The United States Mission in Nigeria has announced new guidelines for visa interviews, introducing stricter requirements aimed at streamlining the application process for Nigerian travellers.
In a statement released on Friday, the mission said that effective April 22, applicants attending visa interviews in Abuja and Lagos must present a DS-160 confirmation page bearing a barcode number that starts with “AA00”.
Crucially, the barcode number must match the one used to book the appointment online.
“Failure to ensure this alignment will result in denial of entry into the consular section or the visa interview,” the mission warned.
Applicants have been advised to verify the accuracy of their DS-160 details at least two weeks before their scheduled interview date.
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The mission emphasised that DS-160 forms from previous applications cannot be reused.
If an error is detected, applicants are expected to log into their AVITS account no later than 10 days before the interview to raise a support ticket for barcode correction.
Additionally, the mission reiterated the importance of selecting the same location on the DS-160 form as the one chosen when scheduling the interview, either in Abuja or Lagos.
These updates are part of ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency of visa processing, the mission said.
Earlier this year, in January, the consulate introduced a new rule requiring all visa applicants to make two separate visits to the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos as part of the application process.
