How to Request an Expedited US Visa Appointment from the UK

An interview date that lands after a funeral, a hospital appointment or a departure date is a common problem, and an expedite request is the usual answer. It is also widely misunderstood. A request asks for an earlier interview slot and nothing else: it does not speed up the visa decision, and approval is not something you can count on.

You can make the request yourself, with no agent. The booking and the request both go through the US Embassy's Visa Appointment Service, and the official guidance sits on the State Department's wait-times page and the US Embassy London visa pages.

What an expedited appointment does and does not do

The US Embassy in London puts the limit plainly: "An expedite request relates only to the date of the visa interview. No expedited visa processing is available."

That means:

It moves your interview earlier, if a slot can be found.
It does not change how the consular officer decides your case. The embassy says "no assurances regarding visa issuance can be given in advance."
It does not cover any administrative processing that follows an interview. The State Department notes that wait-time estimates "do not include time required for administrative processing."

Treat an approved request as a better interview date, not as a promise that your visa will arrive before you travel. The embassy advises applicants against "making final travel plans unless they have received their passport containing a valid U.S. visa."

Who qualifies for an expedited US visa appointment

The State Department says consular sections "may be able to expedite your interview date if there is an urgent, unforeseen situation such as a funeral, medical emergency, or school start date." You "will need to provide proof of the need for an earlier appointment."

London is stricter in its wording: "Expedite requests are generally approved only when there is a humanitarian need for travel, such as for critical medical treatment." It adds that "appointment availability is extremely limited and we cannot guarantee that an expedited appointment will be available for you."

The State Department also lists what does not qualify: "attending weddings and graduation ceremonies, assisting pregnant relatives, participating in an annual business/academic/professional conference, or enjoying last-minute tourism."

A booked tour, shoot or contract deadline is not named as an accepted or an excluded ground in either source. Do not assume it counts. If your trip is a scheduled commercial commitment rather than an emergency, the safer plan is to book the earliest interview you can well before the date.

How to request an expedited appointment from the UK

The order matters. The State Department says: "You must first submit the online visa application form (DS-160), pay the application fee, and schedule the first available interview appointment. Only at this point will a consular section consider your request for an expedited appointment."

For the UK, that works out as follows:

Complete the DS-160 and pay the visa application fee.
Book the first available interview slot on the Visa Appointment Service. Appointments are "not by email".
In your account, select the "Request Expedite" option and follow the on-screen instructions.
Briefly outline why you must travel in an emergency. Have your proof ready.
Watch the email address your account is registered with, including junk folders. The embassy says "a Visa Unit manager will review your request and reply by email."

The embassy directs applicants to the Visa Appointment Service FAQ, under "Visa Appointment Questions", Question 1, for detailed instructions and the current criteria. Read that before you submit, as the criteria are the embassy's to change.

London says it "do[es] not operate a waiting list". If no slots are open, check the calendar regularly for newly released appointments and cancellations.

What if the expedite request is denied?

The embassy's position is: "if your request for an earlier appointment is denied, the decision cannot be appealed." Emailing the embassy will not reopen it, because appointments "cannot be scheduled by email."

Your original appointment stands. Keep checking the calendar for cancellations, and plan on the basis that the date you hold is the date you have.

Is there a paid way to get an earlier B1/B2 interview?

For B1/B2 visitor visas only, the State Department introduced an optional fee. Its temporary final rule created "a $750 fee for an expedited B1/B2, business and tourism, nonimmigrant visa (NIV) interview appointment", with the appointment offered "within ten business days" of payment (verified October 2026; source: Federal Register, 9 June 2026).

Points to check before relying on it:

Dates: the rule is "effective July 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026". It is a pilot, and nothing in the rule extends it past 31 December 2026.
Where: the service "will be offered at limited overseas posts, as published on travel.state.gov". Check that list before assuming it is available for London or Belfast.
Cost: those who pay the $750 "will continue to pay the MRV fee", currently $185 for B1/B2 applicants.
Forfeit: a person who cancels the expedited appointment "forfeits the expedited appointment fee".
Free expedites continue: consular managers "will maintain the ability to expedite interviews without a fee" for "specific humanitarian reasons or for urgent travel when in the U.S. national interest."

The rule creates the fee for B1/B2 visas only, so it is no help to an O or P applicant. Our news article on the fee has the background.

The short version

Book the first available slot first. No slot, no request.
Qualifying reasons are urgent and unforeseen: a funeral, a medical emergency, or a school start date. London says it generally approves humanitarian need.
An expedite changes the interview date only.
A denial cannot be appealed, so keep watching for cancellations.
Weddings, conferences and last-minute tourism are listed as not qualifying.

For which US visa fits your trip in the first place, see our guides to B visa vs ESTA, visas for UK bands touring the US and O-1 and O-2 visas for musicians and crew.

This is general information, not legal advice, and consular decisions rest with the consular officer. If you are planning a US tour and want to start the visa process early enough that an expedite is never needed, our tour support and work travel services can map out the timeline, or get in touch.