If a US trip is on your calendar this year, the rules just shifted in a way your wallet will feel. From 1 July 2026, the State Department is piloting a new option many applicants have quietly wished for: pay extra and skip the back of the line. The US expedited visa interview fee lets B-1/B-2 applicants at certain consulates lock an interview within 10 business days — instead of waiting in a queue that, at some posts, still stretches past a year. It is optional, capped, and time-limited. It also does nothing for your odds of approval. Here is how it really works.
In this article
- How the US expedited visa interview fee works
- Is $750 worth it for your trip?
- Free ways to beat the queue first
- Quick questions, quick answers
How the US expedited visa interview fee works
On 9 June 2026 the State Department published a temporary final rule creating a $750 add-on fee for an expedited B-1/B-2 interview appointment. It sits on top of the standard $185 visa application fee, so the all-in cost reaches $935. In return, eligible applicants at participating posts are offered an interview slot within 10 business days. The pilot runs from 1 July to 31 December 2026, is offered at only a limited number of overseas posts, and is capped at roughly 25,000 expedited requests. One thing it is not: a shortcut to a “yes.” It buys you an earlier date on the calendar, not a faster decision or a softer adjudication.
Is $750 worth it for your trip?
The honest answer is: only if time is genuinely the constraint. Take a Brazilian founder racing to close a funding round who needs to be in New York for an investor week three weeks out — for her, $750 to guarantee an interview inside 10 business days is cheap insurance against a missed deal. For a family planning a holiday eight months ahead, it is money burned, because the normal queue will clear long before they fly. The State Department itself flagged events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as the kind of last-minute, fixed-date travel the pilot is built for. If your travel date is soft, your money is better kept.
Free ways to beat the queue first
Before reaching for your card, exhaust the no-cost routes. Consular managers at every post — pilot or not — can still expedite interviews at no charge for urgent humanitarian or genuinely time-sensitive travel, so a well-documented emergency request can work without the fee. Booking the moment your DS-160 is ready, checking nearby posts with shorter waits, and confirming whether you qualify for an interview waiver can each save weeks. The paid lane should be your last resort, not your first instinct.
Weighing up a US trip or a bigger move abroad? Map your options before you pay a cent — start at https://linktr.ee/travelexpore.
The short version
- A new $750 fee buys a B-1/B-2 interview within 10 business days at select posts, from 1 July to 31 December 2026.
- Total cost becomes $935 ($185 standard + $750 expedite); it does not speed processing or improve approval odds.
- The pilot is capped near 25,000 requests and offered at limited consulates only.
- Free expedite for urgent or humanitarian travel still exists — try it before paying.
Quick questions, quick answers
Does the $750 fee guarantee my visa is approved?
No. It only secures an earlier interview appointment. The decision still rests entirely on the consular officer’s assessment.
Which consulates offer the expedited appointment?
The State Department has said it will run at a limited, unspecified set of posts in limited quantities — check your local embassy’s appointment system from 1 July 2026.
Is the fee refundable if I am refused?
No. Like the standard application fee, the $750 expedite charge is non-refundable regardless of the outcome.
Will this fee become permanent?
It is a pilot scheduled to end on 31 December 2026. Whether it is extended depends on how the trial performs.
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Before you book that appointment
A faster interview is only useful if the rest of your application is airtight. Get the full picture on US and global visa routes, document checklists and timelines in one place at https://linktr.ee/travelexpore.
Sources
- Federal Register — Schedule of Fees for Consular Services (temporary final rule, 9 June 2026): https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/09/2026-11513/schedule-of-fees-for-consular-services-department-of-state-and-overseas-embassies-and (T0)
- Fragomen — Starting July 1, certain consular posts may offer expedited B visa appointments for a fee: https://www.fragomen.com/insights/united-states-starting-july-1-certain-consular-posts-may-offer-expedited-b-visa-appointments-for-an-additional-fee.html (T1)