US Visa Integrity Fee: Is the $250 Charged in India?

Published 2026-10-29 · 7 min read · By the Travlys visa team

The $250 visa integrity fee became US law in July 2025 and is due when a visa is issued. As of 29 October 2026 we found no official sign that it is being collected from Indian applicants. Here is what the law says and what a B1/B2 visa costs today.

The $250 US visa integrity fee is real law, signed on 4 July 2025, and is meant to be paid when a nonimmigrant visa is issued. But as of 29 October 2026, we found no official notice from the State Department, the US Embassy in India or the Federal Register that it is being collected from Indian applicants. A B1/B2 applicant from India currently pays the $185 application fee, about ₹18,130 at the consular rate.

At a glance: Law: One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21), section 100007, signed 4 July 2025. Amount: at least $250, rising with US inflation each fiscal year. Who pays: anyone issued a US nonimmigrant visa, including children. When: at visa issuance, not at application. Waiver: not allowed. Refund: possible after the visa expires if you follow its conditions, but no process exists yet. Collected in India? Not confirmed as of 29 October 2026. B1/B2 fee now: $185, about ₹18,130 at ₹98 per dollar. Reciprocity fee for Indians (B1/B2): none.

Is the $250 visa integrity fee being collected in India?

We could not find any official evidence that it is. The US Embassy in India's visa page, checked on 29 October 2026, says nothing about the fee, and the only Federal Register notice that mentions it says it will be implemented in a future publication. Until an official notice appears, plan for it but do not assume you will be asked to pay it.

What the visa integrity fee is

The fee was created by section 100007 of the budget law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed on 4 July 2025. It is now in the US Code at 8 USC 1806. It says the Secretary of Homeland Security shall require a fee from any alien issued a nonimmigrant visa, at the time of issuance, on top of any other fee. For fiscal year 2025 the amount was set at the greater of $250 or a higher amount DHS sets by rule.

The law says the fee cannot be waived or reduced. Fees that are not refunded go to the US Treasury's general fund, not to the State Department.

Who would pay it, and who would not

Would pay: anyone issued a temporary (nonimmigrant) visa, such as B1/B2 visitors, F-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, H-1B workers, H-4 and F-2 dependants, and L-1 transferees.
Children: the law has no age exemption, so each child's visa would carry the fee.
Refused applicants: would not pay, because it is charged at issuance.
Would not pay: immigrant visa applicants, and travellers who enter without a visa. Indian passport holders are not eligible for the US Visa Waiver Program, so this rarely helps Indians.

Refunds: what the law allows

The law says DHS may reimburse the fee after your visa's period of validity ends, if you show both of these:

After entering the US on that visa, you complied with all its conditions, including not accepting unauthorised employment.
Either you did not seek to extend your stay and left the US no later than 5 days after your permitted period ended, or you were granted an extension or an adjustment to permanent residence during the visa's validity.

Three things to note. The word is "may", so a refund is not guaranteed. A refund comes only after the visa expires, and Indian B1/B2 visas are often issued for up to 120 months, so you could wait about 10 years. And as of 29 October 2026, DHS has not published how to claim a refund. Keep your I-94 records, entry and exit stamps and boarding passes for every trip.

The inflation adjustment

From fiscal year 2026, the fee rises each year by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for July compared with July of the previous year, rounded down to the nearest dollar. The US fiscal year starts on 1 October. No official adjusted amount has been published, so if collection starts, the figure you are charged could be a little above $250.

What we checked on 29 October 2026

Federal Register: the only notice naming the fee is DHS's 22 July 2025 USCIS fee notice. It says the visa integrity fee requires cross-agency coordination and will be implemented in a future publication. We found no later implementing rule.
US Embassy India visa page: no mention of the fee. It does confirm the consular exchange rate of ₹98 per dollar from 25 May 2026.
State Department fee page: the live page blocked automated access. The latest copy we could read, from 9 July 2026, lists $185 for B visas and has no integrity fee.
Secondary reports conflict: one immigration law firm guide, updated June 2026, says some embassies collect the fee while others wait for payment systems, but names no posts. Other guides from October 2026 say it is not being collected.

