The United States ends Routine Visa Services in Abuja, and moves operations to Lagos Hub for interview. The US Mission in Nigeria has confirmed that routine visa services at the embassy in Abuja stopped on August 1, 2026. All visa applications must now be handled at the US Consulate General in Lagos, which has been designated as the regional processing centre for Nigeria.
In a fresh statement posted on its social media channels on Friday, the mission repeated the directive first announced earlier this month. The change forms part of a wider reorganisation of US visa operations across Africa by the Department of State.
Officials said the consolidation of visa work at a limited number of regional hubs is a long-standing approach intended to deliver more consistent security screening, vetting and decision-making. The realignment is also meant to boost operational efficiency and reflect evolving US immigration priorities.
“Citizens and residents of Nigeria who wish to apply for a visa must schedule an appointment and pay the required visa fee at US Consulate Lagos, the new designated location,” the mission stated.
A more detailed notice on the State Department’s website linked the move to the Trump administration’s focus on American safety and security. Officials described the adjustments as part of efforts to put “America and Americans first,” while continuing to evaluate overseas operations so that resources support national interests as effectively as possible. Rigorous security checks will remain in place.
Embassies and consulates affected by the changes will stay open. Their overall status and the assistance they provide to US citizens will not change.
Twenty cities across Africa have been named regional visa hubs. These include Lagos, Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Nairobi, Johannesburg and Kinshasa. Twenty-five other posts, among them Abuja, will now provide only American Citizen Services and limited non-immigrant visa support. Bangui and Khartoum will offer no consular visa services.
The reorganisation covers both non-immigrant and immigrant visas. Categories affected include tourist and business visas, petition-based applications, immediate relative and family preference cases, employment-based visas, fiancé(e) visas, adoptions, diversity visas, and follow-to-join asylee and refugee cases.
Existing restrictions, including visa suspensions under Presidential Proclamation 10998, visa bond requirements and immigrant visa pauses for certain nationalities, remain in force and are separate from this realignment.
Applicants who already held appointments at posts now offering limited services were told to check their email for specific instructions. Fees paid at those posts from August 1 will not be refunded if appointments were not secured by July 31.
Immigrant visa applicants may still complete required medical examinations in their home country where a panel physician is available. Otherwise, the examination can be done at the designated regional hub.