The United States government has discontinued its visa dropbox service in Nigeria, requiring all visitor visa applicants to undergo in-person interviews for renewals.
The move effectively ends the previous system that allowed certain eligible applicants to submit their passports without appearing at the embassy, significantly reducing processing times.
The development is expected to cause further delays in visa processing, with appointment dates in Nigeria already stretched for over a year in some cases. Students, business travelers, and other visa applicants will now have to navigate longer wait times for interview slots.
Although the US Embassy in Nigeria has not issued an official statement on the matter, sources confirmed that the dropbox feature has been removed from the visa appointment booking system. Applicants attempting to schedule renewals have discovered that the option is no longer available.
“As of January, dropbox appointments were already unavailable in Lagos, forcing many applicants to seek alternatives in Abuja,” a travel consultant who assists with visa applications disclosed. “Now that the service has been completely phased out, the process reverts to what it was before 2020, leading to more backlogs.”
Applicants will now have to complete the full visa renewal process, including attending interviews, which many fear will worsen the already lengthy appointment wait times. The removal of the dropbox service comes amid ongoing immigration policy adjustments, some of which stem from past executive orders issued by former US President Donald Trump.
Reports indicate that some applicants have also been unable to access the appointment booking platform entirely, further complicating the process.
The situation has raised concerns among Nigerians who rely on the visa system for travel, education, and business engagements in the US. Many applicants who had planned their trips based on the previous renewal system now face uncertainty.
“I have been trying to book a renewal appointment for weeks, only to realize that the dropbox service is no longer an option,” a frustrated applicant shared. “This change will make it even harder for those of us with valid reasons to travel to the US.”
