Yes, effective April 1, 2008, the electronic DS-1648 is no longer available for use.

Enter your place of birth as contained in your birth certificate. Please also submit a copy of your birth certificate, and an English translation if the document is not in English, with the rest of your required documents. If a birth certificate is unavailable, submit other evidence to show your place of birth.

No, visas issued using the old form are still valid. Applicants just need to use the new form when it is time for them to renew.

Only those marked "Optional" may be left blank. The application will not allow an applicant to submit a form with any mandatory fields left blank; in this instance, an error message will return the applicant to the field requiring data entry.

Yes. Please enter your sponsoring mission, organization, or U.S. military base information, because this is required for all A, G, and NATO visa applicants.

Choose a date 5-10 years from the day you are applying, as an indication to issue maximum validity allowed under reciprocity agreements with your country of nationality.

Check that you followed the example provided below the entry box, using dashes as part of the phone number (e.g., 555-555-5555).

The DS-1648 will "time out" after approximately 10 minutes, resulting in a complete loss of data if the application has not been used during that time. Therefore, it is advisable to use the "Save" button in the bottom center of each page to save any data already entered in order to avoid its loss if you need to step away from the application before completing it. Make sure you follow the instructions after clicking save to ensure the data are duplicated to your computer. You can then use the "Import Application Data" option on the "Getting Started" page to pull up the data you have already entered.

Please refer to the detailed guidance in the photograph requirements and digital image requirements for specifications to bring to a photo lab, guidance for using a digital camera, and requirements for scanned images.

The photo upload failed. You will need to submit one 2x2 inch color photograph that meets requirements explained in the Photograph Requirements, stapled or glued to the online DS-1648 confirmation page ONLY if the confirmation page has an X in the box where the uploaded photo should appear. If the confirmation page includes a photo image, then the photo upload function has succeeded and no separate print photograph is required.

In order for data changes made from the review page links to save, you must use the buttons at the bottom of each page to navigate, instead of the browser's back/forward buttons or the buttons along the left of the screen.

There are two main options - first, you can ask staff to come to your office to electronically sign the application so you can get them to the right place in the application and complete the remainder of the process yourself. Second, you can save the data entered and email the resulting data file, along with the photo, to the applicant with instructions regarding how to import the data, upload the photo, review the data, and then electronically sign; using this second approach, the applicant would complete the final steps of designating the location where the application is to be submitted and printing the confirmation.

Please make a note of the exact error in pen on the confirmation page to draw it to our attention.

If you notice you selected the incorrect location before printing the confirmation page, please correct it. If you notice after printing the confirmation page, please create an application to the correct location for submission to avoid the risk of your application being rejected by our office.

If the photo uploads correctly, we only need the DS-1648 confirmation page with a clear barcode featuring the embassy or organization seal (or diplomatic note), NOT a print-out of the "review entries" page; current passport (and previous passport, if it contains the previous visa); and most recent I-94. If submitting the application at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, applicants also need to include a diplomatic note. If the applicant is a foreign military member, then he/she needs to submit orders or a letter from the host command. If dependents are applying separate from the principal alien, please submit a copy of the principal alien's visa and I-94. If dependents were born in the United States and did not acquire U.S. citizenship, please include a letter to this effect from the Department of State's Office of Overseas Citizens Services. Finally, if uploading the photo failed, one 2x2 inch color photograph that meets the Photograph Requirements must be stapled or glued to the DS-1648 confirmation page ONLY if the confirmation page has an X in the box where the uploaded photo should appear. If the confirmation page includes a photo image, then the photo upload function has succeeded and no separate print photograph is required.

Yes. If one of the dependents has a different surname or nationality, for example, the applicant can alter those data on the application before submitting.