The United States Embassy in Abuja has clarified that it will continue to process certain diplomatic and official visa applications despite recent changes to routine visa services in Nigeria.

The clarification was issued by the U.S. Mission Nigeria following concerns over the US Department of State’s decision to realign routine visa processing in Abuja with designated regional visa hubs.

The new arrangement, which took effect on August 1, 2026, is part of a broader US effort to strengthen security screening, improve processing efficiency and align overseas operations with its national interests.

Under the revised system, routine visa services in Abuja and several other African locations have been moved to designated regional centres.

However, the US Department of State stressed that the affected diplomatic missions were not being closed as a result of the changes.

In its clarification, the U.S. Mission Nigeria said the Abuja embassy would continue processing A, G and C visa categories, which cover diplomatic and official travel.

The mission advised applicants who believe they qualify for any of the three categories to first contact their protocol office, which ordinarily handles visa-related matters for diplomatic and official travellers

The clarification means that while applicants seeking routine visa services may need to use designated regional visa hubs, eligible diplomatic and official applicants can still have their applications processed at the US Embassy in Abuja.

The US government’s decision to realign routine visa processing services also affects several other African locations, including 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 latest clarification is expected to ease concerns among diplomatic and official visa applicants in Nigeria who may have been uncertain about whether the new routine visa arrangement affected all categories of visa services at the Abuja embassy. (Daily Sun)