The United States Mission in Nigeria has introduced new requirements for visa applicants attending interviews at its consular offices in Abuja and Lagos, Okay.ng reports.
In a statement released on Friday, the U.S. mission announced that effective April 22, 2025, all visa applicants must present a DS-160 visa application form with a confirmation or barcode number beginning with “AA” followed by two zeroes. This barcode must match exactly with the one used when scheduling the visa appointment online.
The mission warned that failure to meet this requirement will result in applicants being denied access to the consular section or their scheduled visa interviews.
“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,” the statement advised.
The embassy further cautioned that reusing a DS-160 from a previous application is not permitted.
“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 statement said.
Additionally, applicants must ensure their scheduled interview is booked for the same location they selected when filling out their DS-160 form.
These adjustments, the mission explained, are part of an ongoing effort to streamline the visa processing system and enhance overall efficiency for Nigerian applicants.
It would be recalled that in January 2025, the U.S. Consulate introduced a new rule requiring all visa applicants to visit the Consulate General in Lagos twice during the application process.
