The United States Embassy in Nigeria has announced revised requirements for visa interviews, set to come into effect on April 22nd. The changes will affect all applicants attending interviews at the US missions in both Abuja and Lagos.
In a statement released on Friday, the embassy outlined that all visa applicants must present a DS-160 visa application form featuring a confirmation barcode that begins with “AA” followed by two zeroes (“00”). Crucially, this barcode must precisely match the one used when scheduling the interview appointment online.
The embassy has emphasised that any discrepancy between the barcode on the presented DS-160 form and the one used for the online booking will result in the applicant being denied entry to the consular section and consequently disqualified from attending their scheduled visa interview.
The statement read: “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 you used to make your appointment online. You also must make your appointment in the location you selected when filling out your DS-160.”
Applicants are being strongly advised to double-check the alignment of these barcode numbers at least two weeks prior to their appointment date.
The US mission also clarified that DS-160 forms from previous visa applications cannot be reused. Should applicants discover a mismatch in their barcode numbers, they are instructed to log into their AVITS account no later than ten days before their interview to submit a support ticket requesting a correction.
The embassy further noted: “At least two weeks before your interview, please double-check that the barcode number on your DS-160 form matches the one you used to schedule your appointment. You cannot reuse a DS-160 from a previous application. 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.”
In addition to the barcode requirement, the US mission reminded applicants to ensure that their visa appointment is scheduled at the specific location they indicated when filling out their DS-160 form (either Abuja or Lagos).
The embassy warned that applicants turned away due to mismatched barcode numbers will need to correct the issue and then book a completely new visa interview appointment through their AVITS account. They also cautioned that if the visa fee has expired, a new fee may be required before a new appointment can be scheduled.
The US mission stated that these changes are part of ongoing efforts to streamline the visa processing system and reduce administrative errors.
It is worth noting that since the beginning of the year, Nigerian visa applicants have already been required to visit the US Consulate General in Lagos on two separate occasions as part of the overall application process.
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