Beginning today, Nigerians seeking United States visas will have to travel to Lagos for routine processing as the U.S. Embassy in Abuja ends visa services and transfers all applications to the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, which has been designated as the country’s regional visa processing hub.
- +Beginning today, Nigerians must process US visas in Lagos as Abuja services end
The United States Department of State had announced that routine visa processing services will no longer be available at the U.S.
The United States Department of State had announced that routine visa processing services will no longer be available at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja from Saturday, August 1, 2026, directing Nigerian applicants to process their visas through the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos.
The development means that citizens and residents of Nigeria seeking new U.S. visas will be required to schedule appointments, pay visa fees and complete routine visa processing procedures at the Lagos consulate, which has been designated as the country’s regional visa processing hub.
The announcement was contained in a statement published on the official website of the U.S. Department of State, while the U.S. Mission in Nigeria confirmed the change through an infographic shared on its official X handle on Wednesday.
The policy, according to the statement, is part of the administration of President Donald Trump’s plan to overhaul visa-processing operations across Africa by reducing the number of missions handling routine visa applications from nearly 50 locations to 20 designated regional hubs.
According to the State Department, the move is part of a restructuring of U.S. visa operations across Africa aimed at strengthening security, improving consistency in screening procedures and enhancing operational efficiency.
“The Department of State is realigning visa operations in Africa to regional hubs, part of a long-standing Department practice that strengthens national security by promoting more uniform screening, vetting, and adjudication standards, as well as improves efficiency,” the department stated.
It explained that the regional hub model had already been implemented in several countries across Africa and parts of Europe, adding that the latest adjustment would transfer routine visa services from Abuja and 24 other diplomatic missions on the continent to designated processing centres.
The department said affected applicants would now be required to schedule appointments and pay visa application fees at the appropriate designated Nonimmigrant Visa Locations or Immigrant Visa Locations.
“Citizens and residents of these countries who wish to apply for a visa on or after August 1, 2026, must schedule an appointment and pay the required visa fee at the appropriate designated Nonimmigrant Visa Locations or designated Immigrant Visa Locations,” it stated.
The affected U.S. diplomatic missions include those in Antananarivo, Asmara, Bamako, Banjul, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Conakry, Cotonou, Durban, Freetown, Gaborone, Harare, Juba, Libreville, Lilongwe, Lusaka, Maputo, Maseru, Mbabane, N’Djamena, Niamey, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou and Windhoek.
The State Department said the restructuring aligns with the Trump administration’s broader review of U.S. overseas operations, with a focus on strengthening national security, reducing government waste and ensuring that resources are deployed more efficiently in line with American interests.
It added that the changes were designed to provide more uniform standards in visa screening, background checks and adjudication processes across different regions.
“The safety and security of Americans remains our highest priority,” the department said, assuring that U.S. diplomatic missions would continue to provide necessary consular services and assistance to American citizens globally.
The department, however, noted that existing restrictions, including visa suspensions under Presidential Proclamation 10998, visa bond requirements and immigrant visa pauses affecting certain nationalities, remain in effect.
