Visa Stamp

How to Obtain?

- Upon a successful visa interview, consular post will keep your passport for a few days.
- They will place a foil with a visa stamp inside your passport.
- Passport will be returned by delivery or pickup, depending on your selection.

How to Read?

Once your passport with the visa stamp is returned, please review it promptly and report any discrepancies or inquiries within 24 hours. Below is a quick guide on how to read your visa stamp.

1 Issuing Post Name – Embassy or consulate that issued your visa
2 Control Number – A unique identifier printed at the top right of a US visa, used for internal tracking
3 Surname | Given Name | Sex
4 Visa Type / Class – R means regular processing J1 is your actual visa class
5 Passport Number | Sex | Birth Date
6 Nationality – Your passport country shown as a four-letter country code
7 Entries – Number of entries allowed M = multiple entries
8 Issue Date – When the visa was printed
9 Expiration Date – Last day you can use the visa to enter, not to stay in, the US

The bottom includes an annotation — lines added by the embassy showing your official program details.

1 SEVIS ID:
2 Official Number for Your J-1 Sponsor:
3 Program Period: /
4 Program Sponsor:

What to Note?

1 A visa only allows travel to a US port of entry – not guaranteed entry; CBP determines your admissibility upon arrival.
2 Visa type must match purpose — e.g., J-1 is for exchange programs, not for work outside your approved program.
3 Don’t alter or damage your visa stamp; marks or lamination may cause boarding or entry denial.
4 You may arrive up to 30 days before and stay up to 30 days after your program period, / .
5 You may stay in the US for up to 12 months if granted for program amendment. Extension only applies to DS-2019 — not the visa in your passport. If you leave the US after the original visa expires, you must apply for a new visa to come back in.