The United States Embassy in Nigeria has announced a significant update to its visa interview requirements for Nigerian applicants, set to take effect from April 22, 2025.
In an official statement released on Friday, the U.S. Mission stated that all applicants attending visa interviews at the Embassy in Abuja or the Consulate in Lagos must present a DS-160 form with a confirmation barcode beginning with “AA00.” Most importantly, this barcode must exactly match the one used to book their visa appointment online.
Failure to meet this requirement will result in applicants being denied entry into the Consular Section and disqualified from their scheduled interviews.
“Starting April 22, 2025, all visa applicants in Abuja and Lagos must bring a DS-160 visa application form with a confirmation/barcode number (starting with AA and followed by 00 – two zeroes) that matches the one used to make their appointment online. You also must make your appointment in the location you selected when filling out your DS-160,” the embassy stated.
To avoid disqualification, applicants are strongly urged to verify their DS-160 barcode and ensure it matches their appointment details at least two weeks prior to the scheduled interview.
The embassy further clarified that previously submitted DS-160 forms cannot be reused. In cases of mismatched barcode numbers, applicants must log into their AVITS account at least 10 days before their appointment to create a support ticket and request a correction.
In addition to the barcode requirement, the U.S. Mission emphasized that interviews must take place at the location selected during the DS-160 application process. Applicants turned away due to mismatched barcodes will be required to reschedule their appointments. If their visa fee has expired, a new payment may be necessary.
Since January 1, 2025, visa applicants have also been required to make two visits to the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos as part of the visa application procedure.
The embassy encourages all prospective applicants to thoroughly review and comply with the updated guidelines to ensure a smooth and successful visa process.
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