Emergency & expedited US visa appointments in India
Who qualifies, the exact portal process, documents by scenario, and how our team books your regular appointment fast and monitors for an earlier slot while your request is processed.
An emergency (expedited) US visa appointment in India is requested after you've completed the DS-160, paid the MRV fee, and booked the earliest available regular appointment. You then submit an Emergency/Expedited request through the scheduling portal with a clear reason and supporting documents. Approval is discretionary — and even when approved, it only opens a limited window to book an earlier slot, so monitoring still matters.
The official process (India)
1. Complete the DS-160
Fill and submit the DS-160 for your visa category and note the confirmation barcode.
2. Pay the MRV fee
Pay the MRV visa fee (currently US$185 for most categories) and keep the receipt number.
3. Book the earliest regular slot
You must first book the earliest available regular OFC + interview appointment — even if it's months away. You cannot request an expedite without one.
4. Submit the emergency request
Log in to the scheduling portal and submit the Emergency/Expedited request with a clear explanation and supporting documents. Email requests are generally not accepted.
5. Wait for the decision
A decision usually comes by email within about 1–7 business days. Approval is discretionary and not guaranteed.
6. Book the earlier slot if approved
Approval opens a limited window to book an earlier date — but slots can still be scarce, so you may need to watch for one to appear.
Who typically qualifies
These are common qualifying situations — approval is discretionary and decided by the Consulate, never guaranteed.
Medical emergency
Life-threatening situation or urgent medical treatment in the US (for yourself or to accompany a family member).
Death / critical illness
Death or critical illness of an immediate family member already in the US.
Student (F/M/J) start date
Program start date is imminent (often within ~60 days) and no regular slots are available before it.
Urgent business / work
Time-sensitive employment needs — e.g. an H1B/L1 start date or risk of losing a job.
- You must book a regular appointment first — the expedite request isn't available until you have one.
- Requests go through the portal, not email.
- Approval does not assign a slot automatically — you still need to book an earlier one when it appears.
- There is typically one emergency request per application, so documentation should be strong.
- As of late 2026, the US$750 paid expedited pilot (B1/B2) does not include India — confirm current policy on the official portal.
How AppointVisa helps
The expedite decision itself is the Consulate's — we don't submit it or influence it. What we do is make the parts that are in your control fast and reliable: we book your earliest regular appointment quickly (a prerequisite for requesting an expedite), and we monitor official availability every day so that whether or not the expedite is approved, we catch the earliest real slot the moment it opens. A small, 100% refundable pre-payment starts your request; the balance is due only after we book.
Emergency US visa appointments — FAQ
Emergency/expedited eligibility, decisions and any paid-pilot programs are controlled by the U.S. Department of State and the Consulate — always confirm current rules on the official portal. AppointVisa is an independent appointment assistance service, not affiliated with the U.S. Government, and does not submit expedite requests or guarantee a specific appointment, date, visa approval or visa issuance.