US Visa Application in Nigeria: Suspension and Fees (2026)

The United States has partly suspended issuing visas to Nigerian nationals, and the visitor visa (B1/B2) is one of the classes covered. The suspension began on the first day of 2026 under Presidential Proclamation 10998 and has a short list of exceptions. The US Mission in Nigeria says people it covers “may still submit visa applications and schedule interviews, but they may be ineligible for visa issuance or admission to the United States”. The application fee is $185 and is never refunded, so read the next section before you pay it.

Everything here is from US government sources: the Embassy and Consulate’s website, the appointment site it names, the State Department’s travel.state.gov, the White House’s text of the proclamation and the Federal Register. travel.state.gov blocks automated reading, so wherever this article cites a State Department page, it means the copy the Internet Archive saved in July.

Where Nigerian applicants stand

Visitor visas are partly suspended. The Embassy’s notice “Mission Nigeria Update on Visa Issuance” says the State Department is “partially suspending visa issuance” to nationals of 19 countries, Nigeria among them, “for nonimmigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, J student and exchange visitor visas, and all immigrant visas with limited exceptions”. The proclamation’s own words are: “The entry into the United States of nationals of Nigeria as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas, is hereby suspended.”
The exceptions are narrow. The Embassy lists dual nationals applying with a passport of a country that is not under suspension, lawful permanent residents, participants in certain major sporting events, Special Immigrant Visas for US government employees, and immigrant visas for persecuted minorities in Iran. The State Department’s page adds that the Secretary of State or of Homeland Security may decide, case by case, that a person’s travel serves the US national interest.
A visa you already hold still counts. The Embassy says the proclamation applies only to people who were outside the US and held no valid visa when it took effect, and that no visa issued before then has been or will be revoked under it.
Anyone who does qualify must post a bond. The Embassy’s visas page says: “Nationals of Nigeria who are found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 nonimmigrant visa must post a bond of up to $20,000 before a visa can be issued.” The State Department’s bond list has included Nigeria since 21 January, three weeks after the suspension began.
The visa is short. The State Department’s reciprocity schedule for Nigeria gives B-1, B-2 and B-1/B-2 visas one entry and three months of validity. The Embassy announced the change on 8 July 2025 and said visas issued earlier keep their validity.
Interviews are in Lagos only. The Embassy says: “Routine visa services are only available at Consulate General Lagos.” Since 1 August the Embassy in Abuja has handled only diplomatic and official visas.
There is no interview waiver. The appointment site says: “The Interview Waiver option is not currently available in Nigeria.”
Apply where you live or hold nationality. The Embassy says applicants should book in their country of residence or nationality, and that the bond applies “regardless of place of application”.
Social media. The Embassy lists the visa classes whose applicants must set their accounts to public. Student and exchange visas (F, M, J) are on it. B1/B2 is not.

What we could not confirm

How the suspension and the bond fit together. The Embassy’s page carries both notices and does not say how many visitor visas are being issued to Nigerians, or to whom beyond the listed exceptions.
Whether travel.state.gov’s wording has changed since the Archive’s July copies. A search engine’s current copy of the suspension notice agrees with them on Nigeria, and the Embassy’s pages, which we read directly, still carry the notice.
The “visa integrity fee” that a US law created in 2025, to be charged when a nonimmigrant visa is issued. A Federal Register notice from US Citizenship and Immigration Services said it “requires cross-agency coordination before implementing” and would come “in a future publication”. We found no later notice, and none of the fee pages we read lists it.
Today’s wait for an interview in Lagos, covered below.

US visa fees in Nigeria

Fee	Amount	When it is paid
Visa application fee (MRV fee), B1/B2	$185	Before you can book an interview
Visa issuance (reciprocity) fee	None for B visas	Not charged
Visa bond	$10,000, $15,000 or $20,000	Only if a consular officer finds you eligible and tells you to post it

The appointment site shows the rate it uses for naira payments, which has been ₦1,350 to the dollar since 14 September. At that rate the fee is 185 × ₦1,350 = ₦249,750. The rate carries an effective date and can change, so the amount on your deposit slip is the one that counts.

The Embassy describes two ways to pay, both from inside your account on the appointment site:

In naira at First Bank of Nigeria, in cash or by electronic transfer, using a deposit slip you generate in your account. The slip expires after three days, and the Embassy says to allow one business day before you try to book.
By card in US dollars. You can book straight away.

The fee is valid for one year from payment, covers one application, and cannot be passed to another person or used in another country. The Embassy’s page mentions GTBank only for K visa fees.

