If you are reading the control number described in CEAC’s nonimmigrant visa status-check help, the round character is the digit zero, not the letter O. The State Department says that control number is fourteen numbers long, with no letters, and appears at the visa’s top right. [1]
First confirm which number you need
The control number is different from the visa foil number, passport number, DS-160 application ID, USCIS receipt number, and I-94 admission record. A form asking for one identifier should not be completed with another simply because it is easier to read.
CEAC’s help distinguishes a case number from an application ID. Its example and spacing instructions apply to that status-check field; they are not a universal instruction for every immigration form. [1]
Use the document layout, not a font guess
Find the printed field in the correct location and count the characters. Compare a clear image with the original in good light. Do not alter the visa, write over a character, or use an image editor to “correct” it.
For example, a DS-160 identifier beginning with letters should not be converted into an all-numeric string because you read that the visa control number has no letters. You may be looking at an entirely different identifier.
If the printed information is genuinely wrong
Contact the embassy or consulate that issued the visa using its official instructions. A visa is a document supporting travel to seek admission; it is not the same as the admission decision or authorized-stay record. The State Department explains that these functions are distinct. [2]
If an error appears only on an admission record after arrival, the correction route can involve CBP rather than replacement of the visa foil. Identify the erroneous document before choosing the agency.
- Read the exact field label on the requesting form.
- Identify the matching number on the proper document.
- Check character count and official examples.
- Ask the issuing authority about a true printing error.
See visa-number and I-94 differences and USCIS correction requests. A data-entry mistake should be corrected accurately, not concealed or treated as proof that an otherwise valid visa is automatically fraudulent.
Primary sources
Sources checked: October 31, 2026.