U.S. Visa Alert: Last Day for Applicants in 25 African Nations to Secure Local Appointments Ahead of Regional Shift

Effective August 1, 2026, the U.S. Department of State is transitioning routine visa operations in 25 African countries to regional hubs, aiming to strengthen national security and enhance efficiency in vetting.

While local embassies remain open for American Citizen Services, routine nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applicants must now schedule appointments at designated regional centers.

The directive also mandates that applicants with previously paid fees must secure appointments at the affected posts by July 31, 2026, or risk losing them.

Key locations affected include the U.S. embassy in Abuja, where visa services will now only take place in the consulate in Lagos.

Others are 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

According to a statement posted on the U.S. Department of State website “routine visa services will be provided at the U.S. embassies and consulates in Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar-Es-Salaam, Djibouti, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lagos, Lome, Luanda, Malabo, Monrovia, Nairobi, Port Louis, Praia, and Yaoundé”.

For more information, visit the official U.S. Department of State website – https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/realignment-of-us-visa-services-in-africa-to-regional-hubs.html