The US embassy has introduced new visa interview procedures for Nigerians.
The United States Embassy has announced revised visa interview procedures for Nigerian applicants, effective April 22, 2025.
In an official statement released on Friday, the U.S. Mission specified that all applicants attending interviews at the U.S. embassies in Abuja or Lagos must present a DS-160 visa application form containing a confirmation barcode starting with “AA” followed by two zeros. Importantly, this barcode must exactly match the one used when scheduling their online appointment.
From April 22 onward, every visa applicant in Abuja and Lagos is required to provide a DS-160 form bearing the correct confirmation barcode (“AA00”), identical to the code used during appointment booking. Additionally, applicants must ensure their interview is booked at the same consular office they selected when completing their DS-160 application.
The embassy underscored the importance of this alignment, stating, “If the barcode number on your DS-160 form differs from the number used to schedule your appointment, you will not be permitted to enter the Consular Section, and your visa interview will be denied.”
Applicants are strongly urged to confirm that their barcode details match at least two weeks before their scheduled appointment. Any failure to ensure matching barcode information will result in denial of entry to the consular office and disqualification from the interview process.
The embassy further clarified that DS-160 forms submitted for previous applications cannot be reused. Should discrepancies arise, applicants must log into their AVITS account and submit a correction request no later than 10 days prior to their interview date.
“Double-check at least two weeks before your interview to confirm that the barcode on your DS-160 form matches the one used when booking your appointment,” the embassy advised. “Old DS-160 forms from past applications cannot be reused.”
“If you identify an incorrect barcode on your DS-160, you must access your AVITS account and submit a support ticket for correction no less than 10 days before your appointment,” the statement added.
The U.S. Mission also reminded applicants to verify that their appointment is scheduled at the consular office selected in their DS-160 form.
In instances where applicants are turned away due to barcode mismatches, they must resolve the issue and schedule a new appointment to continue their visa application. To do this, they must log back into their AVITS account. If the original visa fee has expired, applicants may be required to pay a new fee before rescheduling.
These updated measures are part of the embassy’s broader initiative to streamline the visa application process and reduce administrative errors.
Since January 1, all visa applicants have also been required to make two visits to the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos as part of the standard application procedure.
