US to Discontinue Visa Services in Abuja, 24 Other African Cities

The United States has announced that routine visa services at its Embassy in Abuja will end on August 1, 2026, as part of a major restructuring of visa operations across Africa.

The new arrangement affects Abuja and 24 other diplomatic posts on the continent, with routine visa processing to be transferred to designated regional hubs. The US Department of State said the move is intended to strengthen security checks, improve efficiency and ensure more consistent visa screening and application processing across its overseas missions.

According to the department, the restructuring is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to align overseas operations with US national interests while maintaining strict security standards for visa applicants. It added that protecting the safety of Americans remains a top priority and that US embassies and consulates will continue providing consular services to American citizens around the world.

Besides Abuja, the affected locations include 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 explained that the changes will not affect the operations of the embassies and consulates themselves, as they will continue carrying out their regular diplomatic and consular responsibilities. It also clarified that visas already issued remain valid and are not affected by the new policy.

The visa categories being moved to regional hubs include tourist and business visas, petition-based nonimmigrant visas, immediate relative visas, family preference visas, employment-based visas, fiancée visas, adoption cases, diversity visas and follow-to-join asylee and refugee applications.

The department noted that similar regional visa processing arrangements have already been introduced successfully in parts of Africa and Europe.

Despite the changes in Abuja, routine visa processing will continue at selected regional hubs, including the US Consulate in Lagos. Other locations that will continue offering full visa services include Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar-es-Salaam, Djibouti, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lomé, Luanda, Malabo, Monrovia, Nairobi, Port Louis, Praia and Yaoundé.

The State Department also stated that existing visa suspensions under Presidential Proclamation 10998, visa bond requirements and pauses affecting certain immigrant visa categories remain in force.

Applicants from countries affected by the restructuring who intend to apply for US visas on or after August 1, 2026, have been advised to book appointments and pay the required fees at their designated regional visa processing centres. The department added that applicants with existing appointments at affected locations will receive further guidance directly.

The decision is expected to affect many Nigerian applicants who previously relied on the US Embassy in Abuja for visa processing, leaving Lagos as the country’s designated regional hub for routine US visa services.