(a) Issuance outside the United States. Any consular officer is authorized to issue regular and official visas. Diplomatic visas may be issued only by:

(1) A consular officer attached to a U.S. diplomatic mission, if authorized to do so by the Chief of Mission; or

(2) A consular officer assigned to a consular office under the jurisdiction of a diplomatic mission, if so authorized by the Department or the Chief, Deputy Chief, or Counselor for Consular Affairs of that mission, or, if assigned to a consular post not under the jurisdiction of a diplomatic mission, by the principal officer of that post.

(b) Issuance in the United States in certain cases. The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services and such officers of the Department as the former may designate are authorized, in their discretion, to issue nonimmigrant visas, including diplomatic visas, in the United States, to:

(1) Qualified applicants who are currently maintaining status and are properly classifiable in the A, C-2, C-3, G or NATO category and intend to reenter the United States in that status after a temporary absence abroad and who also present evidence that:

(i) They have been lawfully admitted in that status or have, after admission, had their classification changed to that status; and

(ii) Their period of authorized stay in the United States in that status has not expired; and

(2) Children who are born in the United States, but who are not subject to the jurisdiction thereof because they are born to certain qualified individuals who are currently maintaining status and are properly classifiable in the A, C-2, C-3, G or NATO category.

(3) Other qualified applicants who:

(i) Are currently maintaining status in the E, H, I, L, O, or P nonimmigrant category;

(ii) Intend to reenter the United States in that status after a temporary absence abroad; and

(iii) Who also present evidence that:

(A) They were previously issued visas at a consular office abroad and admitted to the United States in the status which they are currently maintaining; and

(B) Their period of authorized admission in that status has not expired.

[52 FR 42597, Nov. 5, 1987, as amended at 66 FR 12738, Feb. 28, 2001; 87 FR 53375, Aug. 31, 2022]

(a) Significance of period of validity of visa. The period of validity of a nonimmigrant visa is the period during which the alien may use it in making application for admission. The period of visa validity has no relation to the period of time the immigration authorities at a port of entry may authorize the alien to stay in the United States.

(b) Validity of visa and number of applications for admission. (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section, a nonimmigrant visa shall have the validity prescribed in schedules provided to consular officers by the Department, reflecting insofar as practicable the reciprocal treatment accorded U.S. nationals, U.S. permanent residents, or aliens granted refugee status in the U.S. by the government of the country of which the alien is a national, permanent resident, refugee or stateless resident.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (b)(1) of this section, United States nonimmigrant visas shall have a maximum validity period of 10 years.

(3) An unexpired visa is valid for application for admission even if the passport in which the visa is stamped has expired, provided the alien is also in possession of a valid passport issued by the authorities of the country of which the alien is a national.

(c) Limitation on validity. If warranted in an individual case, a consular officer may issue a nonimmigrant visa for:

(1) A period of validity that is less than that prescribed on a basis of reciprocity,

(2) A number of applications for admission within the period of the validity of the visa that is less than that prescribed on a basis of reciprocity,

(3) Application for admission at a specified port or at specified ports of entry, or

(4) Use on and after a given date subsequent to the date of issuance.

(d) Automatic extension of validity at ports of entry. (1) Provided that the requirements set out in paragraph (d)(2) of this section are fully met, the following provisions apply to nonimmigrant aliens seeking readmission at ports of entry:

(i) The validity of an expired nonimmigrant visa issued under INA 101(a)(15) may be considered to be automatically extended to the date of application for readmission; and

(ii) In cases where the original nonimmigrant classification of an alien has been changed by DHS to another nonimmigrant classification, the validity of an expired or unexpired nonimmigrant visa may be considered to be automatically extended to the date of application for readmission, and the visa may be converted as necessary to that changed classification.

(2) The provisions in paragraph (d)(1) of this section are applicable only in the case of a nonimmigrant alien who:

(i) Is in possession of a Form I-94, Arrival-Departure Record, endorsed by DHS to show an unexpired period of initial admission or extension of stay, provided that in the case of a qualified F student or the accompanying spouse or child of such student, is in possession of a current Form I-20, Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status, issued by the school that the student has been authorized to attend by DHS and endorsed by the issuing school official to indicate the period of initial admission or extension of stay authorized by DHS, and provided that in the case of a qualified J exchange visitor or the accompanying spouse or child of such exchange visitor, is in possession of a current Form DS-2019, Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status (J-NONIMMIGRANT), issued and endorsed by the Department of State-designated sponsor of the exchange program, to indicate the period of initial admission authorized by DHS or the extension of stay authorized by the Department of State;

(ii) Is applying for readmission after an absence not exceeding 30 days solely in contiguous territory, or, in the case of a student or exchange visitor or accompanying spouse or child meeting the stipulations of paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section, after an absence not exceeding 30 days in contiguous territory or adjacent islands other than Cuba;

(iii) Has maintained and intends to resume nonimmigrant status;

(iv) Is applying for readmission within the authorized period of initial admission or extension of stay;

(v) Is in possession of a valid passport;

(vi) Does not require authorization for admission under INA 212(d)(3); and

(vii) Has not applied for a new visa while abroad.

