U.S. Department of State, Abuja, America First: Visa Services to End in 25 African Cities

The U.S. Department of State said it will stop routine visa services in Abuja and 24 other African posts on August 1, 2026, moving those cases to 20 regional hubs under the Trump administration's America First approach. The cutover is Aug. 1.

The department framed the shift as a security and efficiency move. In a July 15 statement, it said:

"President Trump is putting America and Americans first by strengthening national security, cutting government waste, and ensuring government works in the interests of the American people. This includes a visa process that maintains rigorous standards of security screening and vetting and aligns resources and operational capacity with America’s national interests."

That is the official line.

No embassies are closing. They will keep working on other diplomatic tasks. The posts stay open.

Currently valid U.S. visas remain valid for travel. Appointments scheduled before August 1 at affected posts will generally be honored. New filings on or after that date go through the hub system. Applicants will have to move farther and spend more. Airfare and accommodation now matter.

The policy covers routine immigrant and nonimmigrant cases alike, including B-1/B-2, F, M, J, H-1B, L-1, O-1, and all family, employment, and Diversity Visa immigrant categories. The department tied the realignment to Presidential Proclamation 10998, effective Jan 1, 2026, which restricted entry from 39 countries deemed to have inadequate screening protocols. Centralization, it said, would produce more uniform screening, vetting and adjudication standards. Abuja cases move to Lagos; Durban cases move to Johannesburg/Cape Town. Those routes are longer.

Twenty-five posts stop routine cases on Aug. 1

The list is long.

• Abuja, Nigeria, routine services move to Lagos
• Antananarivo, Madagascar
• Asmara, Eritrea
• Bamako, Mali
• Banjul, The Gambia
• Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
• Bujumbura, Burundi
• Conakry, Guinea
• Cotonou, Benin
• Durban, South Africa, routine services move to Johannesburg/Cape Town
• Freetown, Sierra Leone
• Gaborone, Botswana
• Harare, Zimbabwe
• Juba, South Sudan
• Libreville, Gabon
• Lilongwe, Malawi
• Lusaka, Zambia
• Maputo, Mozambique
• Maseru, Lesotho
• Mbabane, Eswatini
• N'Djamena, Chad
• Niamey, Niger
• Nouakchott, Mauritania
• Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
• Windhoek, Namibia

Twenty hubs absorb the interviews

Twenty hubs take over.

The department said it will keep American Citizen Services and passport renewals running at open posts. It added:

"The Trump administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans, and the State Department will continue to provide Americans with appropriate consular services and assistance at diplomatic posts around the world."