WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has lodged an application to take his case against extradition to Sweden to the Supreme Court.
Assange, 40, who faces sex crime allegations, recently lost a High Court battle against removal.
It was confirmed that he will be asking senior judges in London on December 5 to certify that his case raises a question of general public importance and should be considered by the highest court in the land.
Two judges rejected claims that extraditing the Australian would be "unfair and unlawful".
The Swedish authorities want Assange to answer accusations of "raping" one woman and "sexually molesting and coercing" another in Stockholm in August last year.
Assange hit out after losing his High Court battle to block his extradition, saying: "I have not been charged with any crime in any country. The European arrest warrant (EAW) is so restrictive that it prevents UK courts from considering the facts of a case, as judges have made clear here today."
He added: "No doubt there will be many attempts made to try and spin these proceedings as they occur today but they are merely technical."
The new legal developments follow reports that Assange has hired a Swedish public relations company - said to indicate that he was ready to abandon his appeal to the Supreme Court.
The High Court upheld a ruling by District Judge Howard Riddle at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court, south London, in February that the computer expert should be extradited to face investigation.
Assange, whose WikiLeaks website published a mass of leaked diplomatic cables that embarrassed several governments and international businesses, denies the allegations and says they are politically motivated.
