US Embassy Abuja Stops Routine Visa Processing, Directs Applicants to Lagos

Nigerians seeking routine US visas will now have to use the US Consulate General in Lagos after the United States Embassy in Abuja stopped processing such applications.

The US Embassy announced the change in a reminder posted on its official X account, saying the new arrangement took effect on August 1, 2026. Under the policy, routine visa services are now available only at the US Consulate General in Lagos.

“Routine visa services are only available at the Consulate General in Lagos. Effective August 1, 2026, U.S. Embassy Abuja no longer processes routine visa applications,” the embassy said.

Applicants who had already secured appointments in Abuja will not lose them, the mission clarified. However, some appointment dates may have been changed, with affected applicants advised to check their email for updated schedules.

The embassy also said holders of unused and valid MRV visa application fee receipts could use them to book new appointments at the US Consulate General in Lagos.

The development is part of a broader decision by the US Department of State to reorganise routine visa operations across Africa through designated regional processing hubs. US authorities said the move is intended to improve efficiency while ensuring more consistent screening, vetting and visa adjudication standards.

Lagos has been designated Nigeria’s regional visa hub alongside other African centres in Accra, Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Dakar, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Yaoundé.

The US government stressed that the change does not mean the American Embassy in Abuja has been closed. Rather, the new arrangement affects routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa processing, including tourist and business visas, family-based applications, employment-based immigrant visas and other petition-related categories.