Apply for an Expedited Appointment

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Overview

If you have emergency travel that falls under one of the criteria listed below, you may qualify for an expedited appointment depending on availability at the U.S. Embassy. It is important to ensure you meet all the criteria before applying, because applicants are only allowed to create one expedited appointment request. Travel for the purpose of attending weddings and graduation ceremonies, assisting pregnant relatives, participating in an annual business/academic/professional conference, or traveling for tourism does not qualify for expedited appointments. For such travel, please schedule a regular visa appointment well in advance.

Qualifications

All applicants requesting an expedited appointment are required to first pay visa fees for a regular visa appointment. Applicants who are granted an expedited appointment but are subsequently refused a visa or who missed their interview at the U.S. Embassy/Consulate will not be allowed to utilize this option to obtain another expedited appointment.

Please note, that if your request for an expedited appointment is denied you will not be able to make a second request during the course of your visa application, and you will need to attend the regular appointment you scheduled initially.

Medical Need

To obtain urgent medical care, or to accompany a relative or employer for urgent medical care.

You must upload with your request:

  • A letter from your doctor describing the medical condition and why you are seeking medical care in the United States.
  • A letter from the physician or hospital in the United States indicating that they are prepared to treat the case and providing the approximate cost of the treatment
  • Evidence of how you will pay for the cost of the treatment.
Funeral/Death

To attend the funeral of or make arrangements for repatriating the body of an immediate family member (mother, father, brother, sister, child,) in the United States.

Essential documentation:

  • A letter from the funeral director stating the contact information, the details of the deceased, and the date of the funeral
  • You must also present evidence that the deceased is an immediate relative

Students

If you are a Swedish student or academic J applicant, please first consult our interview waiver qualifications to see if you can apply by mail.  If you must apply in person, and you are not able to find an interview date prior to your program start date, upload your DS-2019 or your I-20 with your expedited appointment request.

Applying for an Expedited Appointment

Do not apply for an expedited appointment unless you meet one of the criteria above. All expedited appointments requests should be made in English.

Step 1

Complete the Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) form.

Step 2

Pay the visa application fee.

Step 3

Schedule an appointment online for the earliest available date. Please note that you must schedule an appointment before you can request an expedited date. At the time you schedule your appointment, you will see an onscreen message showing the earliest available appointment date, which includes expedited appointments. Accordingly, you may find that it is not necessary to request an expedited appointment because there are no earlier dates available.

If you wish to proceed with requesting an expedited appointment, then complete the Expedited Request Form in English or contact the call center to request assistance. Please be sure to note the type of urgency you believe qualifies you for an expedited appointment. Once you have submitted your request, please wait for a response from the U.S. Embassy which will arrive via email.

Step 4

If the U.S. Embassy approves your request then you will receive an email alerting you to schedule your expedited appointment online. Please understand that the call center cannot schedule your expedited appointment for you, but agents are able to assist you if questions arise. Should the U.S. Embassy deny your request for an expedited appointment, you will be notified of the denial by email and you should keep your existing appointment.

Note: The email confirming or denying your request will come from no-reply@ustraveldocs.com. Some email applications have rules which filter unknown senders into a spam or junk mail folder. If you have not received your email notification, please look for the message in your junk and spam email folders.

Step 5

Visit the U.S. Embassy on the date and time of your visa interview. You must bring a printed copy of your DS-160 confirmation page, along with all of the support documents you provided with your expedited request.  Applications without all of these items will not be accepted.