JAKARTA - The U.S. State Department issued a temporary final rule scheduled for publication on June 9 creating an optional US$750 fee for expedited B1/B2 business and tourism visa-interview appointments.
The six-month pilot will run from July 1 through December 31 at selected overseas embassies and consulates. The fee will allow applicants at participating posts to choose an available interview appointment within the next ten business days.
Applicants must first submit a DS-160 visa application, pay the standard machine-readable visa fee and schedule a regular appointment. The standard fee for B1/B2 applicants remains US$185. Applicants who select an available expedited slot will pay the additional US$750 fee online, taking the combined cost to US$935.
The pilot creates another route to an interview appointment during the final weeks of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. Applicants will remain subject to standard eligibility checks and any required administrative processing.
“An expedited visa appointment in no way guarantees visa issuance,” the State Department said in the rule.
The department said the median global wait time for a nonimmigrant visa appointment is approximately 30 days, although waits exceed 12 months at some posts. Its cost calculation is based on projected capacity of approximately 25,000 expedited requests during the pilot.
The State Department’s May 18 global wait-time update showed next available B1/B2 interview appointments of 16.5 months in Sydney, eight months in New Delhi, and 7.5 months in Mumbai and Islamabad. The department updates these estimates monthly, and the figures do not confirm that any of those posts will join the pilot.
Existing no-fee expedite routes will remain available for specific humanitarian reasons and urgent travel in the U.S. national interest. After December 31, the State Department plans to analyse demand and decide whether to continue the service in another form or adjust the fee.
The pilot arrives after travel-industry’s long-lasting criticism of visa queues. A U.S. Travel Association commission report warned that excessive waits could divert 39 million visitors and US$150 billion in spending from the United States over ten years.
“Our competitors in the travel market are developing bold strategies, making large investments and focusing on supporting travel at their countries’ highest levels,” the report reads.
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