The United States Embassy has announced revised visa interview requirements for Nigerian applicants, set to take effect from April 22, 2025.
In a statement released on Friday, the U.S. Mission stated that all applicants attending interviews at the Embassy in Abuja or the Consulate in Lagos must present a DS-160 visa application form with a confirmation barcode that begins with “AA” followed by two zeroes. This barcode must exactly match the one used to schedule the interview appointment.
The Embassy emphasized that any mismatch in barcode information will result in denial of entry into the consular section and disqualification from the scheduled interview.
“Starting April 22, 2025, all visa applicants in Abuja and Lagos must bring a DS-160 confirmation page with a barcode beginning with ‘AA00’ that matches the one used to book their appointment online,” the statement said. “Applicants must also ensure their appointment is scheduled at the same location selected when completing the DS-160 form.”
The Embassy advised applicants to verify the barcode alignment at least two weeks before their scheduled interview. Reusing a DS-160 form from a previous application is not permitted.
“If your DS-160 barcode does not match the one used for your appointment, you must log into your AVITS account at least 10 days before your interview to submit a correction request,” the statement added.
Additionally, the mission warned that applicants turned away due to barcode mismatches will need to reschedule their interviews and may be required to pay a new visa fee if the original has expired.
“You will need to book a new appointment once the issue is corrected. If your visa fee has expired, a new payment will be necessary before rescheduling,” the statement clarified.
The changes, according to the Embassy, are part of broader efforts to streamline the visa application process and minimize administrative errors.
Since January 1, 2025, all visa applicants have also been required to visit the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos twice during the application process.
