The German government has announced that applications for student visas in Nigeria will now be processed exclusively through a visa application centre in Lekki, Lagos.

In a notice posted on its official X handle on Tuesday, the German Embassy in Nigeria said prospective students will no longer submit applications at the consulate.

Instead, applicants will be invited to the visa application centre operated by VFS Global in Lekki once they secure an appointment after registering online.

“This means that you will be invited to the centre, not the consulate, when an appointment is assigned to you after registering online,” the notice stated.

The embassy advised applicants to visit the VFS Global website for further details on the application process.

It also disclosed that the new processing arrangement was officially launched on March 25, 2026, by the Deputy Consul General, Gerald Wolf, alongside VFS General Manager Operations, Stephen Kubasu.

The development is expected to streamline the student visa application process for Nigerians seeking to study in Germany.

The country has seen record numbers of international students in recent years.

In the winter semester 2024/25, German universities enrolled approximately 402,000 international students, a 6% increase from the previous year, according to the DAAD’s Wissenschaft weltoffen report.

According to guidelines on VFS Global website, the centre in Lekki handles document submission, biometric data collection, and related services on behalf of the German missions in Nigeria. (The PUNCH)