DS-160: Security & Background 1–3

Official CEAC section: Security and Background: Medical, Criminal, Immigration Violations

Threshold YES/NO questions. A truthful YES is workable; a discovered lie is permanent. Answer from records, not optimism.

What this section asks

1. 1

   Do you have a communicable disease of public health significance (CDC list)?

2. 2

   Do you have a disorder that threatens others' safety?

3. 3

   Have you ever been a drug user or addict?

   Past use counts. This is the one category where consulting a licensed attorney BEFORE answering is genuinely advisable.

4. 4

   Have you ever been arrested or convicted of any crime?

   Any arrest, any country, even without charge.

5. 5

   Have you ever engaged in prostitution or solicitation?

6. 6

   Have you ever been involved in human trafficking?

7. 7

   Have you ever engaged in money laundering or fraud of $10,000+?

Where people get it wrong

• → Medical: only the CDC's listed communicable diseases count — not ordinary illness.
• → Criminal: arrests even without charges, expunged records, and pardons all count.
• → Immigration violations: overstays, revocations, deportation proceedings — all checkable.