How to Fill Out and Submit the Au Pair Application Form

There is no single government au pair application form. To become an au pair in the United States, you apply through one of roughly 15 private organizations the U.S. Department of State has designated to run the J-1 au pair program. Each sponsor hosts its own online application portal where you build a profile, upload documents, interview, and get matched with a host family. Only after a match does your sponsor issue Form DS-2019, the certificate you take to a U.S. embassy or consulate to apply for the actual J-1 visa.¹

So the “application” is really two layers: the sponsor’s intake process, and then the government visa process that follows a successful match. Both have to go right.

Eligibility You Must Meet Before Applying

Federal regulations set hard lines. Under 22 CFR 62.31, every applicant must:

Be between 18 and 26 years old at program entry
Have graduated from secondary school or the equivalent
Be proficient in spoken English, verified through a personal interview conducted in English by a sponsor representative
Be capable of fully participating, shown by a satisfactory physical examination
Have a clean criminal background check from your home country, or its recognized equivalent
Provide at least three non-family personal and employment references the sponsor can verify
Complete a personality profile (a psychometric test)²

One additional rule often confuses applicants. If you want to be placed with a family that has a child under two, you must have at least 200 hours of documented experience caring for children in that age group. That 200-hour threshold applies only to infant placements; it is not a blanket childcare requirement for everyone.²

Choose a Designated Sponsor Agency

You cannot apply for the au pair program on your own. The Department of State authorizes about 15 agencies to administer it.³ Common ones include Cultural Care Au Pair, Au Pair in America, goAuPair, InterExchange, and AuPairCare. All work under the same federal rules, but fees, portal design, host family pool, and recruitment countries differ.

When comparing agencies, look at the size of the host family pool, which countries they recruit from, how they handle matching, and what the program fee includes. Some sponsors bundle round-trip airfare, orientation, and insurance into one fee paid by the host family; others break those out. Your sponsor screens you and the families, facilitates the match, issues the DS-2019, and remains your contact throughout the program year.⁴

Filling Out the Application

Once you pick a sponsor, you create an account on its portal and begin building your profile. The layout varies, but the core sections are the same everywhere because the regulations require them.

Personal and Biographical Information

Enter your full legal name, date of birth, nationality, passport number, and contact details. Match your passport exactly. Any mismatch between your application and your passport will cause problems later when the DS-2019 is generated. You will also complete your education history and upload proof of secondary school completion, such as a diploma or equivalent certificate.²

Childcare Experience

This is the section host families scrutinize most. Describe each prior childcare role — babysitting, nannying, daycare, tutoring — with dates, the ages of the children, and your actual responsibilities. Be concrete. “Cared for two children ages 3 and 5 after school, prepared meals, helped with homework, three days per week for eight months” tells a family far more than a generic summary. If you want to be considered for infant placements, make sure your logged hours with children under two add up to at least 200.⁵

The Host Family Letter

Most portals ask you to write a “Dear Host Family” letter or personal essay. Families read dozens of these. The ones that stand out are specific: a favorite activity you did with a child you cared for, what drew you to the program, a skill like swim instruction or baking that you would bring to the household. Write it warmly and in your own voice. A polished letter that could have been written by anyone will not help you.

Practical Skills and Preferences

Portals ask whether you hold a valid driver’s license (important in suburban and rural placements where driving children is a daily task), whether you can swim, your dietary needs, smoking status, and your preferences on family size, location, and pets. Many agencies also run a personality assessment at this stage to satisfy the psychometric-test requirement in the regulation.²

Supporting Documents to Gather

Several documents come from third parties, so start requesting them as soon as you decide to apply.

Medical examination. A licensed physician completes your agency’s own medical form confirming you are physically capable of participating. Most sponsors require the exam to be recent, generally within the prior six months.
Criminal background check. From your home country’s police authority. In some countries this takes weeks. The regulation accepts a background check “or its recognized equivalent,” which is why the format varies by country.²
References. At least three non-family references covering character and childcare or employment history. Tell your references in advance that the sponsor will contact them. Former employers, teachers, and families you have babysat for all work.
Passport copy. A scan of the biographical page. Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your intended stay.
Photos. Recent headshots plus a few casual photos for your host family profile.

Upload everything through the portal. Most agencies have a dashboard showing what has been received, what is under review, and what needs correction. Check it regularly and chase anything stuck in “pending.”

Interview and Matching

After the initial review, a sponsor representative interviews you in English. The regulation requires this interview, and the representative must prepare a written report that is later shared with your host family.² Expect questions about your English, your motivations, your childcare experience, and your expectations about living abroad.

Clear the interview and your profile enters the matching pool. Families browse profiles and, when interested, the agency sets up video or phone interviews. Both sides must agree before a match is finalized. Some applicants match within days, others wait weeks. Flexibility on geography and family size tends to shorten the wait.

From Match to J-1 Visa

Matching does not end the paperwork. Once the match is confirmed and your file is complete, your sponsor issues Form DS-2019, the Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status. The DS-2019 registers you in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and authorizes you to apply for a J-1 visa.¹

Before the consular interview, complete two more steps. First, pay the SEVIS I-901 fee. For au pair participants the fee is $35, lower than the $220 charged to most other J-1 categories.⁶ Second, complete the online Form DS-160 (Nonimmigrant Visa Application) and pay the $185 visa application fee.⁷

Bring the following to the embassy or consulate interview:

Your printed, signed DS-2019
DS-160 confirmation page
SEVIS I-901 fee payment receipt
Visa application fee receipt
A passport valid at least six months beyond your planned stay
A recent photo meeting visa photo requirements

The DS-2019 does not guarantee a visa. The consular officer decides whether to approve or deny the J-1 regardless of your sponsor’s acceptance.⁸ If you are denied, refund policies vary by agency; some offer a partial refund of up to 50 percent of the program fee if you return the original DS-2019, a passport copy, and the denial letter, though the SEVIS fee is nonrefundable once the DS-2019 has been issued.

What You Are Agreeing To

Submitting the application also means accepting the program’s rules on hours, pay, and schooling. A standard au pair may work no more than 10 hours in a single day and no more than 45 hours in a week. These are hard caps, not averages, and your host family agreement must spell them out.²

The weekly stipend has a federal floor of $195.75, calculated from the minimum wage minus a credit for room and board.⁹ You also receive at least a day and a half off per week, one full weekend off per month, and two weeks of paid vacation. You must complete at least six semester hours of academic credit at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution during the year, and your host family must contribute up to $500 toward those costs.¹⁰

Finally, every J-1 exchange visitor must carry health insurance meeting federal minimums for the entire program under 22 CFR 62.14. Most sponsors arrange a group plan that satisfies the rule and build the cost into the host family’s program fee.¹¹ Confirm with your sponsor that coverage is active before you travel; a lapse can end your participation in the program.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Exchange Visitors
2
eCFR. 22 CFR 62.31 – Au Pairs
3
U.S. Department of State. Designated Sponsor Organizations By Country
4
BridgeUSA. Au Pair
5
Au Pair in America. Program Options
6
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I-901 SEVIS Fee Frequently Asked Questions
7
U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services
8
U.S. Department of State. Exchange Visitor Visa
9
Go Au Pair. Au Pair Costs
10
eCFR. 22 CFR 62.31 – Au Pairs
11
eCFR. 22 CFR 62.14 – Insurance