The US State Department has announced plans to slash the number of African embassies and consulates handling visa applications from nearly 50 down to 20, with Lagos listed among the hubs that will remain open.
According to an Associated Press report citing officials and an internal memo, Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved the directive last week. The change was communicated to US diplomats during a conference call on Friday, with implementation expected to take effect in June 2026.
20 visa hubs for Africa
The 20 locations approved for full visa processing are: Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar-Es-Salaam, Djibouti, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, *Lagos, Nigeria*, Lome, Luanda, Malabo, Monrovia, Nairobi, Port Louis, Praia, and Yaounde.
What this means for applicants
Consular sections in countries not on the list will stay open but with limited services. They can still handle US citizen passport renewals, emergency requests, diplomatic visas, and special national interest cases. However, regular visa applicants from those countries will now have to travel to one of the 20 approved hubs, adding cost and logistics challenges.
The move comes as the Trump administration continues to restrict immigration flows. African nationals, including Nigerians, already face possible $15,000 bond requirements for B1/B2 visas, and African countries make up the largest share of nations under US partial travel suspensions. It also follows the recall of US ambassadors in over two dozen countries six months ago, with Africa most affected.
Lagos being retained means Nigeria’s commercial hub will remain a key access point for US visa processing in West Africa, even as applicants from other countries face longer trips.