The United States government has announced that it will discontinue routine visa processing at its embassy in Abuja from August 1, 2026, as part of a major reorganisation of its consular operations across Africa.
The new policy, which also affects 24 other U.S. diplomatic missions on the continent, is aimed at centralising routine visa services in regional processing hubs to strengthen security, improve efficiency and reduce operational costs.
The announcement was made in a statement published by the U.S. Department of State on Wednesday. According to the department, the decision aligns with the administration of President Donald Trump’s commitment to prioritising America’s national interests and security.
“The Department of State is constantly evaluating its overseas operations in order to advance America’s priorities as efficiently and effectively as possible. This includes a visa process that maintains rigorous standards of security screening and vetting and aligns resources and operational capacity with America’s national interests.
“The Trump administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans, and the State Department will continue to provide Americans with appropriate consular services and assistance at diplomatic posts around the world,” the statement said.
The Department clarified that the new arrangement applies only to routine visa processing and does not signal the closure of any embassy or consulate.
It explained that U.S. embassies and consulates in the affected countries will continue to provide other diplomatic and consular services, while visas already issued will remain valid.
Under the new system, applicants seeking routine U.S. visas in the affected countries will have their applications processed through designated regional visa hubs instead of their local embassies.
The affected diplomatic missions are located in **Abuja (Nigeria), Asmara (Eritrea), Bamako (Mali), Banjul (The Gambia), Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo), Bujumbura (Burundi), Conakry (Guinea), Cotonou (Benin), Durban (South Africa), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Gaborone (Botswana), Harare (Zimbabwe), Juba (South Sudan), Libreville (Gabon), Lilongwe (Malawi), Lusaka (Zambia), Maputo (Mozambique), Maseru (Lesotho), Mbabane (Eswatini), N’Djamena (Chad), Niamey (Niger), Nouakchott (Mauritania), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and Windhoek (Namibia).
