The United States Embassy has rolled out new visa interview protocols for Nigerian applicants, effective from April 22, 2025.
In a statement released on Friday, April 11, the U.S. Mission emphasized that individuals attending interviews at the embassy’s offices in Abuja and Lagos must provide a DS-160 visa application form featuring a confirmation barcode that begins with “AA” followed by two zeros (00).
This barcode must exactly match the one used to schedule the visa interview.
Applicants who fail to present a matching DS-160 barcode will be denied access to the Consular Section and disqualified from their scheduled interview.
The embassy urged applicants to carefully review and confirm that their DS-160 form details align with their appointment information at least two weeks before their interview.
Additionally, previously submitted DS-160 forms cannot be reused. Applicants who identify an incorrect barcode must log into their AVITS account no later than 10 days before their interview and submit a support ticket to request an update.
Interview appointments must also be scheduled at the same location indicated on the DS-160 form.
Applicants turned away due to mismatched information will be required to correct the error and reschedule.
If the original visa fee has expired by then, a new payment may be required.
As part of revised procedures introduced on January 1, all visa applicants are also expected to appear twice at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos.
The embassy stated that these changes are intended to enhance efficiency and ensure uniformity in the visa application process.
