Department of State Establishes Expedited B-1/B-2 Visa Appointment Fee at “Selected” Consular Posts

June 10, 2026

On June 9th, the Department of State released a temporary final rule establishing a $750 fee for expedited B-1 and B-2 visa interview appointments at “selected” consular posts. The rule will go into effect on July 1st, and – unless made permanent through the normal rules process – will expire on December 31, 2026.

What Do Applicants Get In Exchange For The $750 Fee?

If you need a B-1 or B-2 visa appointment, and the relevant consulate is among the “selected” consular posts, and they have expedited slots available – not a certainty, because those slots will be capped, even at participating consulates – then you will be able to schedule your visa interview appointment within 10 business days of paying the fee.

Does Paying The Fee Speed Up Processing of My Visa Application?

No. The fee only allows you to book your visa interview appointment for an earlier date than would otherwise have been available. Aside from that, the actual processing of a visa application wouldn’t be impacted by paying (or not paying) the expedite fee.

Why Is This A “Temporary Final Rule”?

A Temporary Final Rule is simply a rule with a built-in expiration date. Because the rule isn’t meant to be permanent (yet), they can enact the rule change without going through the normal, slower rule process, which would include a period of public comment before the rule goes into effect. By issuing this as a Temporary Final Rule, DOS can pilot the program at a scale of their choosing, allowing them to gauge demand among applicants (i.e. how quickly will the expedited slots fill up?), determine whether the fee was set at the appropriate level to cover the costs of the program, and get feedback from the relevant consulates about any operational impacts, e.g. whether or not allowing expedited B-1 and B-2 appointments affects the normal processing of other visa applications.

Which Consulates Will Have Availability for Expedited Appointments?

The specific list of participating consular posts was not published alongside the rule, but that list will eventually be published on travel.state.gov, hopefully in the coming weeks. We will provide an update once that list has been made available.

June 10, 2026

Department of State Establishes Expedited B-1/B-2 Visa Appointment Fee at “Selected” Consular Posts On June 9th, the Department of State released a temporary final rule establishing a $750 fee for expedited B-1 and...More