BeijingChina
- B1/B2
- 2 mo
- F/M/J
- 4.5 mo
- H/L/O/P/Q
- 5.5 mo
Hong Kong
US visa appointment wait time in Hong Kong
Next available interview appointments at Hong Kong by visa type, from the State Department’s update of Oct 21, 2026.
Data as of Oct 21, 2026 · source: travel.state.gov
The US Consulate General Hong Kong & Macau handles visas for Hong Kong and Macau residents.
Visitor (B1/B2)
Next available appointment
< ½ month
under 15 days
Student / exchange (F, M, J)
Next available appointment
< ½ month
under 15 days
Work, petition-based (H, L, O, P, Q)
Next available appointment
1.5 months
≈ 45 days
Crew & transit (C, D, C1/D)
Next available appointment
< ½ month
under 15 days
Visitor (B1/B2) average wait
Last month, fee payment → interview
NA
If you book now, the next available B1/B2 visitor-visa interview at Hong Kong is about < ½ month; student visas (F, M, J): < ½ month; petition-based work visas (H, L, O, P, Q): 1.5 months.
Trend
Oct 21, 2026 B1/B2 < 0.5 F/M/J < 0.5 H/L/O/P/Q 1.5 mo
Show as a table
| Update | B1/B2 | F/M/J | H/L/O/P/Q |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2025 | 1 mo | 0 mo | 0 mo |
| May 18, 2026 | < 0.5 | < 0.5 | < 0.5 |
| Jun 18, 2026 | < 0.5 | < 0.5 | < 0.5 |
| Oct 21, 2026 | < 0.5 | < 0.5 | 1.5 mo |
Other posts to compare
What these numbers mean
- “Next available appointment” is the State Department’s estimate of how soon you could get an interview at that post if you booked today. Posts add new appointments regularly, so you may get one sooner.
- “Average wait” (B1/B2 only) is how long applicants actually waited last month, from paying the visa fee to the interview date. The State Department publishes it only where the next available B1/B2 appointment is more than three months away.
- A month is counted as 30 days and a half month as 15 days, including weekends and holidays.
- Appointments for applicants who qualify for an interview waiver are not in this table.
- The figures are updated monthly and are not a guarantee of an appointment within that time.
How to get an earlier appointment
- After you book, keep checking the same scheduling system and move your interview to an earlier slot when one opens — the State Department says posts release new slots regularly.
- Each embassy or consulate explains how to reschedule (and any limits on rescheduling) on its own website.
- For an urgent, unforeseen trip (e.g. a funeral, a medical emergency or a school start date) you can ask for an expedited appointment — but only after you have submitted the DS-160, paid the fee and booked the first available slot, and with proof. Weddings, graduations and last-minute tourism don’t qualify.
Interview waiver (“dropbox”)
- Under the State Department’s current rule (effective October 1, 2025), nonimmigrant visa applicants generally need an in-person interview — including children under 14 and adults over 79. F, J and H-1B renewals no longer qualify for a waiver.
- The main exceptions: renewing a full-validity B-1, B-2, B1/B2 visa or Border Crossing Card (or an H-2A visa) within 12 months of its expiry, if you were at least 18 when it was issued; plus diplomatic and official visa classes (A, G, C-3, NATO, TECRO E-1).
- Even then you must apply in your country of nationality or residence, have no prior refusal (unless overcome) and no apparent ineligibility — and the officer can still ask you to come in. Waiver cases are not part of the wait times above.
Applying outside your home country
- Since September 2025 the State Department has told nonimmigrant visa applicants to book their interview at the US embassy or consulate in their country of nationality or residence (nationals of countries without routine visa services go to a designated post). If you apply based on residence, you must show you live there.
- Applying anywhere else may make it harder to qualify, you should expect a significantly longer wait, and the fee is not refunded or transferable. Exceptions are narrow: diplomatic and official visas and rare humanitarian, medical or foreign-policy cases.
- So a short wait in Vancouver, Toronto or Tijuana does not mean a Chinese citizen living in the US can simply go there — check the post’s current rules first.
Bringing parents to visit?
Parents’ US Visit Helper walks through the B-2 application, the interview, insurance and the trip.
Related tools: Visa Bulletin tracker