⚠️ Sensitive information — always check the official source
Visa requirements, quotas, amounts and dates change often. Every fact in this guide was checked against the official source on 2026-09-23 and we re-check it periodically, but before starting any procedure confirm the details on the official links (embassy, consulate or ministry) shown on this page. viajacongus.com does not process visas and does not replace official information.
💵 How much it costs
MRV FEE (the application): US$ 185 per person, children included. Verified on 23/09/2026 in the regulatory text, 22 CFR 22.1, which lists it as «(a) Non-petition-based nonimmigrant visa (except E category) $185», and in the official appointment system, which repeats it as «$185 USD — (B) Visitante: Negocios, Turismo, Tratamiento médico». In force since June 2023 and unchanged. It is the only mandatory fee in the process. RECIPROCITY FEE (the issuance): for all our Latin American nationalities, the Department of State's Reciprocity Table marks the B-1, B-2 and B-1/B-2 with an issuance fee of «None»: nothing extra is paid. EXPEDITED APPOINTMENT, OPTIONAL: US$ 750. It is in 22 CFR 22.1 and in the Department of State's temporary rule published on 9/6/2026, which describes it like this: «a $750 fee for an expedited B1/B2, business and tourism, nonimmigrant visa (NIV) interview appointment... to secure an interview appointment at selected posts within ten business days». The rule is temporary: «This temporary final rule is effective July 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026», it is offered «only to applicants at limited posts as published on travel.state.gov and in limited quantities», and it speeds up NOTHING but the appointment: «This service will not expedite any processing steps, including any time needed for administrative processing. An expedited visa appointment in no way guarantees visa issuance». The US$ 750 come ON TOP of the US$ 185: «Individuals seeking an expedited appointment who pay the $750 fee will continue to pay the MRV fee». BOND, ONLY FOR SOME NATIONALITIES: US$ 5.000, US$ 10.000 or US$ 15.000 for nationals of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, among others; «The amount is determined at the time of the visa interview». WHAT DOES NOT EXIST: in the consular fee schedule in force (22 CFR 22.1, read on 23/09/2026) there is no other charge for a B-1/B-2 beyond those US$ 185 and the optional US$ 750. Any «agency», «appointment service» or «mandatory advisory» they charge you separately is private and is not part of the process.
⏳ How long it takes
WE COULD NOT VERIFY IT TODAY AND WE SAY SO: the Department of State publishes wait times in its own tool, which updates automatically, and on 23/09/2026 travel.state.gov blocked all our attempts at automated reading. We are not going to copy numbers from a blog. What we can tell you is how to read that tool, because it has two different columns and people look at the wrong one: one is the next available B-1/B-2 interview appointment at that consulate, and the other is the average wait. Check it yourself, by consulate, before buying any ticket, and look at it again a week later: it changes often. Three timeframes that ARE published and fixed: (1) the return of the passport after the decision, «Una vez que la Sección Consular de EE. UU. nos entrega los documentos de visa al servicio de correo, se tarda hasta 3 días hábiles para que los documentos estén listos para ser retirados o entregados»; (2) the registration of a cash payment before you can book an appointment, «puede demorar hasta 3 días hábiles» in Argentina and Colombia, «hasta 2 días hábiles» in Mexico; and (3) the paid expedited appointment, which guarantees a slot «within ten business days» but only at the pilot consulates. If your case is placed in administrative processing under section 221(g), there is no date: the courier service itself states that «La información sobre el tiempo que toma el proceso de adjudicación de la Sección Consular de EE. UU., no puede ser proporcionada por este servicio».
📅 How long it's valid
These are two different things and it helps to keep them separate in your head. (1) VISA VALIDITY: set by the Department of State's Reciprocity Table, by nationality. For Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic and Uruguay, the B-1, the B-2 and the B-1/B-2 appear as «Multiple» entries and «120 Months», that is, 10 years. SURINAME is the exception in our region: «Multiple / 60 Months», 5 years. And CUBA and VENEZUELA are the other exception, a much harsher one: «One / 3 Months», a single entry and three months of validity, on top of being under partial suspension of issuance since 1/1/2026. (2) DAYS OF STAY: the visa does NOT give you those. The CBP officer writes them in at entry, on the admission stamp or in the I-94. The Department of State does not publish a maximum number of days per entry: NOT PUBLISHED. And there is a legal consequence of overstaying that almost nobody knows, verbatim: «Failure to depart the United States on time will result in being out of status. Under U.S. law, visas of individuals who are out of status are automatically voided (Section 222(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act). Any multiple entry visa that was voided due to being out of status will not be valid for future entries». Overstay by one day and your ten-year visa voids itself.
👤 Who needs it?
It applies to almost all of us. Of our twenty-eight nationalities, the ONLY ones that can skip the consulate and travel with ESTA are Germany, Andorra, Australia, Chile, Denmark, Spain and Italy, which are in the Visa Waiver Program. THESE NEED A B-1/B-2 VISA: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. Each person files their own application: «Each individual who needs a visa must submit a separate application, including any family members listed in your passport», and that includes babies. THREE 2026 WARNINGS THAT CHANGE EVERYTHING FOR SOME NATIONALITIES. First, SUSPENSION: under Presidential Proclamation 10998, in force since 00:01 Eastern time on 1 January 2026, the Department of State «partially suspended visa issuance» for nationals of 19 countries, and two of them are ours: CUBA and VENEZUELA, precisely «for nonimmigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, J student and exchange visitor visas, and all immigrant visas», with limited exceptions (among them, «Dual nationals applying with a passport of a nationality not subject to a suspension»). The suspension covers those who are outside the United States and did not hold a valid visa on the date it took effect. Second, BOND: the Department of State publishes a list of countries whose nationals must post a bond for the B-1/B-2, and it includes CUBA (since 21/1/2026), VENEZUELA (21/1/2026) and NICARAGUA (2/4/2026): «Any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000». Third, NO INTERVIEW WAIVER: since 7 August 2025, nationals of a list of countries must attend an in-person interview no matter what, even when renewing, and CUBA and VENEZUELA are on that list.
