Embassy of the United States

The following situation may qualify you for an Emergency Appointment:

1. A medical emergency
2. Death of an immediate family member
3. A foreign non-resident citizen of a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) country who has lost or had a biometric passport stolen. Travel is NOT permitted under the Visa Waiver Program without a biometric, or machine readable passport, therefore, a visa is required. You may apply in South Africa with a valid, emergency replacement passport obtained from your Embassy. More information on the Visa Waiver Program and the participating countries is available here.

If you do not qualify for an Emergency Appointment, you have the option of paying for expedited return of delivery of your passport for an additional fee as explained in the “How to Apply” section.  In general, most applicants who choose this option are able to obtain their passports from a DHL office designated by the Consulate the next 2-3 business days after the interview, although this cannot be guaranteed in advance.  Applicants will receive instructions at the time of their interview on how to make arrangements for expedited DHL delivery.

To request an Emergency Appointment, please follow these steps:

1. Step 1: Schedule a regular appointment. Go to the How to Apply page for directions on making an appointment.
2. Step 2: Submit a request to change your regular appointment to an Emergency Appointment by e-mailing the appropriate Consulate:
   
   U.S. Consulate Johannesburg: JohannesburgVisaEmergency@state.gov
   
   U.S. Consulate Cape Town:
   CapeTownVisaEmergency@state.gov
   
   U.S. Consulate Durban:
   DurbanVisaEmergency@state.gov
3. Step 3: After you send your request, you will receive an email from the Consular Section approving or denying the emergency request.  If the emergency request is approved, the email will include additional instructions.  If the request is denied, your regular appointment is still valid.