The United States has discontinued its visa dropbox service in Nigeria, requiring all applicants for visitor visa renewals to attend in-person interviews.
This change eliminates the previous option for eligible applicants, especially those with recent US travel history, to submit their passports without an interview, which had significantly shortened processing times.
The suspension of this service raises concerns about further delays in visa processing, as interview slots in Nigeria were already subject to extended wait times, sometimes exceeding a year. This shift could disrupt travel plans for many Nigerians, including students and business travelers.
Although the US Embassy in Nigeria has not yet issued a formal statement regarding this policy change, sources have confirmed the removal of the dropbox option from the appointment booking system.
Applicants attempting to schedule visa renewals have discovered that the dropbox feature is no longer available. This means that all applicants must now undergo full in-person interviews, adding to the already substantial backlog for visa appointments.
Even before this change, applicants faced considerable delays, with some waiting up to a year for an interview.
The removal of the dropbox system effectively returns the visa renewal process to the pre-2020 system, which is expected to worsen existing backlogs.
Prior to this complete suspension, dropbox appointments were already unavailable in Lagos as of January, forcing some applicants to seek appointments in Abuja.
There are reports that some individuals have experienced difficulties accessing the appointment booking platform, suggesting that this policy shift may be connected to a series of executive orders implemented by a former US President.
