The US Embassy in Abuja said it has stopped processing routine visa applications and redirected those services to its Consulate General in Lagos, part of a broader Department of State move to concentrate visa operations at regional hubs across Africa.
The Embassy announced the change on its official X account, saying the new arrangement took effect August 1.
“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 post said.
The mission said applicants with existing appointments would still be served, though some interview dates may have been rescheduled.
“All applicants who already have scheduled appointments will be honored; however, those dates may have been rescheduled. Those with appointments in Abuja should check their email for their new appointment date,” it added.
Applicants holding unused, still-valid Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee receipts may use them to schedule appointments at the Lagos consulate, the Embassy said.
The transfer follows a U.S. Department of State decision to realign routine visa operations to designated regional hubs to standardize screening and vetting and to improve efficiency, the department said. Along with Lagos, the hubs include Accra, Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Dakar, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Yaoundé.
The State Department emphasized that the change affects routine visa processing and is not a closure of the Abuja embassy. The realignment covers routine nonimmigrant and immigrant visa services, including tourist and business visas as well as petition-based, family-preference and employment-based immigrant categories.
