To request an expedited/emergency appointment, you must first pay your machine-readable visa (MRV) fee and schedule an appointment. Only after you have scheduled an appointment can you request that the Consular Section grant an earlier appointment date based on emergency circumstances.

Step 1: Schedule an Appointment

• You must have already scheduled a regular appointment at the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem. This must be done even if the date scheduled does not fit your needs.

Step 2: Request an Expedited Appointment

• You must send an e-mail requesting an emergency appointment to Jerusalemexpediteapp@state.gov.
• The request must contain:
• The full name of the applicant requesting the emergency appointment
• The date of the scheduled appointment
• A description of the reason justifying emergency travel.
• Emergency appointments will only be granted at the Consular Section’s discretion. The following is a list of typical circumstances that may merit favorable consideration. Please note that the list is not comprehensive:
1. An immediate relative's death, grave illness, or life-threatening accident in the United States. Please include the relative’s name, relationship, place and description of the matter, and attending physician or funeral home's contact information.
2. An applicant for a student or exchange visitor (F/M/J) visa whose I-20 or DS-2019 shows a start date that is earlier than the first available visa appointment.
3. An applicant with immediate travel plans whose visa was recently lost or stolen (must provide documentation regarding the theft).
4. An unexpected need to travel to the United States for urgent business purposes.
5. An unexpected visit that is of significant cultural, political, journalistic or economic importance.
• In all cases, the applicant will be expected to bring to the interview documentation that substantiates the emergency, in addition to those forms and supporting documents normally required.

Step 3: Consular Determination to Expedite

• The Consular Section will strive to respond to the request as expeditiously as possible, generally within two business days, by scheduling a new appointment. If the applicant's request for an expedited appointment is accepted, the applicant will receive a confirmation e-mail with a new date and time to appear at the Consular Section. If the request is not approved, the applicant should attend the original appointment.
• Please be advised that the granting of an expedited appointment in no way guarantees visa issuance. U.S. law places the burden of qualifying for any visa solely on the applicant.