U.S embassy announces new visa interview requirements for Nigerian applicants

The United States Embassy has introduced updated visa interview requirements for Nigerian applicants, effective from April 22, 2025.

In a statement released on Friday, the US mission emphasised that all applicants attending visa interviews in Abuja and Lagos must present a DS-160 form featuring a confirmation barcode that begins with “AA” followed by two zeroes (00). Crucially, this barcode must match the one used to book the appointment online.

Applicants with mismatched barcode information will be denied entry to 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 statement read.

To avoid issues, applicants are strongly advised to verify that their DS-160 barcode matches their appointment information at least two weeks before their interview date.

The embassy also clarified that DS-160 forms from previous applications cannot be reused. In the event of a mismatch, applicants must log into their AVITS account at least 10 days before the interview and submit a correction request.

“If your DS-160 barcode is incorrect, you must log into your AVITS account at least 10 days before your appointment to create a support ticket requesting correction of your barcode number,” the mission added.

Additionally, appointments must be made at the same location indicated on the DS-160 form. Applicants who are turned away due to mismatched barcodes will need to resolve the issue and reschedule a new appointment. If the visa fee has expired, a new payment may be required.

Since January 1, all applicants have also been required to visit the US Consulate General in Lagos twice as part of the visa application process.