The United States Embassy has announced new visa interview rules for Nigerians. These new rules will start on April 22, 2025.
In a message shared on Friday, the embassy said that anyone going for a visa interview in Abuja or Lagos must bring a DS-160 form. This form must have a barcode starting with “AA” and two zeroes (00). The barcode must be the same one used when booking the visa appointment online.
If the barcode does not match, the person will not be allowed into the visa section and will miss their interview.
“Starting April 22, 2025, all visa applicants in Abuja and Lagos must bring a DS-160 visa application form with a confirmation/barcode number (starting with AA and followed by 00 – two zeroes) that matches the one used to make their appointment online. You also must make your appointment in the location you selected when filling out your DS-160,” the embassy said.
The embassy warned that old DS-160 forms from past applications cannot be reused. Applicants must make sure their barcode matches their appointment details at least two weeks before the interview.
If there is any mistake, the person must log into their AVITS account at least 10 days before the interview and send a message to correct the barcode.
Also, the location on the DS-160 form must match the location of the appointment. If a person is turned away because of a mismatch, they will need to fix the problem and book a new appointment. If the visa fee has expired, they may need to pay again.
Finally, since January 1, 2025, all visa applicants have also been required to visit the US Consulate General in Lagos two times during the visa process.
