# Change DS-160 After Submission: Update the Confirmation Number on Your UAE Appointment Source: https://visadoctor.ae/change-ds-160-confirmation-number-us-visa-appointment-uae/ Last updated: 2026-10-26 Publisher: Visa Doctor FZC, licensed visa documentation agency in Dubai (SPC Free Zone licence 4417571.01) Written and reviewed by the **Visa Doctor documentation team** · Dubai · Rated 4.9★ on Google. [See how we help](/visa-services-dubai/). **Quick answer:** You cannot edit a DS-160 after you submit it. To correct it, you submit a new DS-160 on ceac.state.gov and put its new confirmation number on your UAE appointment. The official UAE instructions use “Close Application and Start New Application”. If you already have an appointment, you must cancel it first, which costs one scheduling opportunity, and a cancelled appointment cannot be restored. The barcode on the day must match your appointment, or you will not be able to attend. A submitted DS-160 cannot be edited, so any correction means completing a new form and moving its confirmation number onto your UAE appointment. The official UAE process does this through “Close Application and Start New Application”, and if you already hold an appointment you must cancel it first, which uses up one scheduling opportunity. ## Key facts - **After submission:** ustraveldocs.com/ae states: “Once the form is submitted, you cannot make any changes.” - **Unsubmitted forms:** travel.state.gov says “You have 30 days to return to a partially completed application.” - **Barcode:** the DS-160 confirmation number starts with AA and must match the one on your appointment. - **Official UAE instructions:** the “Instructions on Changing DS-160” sheet (June 2025), linked from step 2 on ustraveldocs.com/ae. - **Timing:** allow one business day for the “Close Application and Start New Application” option to appear. - **Cost of cancelling:** one scheduling opportunity, and a cancelled appointment cannot be restored. - **Support:** support-uae@usvisascheduling.com, +971 4 205 5981, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. UAE time. Visa Doctor is a private agency and is not affiliated with the US government, the US Embassy, ustraveldocs.com or usvisascheduling.com. You complete the DS-160 on ceac.state.gov, book on usvisascheduling.com through ustraveldocs.com/ae, and follow embassy news on ae.usembassy.gov. ## Can I edit a DS-160 after submission? No. The UAE scheduling site is direct about it: “All information must be correct and accurate. Once the form is submitted, you cannot make any changes.” The same page says applicants who were refused before should complete a new DS-160, and the refusals FAQ repeats that reapplicants “will have to complete new DS-160 visa form.” The travel.state.gov DS-160 FAQ also warns that “you may have to correct your application and reschedule your visa interview appointment.” In practice, “changing” a DS-160 means submitting a fresh one with the right answers, then updating the confirmation number held on your appointment profile. ## How do I retrieve or reuse a DS-160 on ceac.state.gov? You can reuse an earlier form instead of starting from scratch. The travel.state.gov DS-160 FAQ says you can retrieve a previous application “if your previous visa application was submitted after November 1, 2010”, and refers to this as “Option C-Retrieve Application”. You can also upload data from an application you saved to your computer. We could not check the current menu wording on ceac.state.gov for this guide, so follow the retrieve or upload options you see on screen. Read every page again before you submit, because the FAQ says reused information must still be current. The same retrieve option is used to reprint a lost confirmation page if you have the application ID. ## What is the 30-day window for an unsubmitted DS-160? A form you have started but not submitted can be reopened for 30 days. To return to it, you need the application ID and the answer to your security question. After 30 days, the only way back is a copy saved to your computer. Sessions time out too. ustraveldocs.com/ae notes: “If you stop working on this application for more than 20 minutes, your session will expire. You will have to start over, unless you have recorded your Application ID Number or have saved your application to a file on your computer.” Write the application ID down on the first page. ## Why must the DS-160 barcode match your appointment? Because a mismatch stops the interview. ustraveldocs.com/ae states that applicants must bring a DS-160 confirmation “with a confirmation/barcode number (starting with AA) that matches the one used to make their appointment online. If you appear at your appointment and the DS-160 barcode does not match the one in your appointment profile, you will not be able attend your interview.” Scheduling also asks for the “ten (10) digit barcode number from the applicant’s DS-160 confirmation page.” So a new DS-160 is only half the job. Until the new number is on your profile, your appointment still points to the old form. ## How do I change the DS-160 confirmation number on my UAE appointment? The official UAE instruction sheet “Instructions on Changing DS-160” lists eight steps. Quoted parts are its own words: - “Log in to your profile.” - “To correct the DS-160 barcode, you will need to select ‘Close Application and Start New Application.'” - If you have an open application without a future appointment, select “Close Application and Start New Application”. - If you have a scheduled appointment, you must cancel it first: “(You will lose one scheduling opportunity). Select ‘Manage Appointments,’ and confirm the cancellation.” - “Please allow one business day for the selection ‘Close Application and Start New Application’ to appear.” Once it shows, confirm it to start a new application. - “Enter the correct DS-160 barcode during the scheduling appointment process.” - Bring “an Appointment Confirmation Page bearing the most up-to-date DS-160 barcode; and the new/valid DS-160 Confirmation page.” - If you cannot select “Close Application and Start New Application”, send a request through “Feedback/Requests” or contact the call centre to ask for the barcode to be changed. ### Before you cancel, count the cost The FAQ adds: “Important: A cancelled appointment cannot be restored. Only cancel when you are ready to rebook straight away.” Reschedules are limited, so cancelling to fix a barcode uses one of a limited number of scheduling opportunities. If a slot is hard to find, ask the support centre through Feedback/Requests whether step 8 can be used instead. They may say no, and no one can promise the outcome. When you start the new application, the FAQ describes a “Claim Receipts” option for applying an existing fee receipt, with the note: “You can claim your existing visa fee receipt only if it is still valid and has not reached its maximum usage limit.” Do not pay the fee a second time. ## I have a new passport. Do I need a new DS-160? The DS-160 asks for “the number of the passport or travel document you will use to travel to the United States.” If your passport changed after you submitted the form, the form no longer shows your travel passport. In practice that means a new DS-160 and the barcode update above. This is our reading of the rules, not a published UAE rule, so check in your account or with the support centre before you cancel anything. The passport on your profile should be updated too, through Feedback/Requests or Information Correction, as explained in our [guide to the UAE appointment account](/ustraveldocs-usvisascheduling-uae-account-recovery-profile-changes/). No official page says whether your receipt survives a passport change. Valid receipts can be claimed on a new application, so it should normally stay usable, but confirm it in your account. If your old passport holds a valid visa, see [our note on old passports](/us-visa-old-passport-valid-transfer/). ## Does the DS-160 location have to match Dubai or Abu Dhabi? For the UAE, yes. ustraveldocs.com/ae says: “The interview post you select at the beginning of the DS-160 form must be the same post where you schedule your interview appointment.” travel.state.gov gives a more relaxed example elsewhere, but the safe course is to follow the UAE rule. Select Abu Dhabi or Dubai to match the post you will book. If you switch cities later, you may need a new DS-160 and the barcode process. Our guide to [changing your interview location](/change-us-visa-interview-location-dubai-abu-dhabi-country/) explains the rest. ## What F1 and F2 applicants should know - **New I-20 after booking:** the FAQ says “you can inform the U.S. consular officer of the new I-20 at the time of the interview.” - **New school or SEVIS ID:** the UAE pages do not say whether a new DS-160 is needed when the SEVIS ID or school changes. Many universities advise a new form, but check with your school and the support centre. - **Dependants:** “Each applicant” must have their own DS-160, children included, and each F2 dependant needs their own unused email address in the scheduling system. - **Family forms:** travel.state.gov offers a family or group option on the DS-160 “Thank You” page. Pre-filled details, such as a surname, can be changed before each form is submitted. Our [F1 documents checklist](/f1-visa-documents-checklist-dubai/) covers the papers to bring. ## How Visa Doctor helps For B1/B2 and F1/F2 applicants in the UAE, we review the DS-160 before you submit it, prepare a new DS-160 when your details change, and handle DS-160 linking, which means updating the confirmation number on your booking. We also help with passport number updates, name changes, account recovery and moving the interview between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We cannot promise how the call centre will respond or how quickly. Keep your own email and passwords, and give account access only to a licensed provider you trust. See our [visa services in Dubai](/visa-services-dubai/). Need help with your application? Tell us your destination and travel date. We will tell you honestly what is realistic. Your first consultation is **free**. Tell us your situation and we will tell you honestly where you stand before you pay anything. [WhatsApp us](https://wa.me/971585170900?text=Hello%20Visa%20Doctor%2C%20I%20would%20like%20to%20enquire%20about%20a%20visa.) +971 58 517 0900 ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I edit my DS-160 after submission? No. ustraveldocs.com/ae states: “Once the form is submitted, you cannot make any changes.” You submit a new DS-160 and then update the confirmation number on your appointment. ### How do I change the DS-160 confirmation number in the new UAE portal? Log in, select “Close Application and Start New Application”, allow one business day for the option to appear, then start a new application and enter the new barcode while scheduling. If the option does not appear, use Feedback/Requests or contact the call centre. ### Will I lose my appointment if I change my DS-160? If you already have an appointment, the UAE instructions say you must cancel it first, and you will lose one scheduling opportunity. A cancelled appointment cannot be restored, so only cancel when you are ready to rebook. ### Do I need a new DS-160 if I get a new passport? The DS-160 must show the passport you will travel on, so in practice a new passport means a new DS-160 and a barcode update. This is not spelled out on the UAE pages, so check in your account or with the support centre first. ### How do I retrieve a DS-160 I already submitted? Use the retrieve option on ceac.state.gov with your application ID. travel.state.gov calls it “Option C-Retrieve Application”, but the exact on-screen labels may differ, so follow what you see. ### Can I change the DS-160 location after submission? Not by editing the form. For UAE appointments the post on your DS-160 must match the post you book, so a change of city can mean a new DS-160 and the barcode update process. ## Sources Last checked 26 October 2026. - [ustraveldocs.com/ae, Step 2: complete the DS-160 and create a profile](https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ae/en/step-2), checked 26 October 2026. - [ustraveldocs.com/ae, General information and FAQ](https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ae/en/general-information), checked 26 October 2026. - [UAE instruction sheet: Instructions on Changing DS-160](https://assets.ctfassets.net/pitqj5emwdvc/5abXjdRM2rpzX34b5NXKkm/3ddd15d3b0241830ff61e30f8691fdf1/Instructions_on_Changing_DS-160.pdf), checked 26 October 2026. - [US Department of State, DS-160 frequently asked questions](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/forms/ds-160-online-nonimmigrant-visa-application/ds-160-faqs.html), checked 26 October 2026. - [ustraveldocs.com/ae, Terms and conditions](https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ae/en/terms-and-conditions), checked 26 October 2026. - [US Embassy and Consulate in the UAE, Visas](https://ae.usembassy.gov/visas/), checked 26 October 2026. Last reviewed October 2026. Visa rules, fees and processing times change frequently. Always confirm current requirements on the official government or consulate website before booking travel. Visa Doctor is a licensed private service provider (SPC Free Zone 4417571.01) and is not a government authority; we do not issue visas.