page_title: B visa
section_title: Validity period and duration of stay
hierarchical_section_title: B visa / Validity period and duration of stay
caption_attribution_description: English: US B visa validity period per country &#160;&#160; United States&#160;&#160; 10 years&#160;&#160; 5 years&#160;&#160; 2–4 years&#160;&#160; 12–15 months&#160;&#160; 3–6 months&#160;&#160; 1 month–5 years (depending on issuance fee or visa subtype)
context_page_description: A B visa is one of a category of non-immigrant visas issued by the United States government to foreign citizens seeking entry for a temporary period. The two types of B visa are the B-1 visa, issued to those seeking entry for business purposes, and the B-2 visa, issued to those seeking entry for tourism or other non-business purposes. In practice, the two visa categories are usually combined together and issued as a "B-1/B-2 visa" valid for a temporary visit for either business or pleasure, or a combination of the two. Citizens of certain countries do not usually need to obtain a visa for these purposes.
context_section_description: As with other non-immigrant U.S. visas, a B-1/B-2 visa has a validity period (from 1 month to 10 years), allows for one, two, three or multiple entries into the U.S., and elicits a period of stay (maximum 6 months) recorded by the Customs and Border Protection officer at the port of entry on the individual's form I-94. The validity period determines how long the visa may be used to enter the U.S., while the period of stay determines how long the person may stay in the U.S. after each entry.
  Validity periods per country are listed in the U.S. Department of State Visa Reciprocity Tables and vary from 1 month for Papua New Guinea (with no issuance fee), 1 year for Vietnam, 2 years for Nigeria, 3 years for Russia, and 5 years for Ecuador, to 10 years for China, India, Israel, Philippines, and most countries in the Americas and Europe. For some countries, longer validity periods are available for higher issuance fees or for B-1 only.
  Periods of stay for B-1 visas may be granted initially for a duration long enough to allow the visitor to conduct their business, up to a maximum of 6 months, and can be extended for another 6 months; stays with B-1 visas are usually granted for three months or less, while stays with B-2 visas are generally granted for six months. Extensions are possible, provided the individual has not violated the conditions of admission.
  A Border Crossing Card (BCC), also called a laser visa, has a 10-year validity and functions as both a BCC and a B-1/B-2 visitor's visa. The BCC is only issued to nationals of Mexico who apply for a visa inside Mexico.
  Validity of B visas by nationality, as of March 2020:
caption: US B visa validity period per country      United States   10 years   5 years   2–4 years    12–15 months   3–6 months   1 month–5 years (depending on issuance fee or visa subtype)
exif: {}