Apply for an Expedited Appointment

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Overview

If you are a citizen or resident of Côte d’Ivoire and have to travel to the U.S. in the next 30 days for one of the reasons listed below, you may qualify for an expedited appointment. You cannot request an expedited appointment until you have scheduled a regular appointment. It is important to ensure you meet all the criteria, because applicants are only allowed to create one expedited appointment request.

Qualifications

It is essential that you possess all required documentation for your desired visa type before you make this request. Please be aware that false statements about the need for an expedited appointment may adversely affect the credibility of your case during the visa interview.

Note:  Travel to attend a wedding, a graduation, be with family after the birth of a child, or participate in other tourism do not qualify for expedited appointments.  For these purposes of travel, you will need to have a regular appointment.

Medical Needs

Purpose of travel is to obtain urgent medical care, or to accompany a relative or employer for urgent medical care.

Essential documentation:

  1. A letter from your doctor in Côte d’Ivoire describing the medical condition and why you are seeking medical care in the United States.
  2. A letter from the physician or hospital in the United States indicating that they are prepared to treat the case and providing the approximate cost of the treatment.
  3. Evidence of how you will pay for the cost of the treatment.

Funeral/Death

Purpose of travel is to attend the funeral of or make arrangements for repatriating the body of an immediate family member (mother, father, brother, sister, child, grandparent, or grandchild) in the United States.

Essential documentation:

  1. A letter from the funeral director stating the contact information, the details of the deceased and the date of the funeral.
  2. You must also present evidence that the deceased is an immediate relative.

Urgent Business Travel

Purpose of travel is to attend to an urgent business matter that requires your physical presence in the United States.

Essential documentation:

  • A letter of invitation from the corresponding company in the United States attesting to the urgency of the planned visit, describing the nature of the business and that either the U.S. or Ivorians company will suffer a significant loss of opportunity if an expedited appointment is not available.

OR

  • Evidence of a necessary training program in the United States of three months duration or less, to include letters from both the Ivorian employer and the U.S. company providing the training. Both letters should include a detailed explanation of the training and explain why either the U.S. or Ivorians company will suffer a significant loss of opportunity if an expedited appointment is not available.

Students or exchange visitors

Purpose of travel is to begin or resume a valid program of study in the United States within 45 days when no regular visa appointments are available. This option is limited only to students and exchange students who are within 45 days of their start date. It is also limited only to applicants who have not been refused a visa within the last twelve (12) months.

Essential documentation:

  1. Original Form I-20 or DS-2019 indicating start date of program within 45 days.
  2. Evidence that you have paid the SEVIS fee (when applicable).

ESTA Denied

If you are a citizen of a Visa Waiver Program partner but have received notice that you are no longer eligible to travel to the United States under that program, you should apply for a nonimmigrant visa well in advance of your desired travel. If your travel is imminent, you may request an expedited visa appointment. Please include in your request the date and purpose of your travel, as well as information from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection message you received regarding your ESTA status.

Essential documentation:

  1. A copy of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection message you received regarding your ESTA status.
  2. Evidence supporting urgent need for travel.

Visa Waiver Program (VWP) travel:

For information regarding the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), please visit: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/visa-waiver-program.html

Applying for an Expedited Appointment

Step 1

Pay the visa application fee.

Step 2

Complete the Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) form.

Step 3

Schedule an appointment online for the earliest available date. Please note that you must schedule an appointment before you can request an expedited date. At the time you schedule your appointment, you will see an onscreen message showing the earliest available appointment date, which includes expedited appointments. Accordingly, you may find that it is not necessary to request an expedited appointment because there are no earlier dates available. If you wish to proceed with requesting an expedited appointment, then complete the Request Form or contact the call center to request assistance. Please be sure to note the criteria you believe qualifies you for an expedited appointment. Once you have submitted your request, please wait for a response from the Embassy, which will come via email.

Step 4

If the Embassy approves your request then you will receive an email alerting you to schedule your expedited appointment online. Please understand that the call center cannot schedule your expedited appointment for you, but agents are able to assist you if questions arise. Should the Embassy deny your request for an expedited appointment, you will be notified of the denial by email and you should keep your existing appointment.

Note: The email confirming or denying your request will come from no-reply@ustraveldocs.com. Some email applications have rules which filter unknown senders into a spam or junk mail folder. If you have not received your email notification, please look for the message in your junk and spam email folders.

Step 5

Visit the U. S. Embassy in Abidjan on the date and time of your interview. Bring all required documents with you.

If you are a citizen or resident of Côte d’Ivoire and have to travel to the U.S. in the next 30 days for one of the reasons listed below, you may qualify for an expedited appointment. You cannot request an expedited appointment until you have scheduled a regular appointment. It is important to ensure you meet all the criteria, because applicants are only allowed to create one expedited appointment request.