US ends routine visa services at Abuja Embassy, 24 other African posts

The United States has announced it will discontinue routine visa services at its embassy in Abuja and 24 other African diplomatic posts effective August 1, 2026, as part of a realignment to regional hubs, though Lagos and 19 other posts will continue offering the services.

The United States has announced a major visa shake-up across Africa, with routine visa services at its embassy in Abuja and 24 other diplomatic posts set to be discontinued effective August 1, 2026.

Vanguard reported that the US Department of State said the realignment to regional hubs was part of efforts aimed at strengthening national security, cutting government waste, and ensuring more uniform screening, vetting, and adjudication standards.

According to the statement, President Trump’s administration is prioritising America’s interests by realigning overseas operations to advance US priorities efficiently.

“The Department of State is constantly evaluating its overseas operations in order to advance America’s priorities as efficiently and effectively as possible. This includes a visa process that maintains rigorous standards of security screening and vetting and aligns resources and operational capacity with America’s national interests,” the statement read.

Other diplomatic posts affected by the realignment include 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 stressed that the realignment does not change the operating status of any of the affected embassies and consulates, nor does it affect any currently valid US visas. It explained that the immigrant visa categories being realigned include immediate relative, family preference, employment-based, fiancée/fiancé, adoptions, diversity visas, and follow-to-join asylee and refugee cases.

However, routine visa services will continue at US embassies and consulates in Lagos, Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar-Es-Salaam, Djibouti, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lome, Luanda, Malabo, Monrovia, Nairobi, Port Louis, Praia, and Yaoundé, which will now serve as regional hubs offering all routine nonimmigrant and immigrant visas.