Last checked against official sources on 25 September 2026
QUICK ANSWER
How much does a US business visa cost from Pakistan, and how long does it take?
A B-1/B-2 visa costs US$185, non-refundable, and Pakistani citizens pay no separate issuance fee. On the State Department's table of 17 September 2026 the wait for a visitor interview was 12.5 months in Islamabad and 7.5 in Karachi, so allow 8–14 months for a first application.
Checked on the official sites on 13 October 2026. Fees and times change, so confirm them on the linked page before you pay. Visa centre charges and any consultant's fee are extra.
The United States business visa is the B-1 category of the visitor visa, usually issued as a combined B-1/B-2 — the same visa tourists hold. It covers meetings, negotiations, conferences and short training, not work.
The decision is made at a short interview. US law presumes that a visitor intends to stay — section 214(b) — and you overcome that with a clear business reason for the trip and a life in Pakistan you are plainly returning to. Company documents help only when your answers make them relevant: the embassy says it has no fixed list, and the officer may not look at them at all.
Most refusals come down to one of four
01Plans to return
02Business, not work
03Answers that match the DS-160
04A business you can explain
USUnited States · Business visaFACT SHEET
Visa
B-1 for business, usually issued as a combined B-1/B-2
Where you apply
U.S. Embassy Islamabad or Consulate General Karachi
Interview
In person for almost every applicant in Pakistan since August 2025
Applying on the wrong visa is one of the quickest ways to a refusal, so read both lists before anything else.
You’re in the right place if you are
An owner or director meeting US contacts
Owners and directors of Pakistani companies meeting US buyers, suppliers or partners, or negotiating contracts.
An exporter taking orders
Exporters taking orders for goods made in Pakistan — the classic B-1 case, because the business and its profits stay outside the United States.
A conference or trade show delegate
Delegates to conventions, conferences, seminars and trade shows.
Servicing equipment your company sold
Technicians installing, servicing or repairing equipment their Pakistani employer sold to a US buyer, where the sales contract requires it — but not building or construction work.
A board member of a US company
Board members of a US company attending board meetings.
In the order it happens. Each stage waits on the one before it, so the date you start decides the date you finish. Ranges, not promises — the mission owns the clock.
START TO FINISH8–14 monthsfor a first application, at current interview waits
1First
Check it is business, not work
Meetings, negotiations, conferences, taking orders for goods made abroad, board meetings and servicing equipment your company sold under its contract are B-1 activities. A job for a US company is not, whoever pays for it.
21–2 weeks
Complete the DS-160
The online form is the application. Every answer — employer, income, purpose, US contacts, previous travel — has to match what you will say at the interview, and the officer has the form in front of them.
3About 7–13 months
Pay the fee and book in Pakistan
Pay the application fee and book through the embassy's scheduling service. Since September 2025 applicants are told to book in their country of nationality or residence. Islamabad gives priority to students and Karachi to students and temporary workers, so visitor waits are long: the embassy advises applying at least six months before you travel.
4One visit
Prepare for the interview
Expect questions about who you are meeting, why it has to be in person, what your company does and what brings you back. Give short, specific answers. Members of a delegation are interviewed one by one, and each should be able to explain their own role. Carry the company file so you can hand over a document if asked, but expect the answers to decide it.
5Most within 60 days
After the interview
If you are approved, the visa is placed in your passport; its validity and number of entries follow the reciprocity schedule set for Pakistani nationals. Some cases need administrative processing: the embassy says most are resolved within 60 days and asks applicants to wait 90 before enquiring. A refusal under 214(b) has no appeal.
6
At the US border
The visa lets you travel; Customs and Border Protection decides whether to admit you and for how long. Carry the invitation, your company letter and your return ticket.
The official figures are in the quick answer at the top, as checked on 13 October 2026. They change without notice, so each line here says what a cost depends on and where the current figure is published.
Paid before you book
The visa application fee
The visa application fee is set by the State Department, paid before you book and not refunded if you are refused. The receipt stays valid for 365 days to book an interview. The current amount is on the embassy's scheduling site.
FIGUREThe embassy
Being introduced
The visa integrity fee
A visa integrity fee created by US law in July 2025 is being introduced on top of the application fee, charged when a visa is issued. Whether the posts in Pakistan collect it yet, and how much, is on the embassy's fee pages.
FIGUREThe embassy
Who may pay
Expenses from a US host
A US host can pay your travel and living expenses without breaching the B-1. A salary or fee for work done in the United States cannot be paid.
This is general guidance. Rules change, sometimes without notice, and your case will have specifics this page cannot know about. Check anything decisive on the official pages, or send us your situation and we will tell you where you actually stand.
Read before you apply
Why US business visa applications are refused
The grounds that come up most on files from Pakistan. Most of them can be dealt with before you submit.
REFUSED
01
Section 214(b)
214(b): the officer is not satisfied you will return — thin ties to Pakistan, a young or unexplained business, or a trip that looks like a first step to staying.
02
A purpose that sounds like work
A purpose that sounds like work: “training” that is really a job, a project done on site for a US client, or a US company paying you.
03
Answers that do not match the DS-160
Answers that do not match the DS-160 — a different job title, trip length or host.
04
A business you cannot explain
A business you cannot explain at the window: vague answers about your clients, your trade or why the meeting has to be in person.
05
A host with no visible link
A US host with no visible link to your business, or an invitation that was plainly arranged for the application.
06
Past violations or undeclared refusals
Previous overstays or visa violations anywhere, or a refusal left undeclared.
Already been refused?
Send us the refusal letter before you do anything else. It states the grounds, and they decide whether applying again is worth it or would just cost you the fee a second time.
Two agents cover WhatsApp between them, so this reaches a person rather than an inbox. The first assessment is free and you get a straight answer, including when that answer is no.
YOUR MESSAGE PREVIEW
ApkaVisa · live agentonline now
Assalam-o-Alaikum! I'd like a free assessment.
Service: Business Visa
Destination: United States
(ref: form-guide-business-visa-us)
Almost certainly. Since August 2025 nearly every nonimmigrant applicant in Pakistan is interviewed in person. The exception is a renewal: if your last B-1/B-2 was issued for full validity when you were 18 or older, it expired less than 12 months ago and you apply in Pakistan, you may be able to apply without an interview. The officer can still call you in.
Only if you live there. Since September 2025 the State Department tells applicants to book in their country of nationality or residence, and applying elsewhere without living there makes it harder to qualify. If you are resident in the UAE, be ready to prove it.
Not on business or tourist visas, as of September 2026. The entry restrictions in force since 1 January 2026 do not name Pakistan, and a separate pause announced that month applied to immigrant visas, not visitor visas. Both can change, so check the embassy's announcements before you book.
Yes. A US source can cover reasonable travel and living expenses. It cannot pay you a salary or fee for work done in the United States; an honorarium is allowed only for short academic activities under set conditions.
Yes, and there is no waiting period, but the same application will usually get the same answer. There is no appeal. Reapply when something has changed — your business, your travel record or the reason for the trip — and be ready to say what.
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