B-1 Visa: US Business Visitor Visa Explained

The B-1 is a nonimmigrant (temporary) visa for business visitors. You come to the United States for a specific business purpose, then you leave. Your salary and main place of business must stay outside the United States.

Most embassies issue it as a combined B-1/B-2 visa, so the same visa covers both business and tourism. If you only plan to sightsee or visit family, see the B-2 tourist visa.

Citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries can often make short business trips of up to 90 days with an ESTA instead of a visa. Canadian citizens generally do not need a visa for business visits.

The B-1 covers activities that support a business based abroad. Common examples:

• Attend business meetings, consultations, and conferences
• Negotiate or sign contracts
• Attend a trade show (without selling on the spot)
• Settle an estate or handle a legal matter
• Do independent research for your foreign employer
• Install, service, or repair equipment your foreign employer sold, when the sales contract requires it
• Attend short training that is not paid by a US source

What you cannot do

• Work for a US company or be paid by a US source (limited expense payments are usually fine)
• Take a job, even part time or remote for a US client, while in the United States
• Study for academic credit (you need an F-1 student visa)
• Perform as an entertainer for pay
• Work as a crew member on a ship or plane (see the D crew visa)

A few narrow exceptions exist, such as some personal or domestic employees traveling with their employer and some professional athletes. These cases have strict conditions. If you plan any hands-on work, ask the consulate or an immigration lawyer before you travel.

Two dates matter, and they are different:

For business visitors, CBP admits you for the time needed for your business, usually up to 6 months. Your admission date is on your electronic I-94 record. Check it on the CBP I-94 website after every entry.

Extensions

If you need more time, file Form I-539 with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) before your I-94 date passes. Extensions are granted in limited increments and you must show a valid business reason. See our guide to extending your stay.

Family members

There is no dependent category for B-1 visitors. A spouse or child who travels with you applies for their own B-2 visa (or uses an ESTA if eligible).

Visa bonds (new in 2025-2026). Since August 3, 2026, the State Department runs a permanent B-1/B-2 visa bond program for nationals of designated countries (about 50 countries as of mid-2026). If you are from a listed country, the officer may require a refundable bond of $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000, paid through Form I-352 on the US Treasury's Pay.gov site. You must enter and leave through a commercial airport or CBP preclearance location. The bond is returned if you follow the visa terms and leave on time; it is forfeited if you overstay or apply for asylum. Check the current country list on travel.state.gov before you apply.

Yes. Proclamation 10998 took effect on January 1, 2026. It suspends visa issuance and entry for nationals of 39 countries:

• 19 countries (full ban): no immigrant or nonimmigrant visas, including B-1/B-2
• 20 countries (partial ban): no immigrant visas and no B-1, B-2, F, M, or J visas (Turkmenistan is treated differently: only immigrant visas are suspended)

Visas issued before January 1, 2026 were not revoked. Dual nationals traveling on the passport of a non-listed country are not covered. You can still submit an application, but the visa may be refused under the proclamation. Officials can grant case-by-case national interest exceptions, but these are discretionary.

Not directly. To get a B-1, you must show you plan to return home. If you later qualify for another status, such as a work visa, you usually apply for it from abroad. Changing status inside the United States is sometimes possible, but applying for a visitor visa while secretly planning to stay can be treated as misrepresentation, which has lasting consequences. Read our guide on change of status and see the US work visa options if you want to move long term.

• Section 214(b): the officer is not convinced you will return home. Strong ties (a job, business, family, property) and a clear, short business purpose help.
• Planned activity is really work: for example, coming to do hands-on work for a US client.
• Past immigration problems: overstays, unauthorized work, or earlier refusals you did not disclose.
• Misrepresentation: false or inconsistent answers on the DS-160. This can lead to a permanent bar.
• Administrative processing: extra security checks under section 221(g). See 221(g) administrative processing.

After a 214(b) refusal you can reapply, but only do so when your situation or evidence has changed. Our guide on visa denials and waivers explains the options. If you have a criminal record or a past overstay, talk to a licensed immigration lawyer before applying.