New $750 Expedited US Visa Interview Fee: What the State Department's Pilot Program Means for You

If you’ve been struggling to find a B1/B2 visa interview slot, the U.S. Department of State just introduced a new option — for a price. On June 9, 2026, the Department published a temporary final rule in the Federal Register creating a $750 fee for an expedited B1/B2 visa interview appointment, on top of the standard visa fee. Here’s exactly what it is, how it works, and what it doesn’t fix.

Key point: The $750 fee only buys you a faster appointment — not a faster decision, not priority processing, and not a guaranteed approval. It’s an optional add-on, only available at select posts, and only while supplies of expedited slots last.

What is the $750 expedited appointment fee?

The rule adds a new, optional line item to the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services: a $750 charge that lets a B1/B2 (business and tourism) visa applicant secure an interview appointment within 10 business days, at posts that choose to offer the service. It runs as a pilot from July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026.

This fee is separate from — and in addition to — the standard $185 MRV (Machine-Readable Visa) application fee that every B1/B2 applicant already pays. In total, an applicant using this service pays $935 just to get in front of a consular officer sooner.

Why the State Department is doing this

The rule explicitly ties the timing to the surge in travel demand around major international events — the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the upcoming 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. Consular posts in high-demand countries have seen backlogs stretch past a year in some cases, and the Department says this pilot is meant to test:

• Whether applicants are willing to pay for a faster appointment, and
• Whether a paid option meaningfully relieves pressure on standard wait times.

Notably, the Department is upfront that the program does not add any new interviewing capacity — expedited slots are capped as a percentage of a post’s existing interview capacity, carved out of the same pool, not created from thin air.

How the process actually works

Based on the rule’s own description of the booking flow:

1. You submit your DS-160 and pay the standard $185 MRV fee as usual.
2. You first schedule a regular (non-expedited) appointment, like everyone else.
3. If your post offers the paid service, you can then check for expedited slots within the next 10 business days.
4. If one is available, you get a 5–10 minute hold on it while you pay the $750 fee online.
5. Miss that payment window, and the hold releases — you keep your original, non-expedited appointment instead.
6. If you no-show or cancel an expedited appointment, the $750 fee is forfeited. It is non-refundable.

What this fee does not do

This is the part that’s easy to miss in the headlines:

• It doesn’t guarantee a visa. You still go through the full interview, standard vetting, and any administrative processing that would otherwise apply.
• It doesn’t speed up anything after the interview. Administrative processing delays, if flagged, take exactly as long as they would otherwise.
• It’s not available everywhere. Only a limited number of posts will opt in, as published on travel.state.gov, and only in limited quantities per post.
• It doesn’t apply to other visa categories. This pilot is specific to B1/B2 (business/tourism) applicants only.

Who should actually consider paying $750

This service makes the most sense if:

• You’re at a post that has opted into the pilot and currently has a long standard wait time.
• You have a firm, time-sensitive reason to travel soon (a conference, a wedding, event tickets) and can’t wait out the normal queue.
• You’re comfortable losing the $750 if your appointment gets cancelled or you can’t make it.

It makes far less sense if you’re not in a rush, since it’s pure additional cost for the same eventual outcome — approval odds don’t change, only how soon you’re seen.

The free alternative: watching for cancellations

Here’s the thing the $750 fee doesn’t replace: cancellations happen constantly at every post, expedited program or not. Someone reschedules, a slot opens, and if you’re watching at the right moment, you can grab an earlier date without paying anything extra.

That’s exactly what Alert Me ASAP does for AIS-based Canada appointments:

• Free Telegram alerts. Our Canada US visa alert channel flags newly opened dates in real time so you can grab one manually — completely free, no password required.
• Chrome extension with auto-booking. Our US Visa tools watch continuously and book the moment an earlier date opens, so you don’t have to babysit a screen.

Our cloud monitoring runs at a controlled, safe request rate designed not to trigger AIS account bans, and we only book appointments — we never change your password or email, so you stay in full control of your account. If the $750 pilot isn’t offered at your post, or you’d simply rather not spend it, this is the free way to get an earlier date. Questions? Reach out via our contact page.

FAQ

Is the $750 fee mandatory? No. It’s a completely optional, premium add-on. Every applicant can still book a standard appointment for free (aside from the usual $185 MRV fee).

Is the $750 fee refundable? No. If you miss or cancel an expedited appointment, the fee is forfeited.

Does paying $750 improve my chances of visa approval? No. It only affects how soon you’re interviewed. Standard eligibility requirements, vetting, and processing still apply in full.

Which posts offer this service? Only a limited number of overseas posts, chosen by the Bureau of Consular Affairs. The current list is published on travel.state.gov.

How long does the pilot program run? From July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, per the temporary final rule.

Is this the same as FIFA PASS? No. FIFA PASS is a separate, ticket-holder-only priority scheduling system tied specifically to the World Cup. The $750 expedite fee is a general-purpose paid option open to any B1/B2 applicant at participating posts.