Move from intake to automatic data entry with DocketWise e-filing for DS-260. In just a few steps, you would have your family- or employment-based DS-260 application ready to be filed!

Take advantage of our Smart Forms to electronically file the DS-260, making it more efficient than ever with DocketWise.

Once your information is entered, DocketWise creates a new DS-260 application on the CEAC website—ready to file in just a few clicks.

Notes:

E-filing the DS-260 is simple in DocketWise with our step-by-step process. For details on each step, see the information below.

To get started, select the DS-260 for e-filing (different from the manual DS-260). You’ll find it under E-file Smart Forms in the Add Forms list.

After selecting the e-filing form, assign the roles for beneficiary/petitioner. Then click Save & Next at the upper right corner to complete form creation.

Note: A separate DS-260 is required for each applicant (principal/derivative). When first creating the form, add the petitioner of the immigrant visa under Petitioner and the applicant (principal/derivative) under Beneficiary.

After creating the forms, you can add information directly to the questionnaire on the intake tab or invite involved parties to complete it online to collect the required information.

You can click here for a refresher on smart form invitations and here to learn more about the questionnaire in the intake tab.

Note: The CEAC Platform doesn't have comprehensive validations for the mandatory fields required to complete your application. Be sure all information in the Intake is complete—DocketWise cannot update an e-filing draft after submission.

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Now that the intake is complete, go to the eFile tab. In the first step, click e-File this form on ceac.state.gov to begin. DocketWise will then validate the questionnaire and sync it to the CEAC platform.

Note: Please note that related processing fees must be paid and the status in CEAC updated to 'PAID' before you e-file the related DS-260.

See Step 3 and Step 6 of the Immigrant Visa Process from travel.state.gov for more information.

If the initial validation passes, you can start e-filing the form by following the actions shown in Step 3: DS-260 E-filing Status. There, you will start by entering the Case Number, Invoice ID, and who is filing the application.

If the initial validation fails, you will receive an error message, showing you a list of errors that need to be fixed in order to e-file the form. See Step 2: Principal Form Validation for more information.

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In this second step, you will need to fix any validation errors shown in the e-File tab of the Smart Form. All of the errors are summarized there and and you can jump directly to each question clicking on Go to question, as shown below:

Each question that needs to be addressed will also be highlighted on the intake and will include an explanation to fix the questionnaire's response.

After fixing the validation errors in the intake tab, go to the e-File tab to have DocketWise re-validate whether or not the questionnaire is filled out correctly by clicking the Re-Validate button.

If the validation passes, you will see a success message letting you know that your form is ready to be e-filed and you can proceed to e-filing the form by following the actions shown in Step 3: DS-260 E-filing Status.

If the validation fails, you will have to address any outstanding validation error shown in the e-File tab. See Addressing Validation Errors for more information.

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Once your form no longer has any validation errors, you can click the e-File this form on ceac.state.gov button to e-file the form.

In order to sync the e-filing to the CEAC platform, you will need to provide:

Once you have entered all of the necessary information into the modal (Case number, Invoice ID, who is filling the application), click the Submit button to start syncing your e-filing.

Whether the form was able to be successfully e-filed or it was unable to be successfully e-filed, you will also receive an in-app bell icon notification informing you of the result. You can click these notifications to directly access the associated form.

If the e-Filing was successful, you will receive a prompt and an in-app notification that the syncing of the information was successfully completed, meaning the information entered into the DocketWise is added to the online application.

Note: The electronic filing in DocketWise will not submit the form on your behalf and this must be done manually after the information is added from DocketWise.

If the e-Filing was unsuccessful, you will receive a prompt and an in-app notification that the e-filing was unsuccessful. You can also view a screenshot taken at the time of the error during the e-filing attempt.

If your e-filing was unsuccessful please make sure the info entered for Case Number and Invoice ID are correct. Once you have verified that the information is correct, you can click the e-File this form on ceac.state.gov button to re-attempt your e-filing.

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