US Launches $750 Expedited Interview Fee for B1/B2 Visitor Visas

The US State Department has introduced an optional fee that lets B1/B2 visitor visa applicants pay to move up their consular interview date. The change took effect on 1 July 2026.

What's Changing

Applicants for a B1/B2 (business or tourist) visa can now pay an additional $750 to secure an interview appointment within 10 business days at participating posts. This is on top of the standard $185 MRV visa application fee, bringing the total cost to $935.

A few points matter more than the headline figure:

• The fee only moves the interview date forward. It does not speed up any administrative processing that follows the interview, and it does not improve the chances of approval, which is still decided by the consular officer against the usual eligibility standards.
• If an applicant misses or cancels the expedited appointment, the $750 is forfeited. No refunds are issued.
• The service is not available everywhere. It is running at a limited number of posts to start, and the State Department has said it will publish the full list of participating locations, so applicants should check travel.state.gov before assuming the option applies to their post.
• Free emergency appointments for humanitarian or urgent national-interest travel are unaffected and remain available alongside the new paid option.
• The fee applies to B1/B2 visas only. It does not cover other nonimmigrant categories such as H-1B, L-1 or F-1, or immigrant visas.

When It Takes Effect

The Department of State's temporary final rule took effect on 1 July 2026 and is running as a pilot through 31 December 2026. The pilot is understood to be capped in scale rather than open-ended, though the exact figures for total expedited slots have not been confirmed on the official record and should be checked against the Department of State's own guidance before being relied on.

What This Means for You

For clients travelling to the US for business meetings, conferences or family visits, this gives a way to bypass a long wait for an interview slot, provided a participating post is offering it. It is not a way to bypass the visa requirements themselves: the same documentary and eligibility standards apply, and paying does not tilt the outcome.

Anyone considering the expedited option should be confident of their eligibility and their travel dates before booking, given the fee is non-refundable once the appointment is missed or cancelled.

If you are weighing up whether the expedited interview fee is worth paying for an upcoming US trip, Paramount Visas' business travel visa support and personal visa applications teams can talk through your options, or get in touch via our contact page.