The bond amounts are from the State Department’s final rule in the Federal Register, “Visas: Visa Bond Program”. It says officers are expected to set $15,000, or $10,000 where the applicant could not pay that and still fund the trip, or $20,000 where they judge $15,000 is not enough. The officer refuses the visa until the bond is posted, and the rule says the money is paid through the US Treasury’s Pay.gov. A bonded visa holder must enter and leave the US through a commercial airport. The bond is returned if you leave on time, if you never travel before the visa expires, or if you are refused entry on arrival. The State Department’s page puts the limit plainly: “A bond does not guarantee visa issuance.”

How to apply

Fill in form DS-160 on the State Department’s Consular Electronic Application Center, one for each traveller including children. You upload a photograph with it. Keep the confirmation page: its barcode number starts with AA.
Register on usvisaappt.com, the appointment site the Embassy links to, and choose “Create New”. Enter your passport details and the DS-160 confirmation number.
Pay the application fee through the site. It says this is the only accepted way to pay it.
Pick an interview slot in Lagos once the payment shows.
Attend the interview at the Consulate General, 2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island. The State Department says fingerprints are scanned as part of the process.
If the officer finds you eligible, you are told the bond amount and sent the link to post it.
Collect your passport. The appointment site says the Consulate does not hand passports back in person: you register at appointment.oisservices.com and collect free of charge, by appointment, from the OIS office at 14 Idowu Taylor Street, Victoria Island, or 28B Pope John Paul II Street, Maitama, Abuja.

The Embassy enforces one rule at the gate. The DS-160 number on the form you bring must match the one in your appointment profile, or you will not be let in for the interview. Fix a mismatch early: the Embassy’s notice asks for a support ticket at least 10 days ahead, and the appointment site says the number cannot be changed in the last three business days.

What to bring

The State Department’s visitor visa page lists:

a passport valid for at least six months beyond your stay in the US;
the DS-160 confirmation page;
the fee payment receipt;
a printed photograph, only if the upload failed.

It says officers may also ask for evidence of the purpose of the trip, your intention to leave afterwards and your ability to pay for it, and that employment and family ties may be enough to show the first two. An invitation letter or affidavit of support is not required. The page says such a letter “is not one of the factors used in determining whether to issue or deny the visa”.

Leave your phone behind. The appointment site’s security page bans phones and other electronics, large bags, sealed envelopes, liquids and food, and says there is generally nowhere on site to store them.

Wait times and interview waivers

The State Department publishes interview waits for every post in its visa wait times table, updated monthly. In the copy the Internet Archive saved in July, last updated on 18 June, the next available B1/B2 interview in Lagos was under half a month away and Abuja’s was 4.5 months away. That was before Abuja stopped taking routine applications, so look at the table yourself. It notes that its figures do not guarantee an appointment within any period.

On waivers, the State Department’s general rule since 1 October 2025 is that nearly every applicant is interviewed in person, children under 14 and adults over 79 included. For Nigeria the appointment site offers no waiver at all, and the Embassy says one is granted only in extreme situations, such as a medical condition that requires an air ambulance.

Student and immigrant visas

Student and exchange visas and all immigrant visas for Nigerian nationals are under the same suspension. The Embassy’s visas page also links to a separate State Department notice on immigrant visa processing. Start there, then use the State Department’s pages for study and exchange visas and for immigrant visas.

Avoiding fraud

The State Department says official US government websites and email addresses end in .gov, and that anything else claiming to be official should be treated as suspect. The appointment site ends in .com, so reach it through the link on ng.usembassy.gov.
Post a bond only after a consular officer tells you to, and only through the link you are sent. The State Department says applicants “must not use any third-party website”, and that money paid without an officer’s direction is not returned.
The appointment site says no payment is accepted at passport collection points, and asks you to report anyone who demands one to [email protected].
The State Department says money paid to a non-government source does not count towards visa processing, and advises caution with any company that claims it can help you get a visa.
Its visitor visa page says that trying to get a visa by misrepresenting a material fact may mean permanent refusal.
The same page says there is no guarantee of a visa, and not to buy tickets until you have one.

If you are comparing destinations, we have set out the UK visitor visa, the Schengen visa, the Canadian visitor visa and the Dubai visa in the same way.

Quick answers

Is the US still issuing visitor visas to Nigerians?

Issuance of B1/B2 visas to Nigerian nationals has been partly suspended since the start of 2026, with limited exceptions. The Embassy still takes applications and says applicants may be found ineligible.

How much is the US visa fee in Nigeria in naira?

$185, which is ₦249,750 at the appointment site’s rate of ₦1,350 to the dollar. It is not refunded whatever the outcome.

Where do I pay the US visa fee in Nigeria?

Through your account on usvisaappt.com: in naira at First Bank of Nigeria with a deposit slip, or by card in dollars.

Where is the US visa interview in Nigeria?

At the Consulate General in Lagos. The Embassy in Abuja now handles only diplomatic and official visas.

How long is a US visitor visa valid for Nigerians?

The State Department’s reciprocity schedule gives three months and one entry.

If something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.