(3) The provisions in paragraphs (d)(1) and (d)(2) of this section shall not apply to the nationals of countries identified as supporting terrorism in the Department's annual report to Congress entitled Patterns of Global Terrorism.

[52 FR 42597, Nov. 5, 1987; 53 FR 9112, 9172, Mar. 21, 1988, as amended at 55 FR 36028, Oct. 31, 1990; 62 FR 24332, May 5, 1997; 66 FR 38543, July 25, 2001; 67 FR 10323, Mar. 7, 2002; 67 FR 66046, Oct. 30, 2002; 86 FR 55693, Oct. 7, 2021]

(a) Evidence of visa. Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, a nonimmigrant visa shall be evidenced by a physical visa placed in the alien's passport or by an electronic visa located in the Department's records. The appropriate symbol as prescribed in § 41.12, showing the classification of the alien, shall be entered on the visa.

(b) Cases in which a physical visa is not placed in passport. In the following cases a physical visa shall be placed on the prescribed Form DS-232. In issuing such a visa, a notation shall be made on the Form DS-232 on which the visa is placed, specifying the pertinent subparagraph of this paragraph under which the action is taken.

(1) The alien's passport was issued by a government with which the United States does not have formal diplomatic relations, unless the Department has specifically authorized the placing of the visa in such passport;

(2) The passport requirement has been waived; or

(3) In other cases as authorized by the Department.

(c) Visa format. A machine-readable visa shall be in the format designated by the Department, and contain, at a minimum, the following data:

(1) Full name of the applicant;

(2) Visa type/class;

(3) Location of the visa issuing office;

(4) Passport number;

(5) Sex;

(6) Date of birth;

(7) Nationality;

(8) Number of applications for admission authorized, or the letter “M” for multiple applications for admission authorized;

(9) Date of issuance;

(10) Date of expiration;

(11) Visa control number.

(d) Insertion of name, petition, and derivative status notation. (1) The surname and given name of the visa recipient shall be shown on the visa in the space provided.

(2) If the visa is being issued upon the basis of a petition approved by the Secretary of Homeland Security, the number of the petition, if any, the period for which the 'alien's admission has been authorized, and the name of the petitioner shall be reflected in the annotation field on the visa.

(3) In the case of an alien who derives status from a principal alien, the name of the principal alien and of the petitioner shall be reflected in the annotation field of the visa.

(e) Period of validity. If a nonimmigrant visa is issued for an unlimited number of applications for admission within the period of validity, the letter “M” shall be shown under the word “entries”. Otherwise the number of permitted applications for admission shall be identified numerically. The date of issuance and the date of expiration of the visa shall be shown at the appropriate places in the visa by day, month, and year in that order. The standard three letter abbreviation for the month shall be used in all cases.

(f) Restriction to specified port(s) of entry. If a nonimmigrant visa is valid for admission only at one or more specified ports of entry, the names of those ports shall be entered in the annotation field. In cases where there is insufficient room to list the port(s) of entry, they shall be listed by hand on a clean passport page. Reference shall be made in the visa's annotation field citing the passport page upon which the port(s) of entry are listed.

(g) Delivery of visa. In issuing a nonimmigrant visa, the consular officer should deliver the passport containing the visa, or the prescribed Form DS-232 which bears the visa, to the alien or to the alien's authorized representative. Any relevant evidence furnished by the alien in accordance with § 41.103(b) should be retained, as required or necessary.

(h) Disposition of supporting documents. Original supporting documents furnished by the alien should be returned for presentation, if necessary, to the immigration authorities at the port of entry. Duplicate copies may be retained in the consular system, as required or necessary.

(i) Review of nonimmigrant visa issuances. Nonimmigrant visa issuances must be reviewed, in accordance with guidance by the Secretary of State, by consular supervisors, or a designated alternate, to ensure compliance with applicable laws and procedures.

[80 FR 67315, Nov. 2, 2015]