Our reading: the fee is law but, for Indian applicants, it is not visibly in force. That can change with one notice, so check the official fee page before you pay.

What a B1/B2 visa costs from India today

Application (MRV) fee: $185, about ₹18,130 at ₹98 per dollar. Non-refundable, even if you are refused. Unchanged since June 2023.
Reciprocity (issuance) fee: none for Indian B1/B2 visas, which can be issued for up to 120 months with multiple entries.
Visa integrity fee: $0 today as far as we can confirm. Keep $250 (about ₹24,500) in reserve per visa in case it starts.
Paid express appointment: a $750 pilot runs to 31 December 2026, but law firm summaries list posts in Mexico, Canada and some Central and South American countries, not India.
Your own costs: photos, travel to the visa centre and consulate for biometrics and interview, and any service fee you choose to pay.

For a family of four, the government fee alone is $740, about ₹72,520. If the integrity fee starts, add $1,000. Our visa cost calculator at travlys.com/visa-cost-calculator/ and the visa fees table at travlys.com/visa-fees/ help you total it up.

What to do now

Do not delay your application waiting for clarity. The bigger problem is appointment waits, covered in our post on US visa appointment wait times for October 2026.
Budget an extra $250 per person, but do not pay it to anyone unless the official appointment system or the consulate asks for it.
Ignore anyone offering to "pre-pay" the integrity fee for you. There is no such official route.
Keep every travel record. If refunds open, you will need to show you left on time.
Read our US visa changes 2026 post for the interview, social media and H-1B rules that sit alongside this fee.

How Travlys helps

Travlys is an Ahmedabad-based visa consultancy with 5,000+ visas filed and a 98% approval rate. Our US visa service starts from ₹19,940, plus government fees, and covers your DS-160, fee payment, appointment booking, document checks and interview preparation. WhatsApp +91 82009 18967.

Last checked: These rules were checked on 29 October 2026 against the sources listed below. The live State Department fee page could not be read on that date, so we relied on its 9 July 2026 copy and on the US Embassy India page. Confirm the current fee on the official sites before you pay.

Frequently asked questions

Is the $250 US visa integrity fee charged in India now?

We could not confirm that it is. As of 29 October 2026, we found no Federal Register rule, State Department notice or US Embassy India notice saying collection has started. The law requires the fee, but a July 2025 DHS notice said it needs cross-agency coordination and will be implemented in a future publication. Some law firm guides say a few posts collect it, but none names an Indian post.

When would I pay the visa integrity fee?

At the time your visa is issued, not when you apply. The law says the fee is paid by any person issued a nonimmigrant visa at the time of issuance. So if your visa is refused, you would not pay it. You would still pay the $185 application fee, which is charged before the interview and is non-refundable whatever the result.

Can I get the $250 visa integrity fee refunded?

Possibly, but not soon and not automatically. The law lets DHS reimburse it after your visa's validity ends, if you obeyed all visa conditions, did no unauthorised work, and either left within five days of your permitted stay ending or got an extension or green card. For a 10-year B1/B2 visa, that means waiting about 10 years. DHS has not published any claim process.

Does the visa integrity fee apply to children and every visa type?

The law applies it to any person issued a nonimmigrant visa, with no exemption for age, so each family member would pay it on their own visa. That covers B1/B2, F-1, J-1, H-1B, H-4, L-1 and other temporary visas. The law also says the fee cannot be waived or reduced. It does not apply to immigrant visas or green cards.

What is the total cost of a US tourist visa from India in 2026?

The government fee is $185 for a B1/B2 visa. At the consular rate of ₹98 per dollar set from 25 May 2026, that is ₹18,130. Indians pay no reciprocity fee on a B1/B2 visa. If the integrity fee starts, add $250, about ₹24,500 at the same rate. Travlys's service fee for a US visa starts from ₹19,940, on top of government fees.

Will the visa integrity fee be more than $250?

It could be. The law set $250 for fiscal year 2025 and says the amount rises each fiscal year from 2026 in line with the US Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, rounded down to the nearest dollar. DHS can also set a higher amount by rule. No official adjusted figure had been published as of 29 October 2026.

Sources

Checked on 2026-10-29. Visa rules change; confirm on the official site before you travel.