By Sulyman Gobir
The United States Embassy in Nigeria has clarified that diplomatic and official visa applications will continue to be processed in Abuja despite recent changes to routine visa services.
The clarification was issued by the U.S. Mission Nigeria in a post on X following concerns over the United States Department of Stateβs decision to transfer routine visa processing from Abuja and several other African locations to designated regional visa hubs.
According to the U.S. government, the realignment is aimed at strengthening security screening, improving operational efficiency and ensuring that overseas operations remain aligned with American national interests.
The new arrangement, which took effect on August 1, 2026, affects routine visa services in Abuja and several other African cities, including Antananarivo, Asmara, Bamako, Banjul, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Conakry, Cotonou, Durban, Freetown, Gaborone, Harare, Juba, Libreville, Lilongwe, Lusaka, Maputo, Maseru, Mbabane, NβDjamena, Niamey, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou and Windhoek.
However, the U.S. Department of State stressed that the affected diplomatic missions are not being shut down.
In its latest clarification, the U.S. Mission Nigeria said the Embassy in Abuja would continue to handle diplomatic and official visa applications under the A, G and C visa categories.
Applicants who believe they qualify under any of the affected categories have been advised to contact their respective protocol offices, which typically coordinate visa-related matters for eligible government and diplomatic travellers.
The clarification means that while routine visa processing has been moved to designated regional hubs, qualified diplomatic and official applicants in Nigeria will continue to have their applications processed through the U.S. Embassy in Abuja.
The development is expected to ease concerns among government officials, diplomats and other eligible applicants who were uncertain about how the recent visa policy changes would affect official travel.
