructions next to it. Forms sometimes ask for a passport number, visa number, visa class, or control number in separate boxes.

Then match the request to the document:

Be especially careful with 0 or O. The red visa number is commonly described as an eight-digit number, so it should be entered as digits. A zero is 0; the letter O is O. If a character is hard to read, enlarge the document image and compare it closely instead of guessing.

Don't replace a number with a nearby code simply because it looks clearer. If the form's wording still doesn't match what you see, use the form's own instructions or contact the organization that issued the form for clarification.

Common questions about U.S. visa numbers

How do I find the visa number on a U.S. visa?

Open your passport to the U.S. visa foil. Look near the lower-right corner for the number printed in red. That is generally the visa number the form is asking for.

Where is the visa number on a B1/B2 visa?

It is usually in the same place as on other U.S. visa foils: near the lower-right corner, printed in red. The B1/B2 text identifies the visa class. It is not the visa number.

What is a U.S. visa number example?

A fictional format example is 12345678. It shows the kind of eight-digit format commonly used to describe the number. Do not use that example on a real application.

Is the visa number the same as the control number?

Not necessarily. If a form asks for a visa number, use the red number near the lower-right of the visa. If it asks for a control number, follow the form's label and instructions instead.

Is the U.S. visa number in the machine-readable line?

No. The machine-readable line at the bottom is separate from the red visa number. It contains the holder’s name and other document information, so it should not be copied into a visa-number field.

Before you submit a form, check the lower-right corner of your visa foil one more time. Compare the red number with the field label, and make sure you haven't entered the machine-readable line, visa class, passport number, or control number by mistake.