Security Question Answer

When a new DS-160 is started, it is given a security question and answer. The answer, together with the Application ID, the first five letters of the surname, and the year of birth, is what you need to reopen the application on the official site later. We always use the same question — the given name of your mother’s mother — so the only thing to decide is the answer.

The answer works as a retrieval password. The official site does not check it against anything, which is why it does not have to be the applicant’s real grandmother’s name. We type it in for you when a submission starts; this setting decides what we type.

Before you start

• Who can change it: this is for Owners and Admins of a Business workspace.
• When it applies: the setting is read when a submission starts, so decide before you start the submissions it should cover.

Choose how it is answered

1. Open Workspace Settings → E-Filing and find Security Question Answer.
2. Pick an option under Given Name of Your Mother’s Mother.
3. For Use preset value, type the answer into the box.
4. Click Save.

The options:

• Auto-generate (the default) — every submission gets its own random answer of five capital letters.
• Use preset value — every submission in the workspace gets the same answer, which you type into the box. Choose this if your firm uses one answer for all of its clients.

Security Question Answer

Learn more about the security answer

Given Name of Your Mother's Mother

We answer this security question on every DS-160 we start. Whichever option you choose, each submission's answer is saved and shown on that submission.

Auto-generateA unique random value will be generated for each form submission.

Use preset valueUse the same value for the given name of your mother's mother for all forms in this workspace.

Save

A preset answer can contain capital letters A–Z and digits 0–9, up to 100 characters. The box capitalises letters as you type and drops everything else, including spaces and accented letters, so María José is saved as MARAJOS. Check what is in the box before you save.

Where to find the answer later

Whichever option you choose, the answer is saved on each submission. Open the submission and it is listed in the status panel next to the Application ID, the first five letters of the surname, and the year of birth, each with a copy button.

Submission Details

E·TREATY TRADER OR INVESTOR (E)E2-TR·TREATY INVESTOR (E2)

These are the details you need to retrieve your DS-160 application. Your application is only valid for 30 days.

Consulate

ENGLAND, LONDON

Application ID

AA00EXAMPL

First 5 letters of Surname

GARCI

Year of Birth

1988

Given name of your mother's mother

MARIA

Retrieve DS160 Form

It is saved the moment the official site issues the Application ID, before any of the form is filled in, so it is there even if a submission stops partway through.

Changing it

The setting is read when a submission starts, so a change applies to submissions started afterwards. Applications that already have an Application ID keep the answer they were created with, and each submission still shows its original answer.

Before you choose a shared answer

A shared answer is one less thing to look up, but it stops being a secret per client. Anyone who knows your firm’s answer and has a client’s Application ID, surname, and year of birth can open that client’s application on the official site. With Auto-generate, every application has a different answer.

Expected result

Every submission started after you save is answered the way you chose: its own random answer, or your preset one. The answer is listed on each submission with the other Submission Details.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to do
There is no E-Filing tab in Workspace Settings	It appears only to Owners and Admins of a Business workspace.
Save is greyed out	With Use preset value chosen, the box cannot be empty. Type an answer.
The saved answer is not what you typed	The box keeps only capital letters A–Z and digits 0–9, so spaces and accented letters are dropped. Check what is in the box before you save.
A submission still shows the old answer	Applications that already have an Application ID keep the answer they were created with. A change applies to submissions started afterwards.
CEAC will not open the application	Check each of the Submission Details exactly as shown, using the copy buttons on the submission.