The U.S. Mission in Nigeria has announced six new requirements for visa applicants, including mandatory disclosure of social media handles and stricter checks on DS-160 forms.
The United States Mission in Nigeria has introduced six updated requirements for Nigerians seeking U.S. visas, effective from August 18, 2025.
According to the directive, applicants must now disclose all social media usernames and handles used in the past five years when completing their DS-160 visa application form. The mission stressed that only DS-160 forms with matching barcode numbers would be accepted, warning that mismatched barcodes would result in denial of entry into the consular section.
Applicants are also required to attend interviews at the location selected during submission—either Abuja or Lagos—and must not reuse DS-160 forms from previous applications. Errors in barcodes must be corrected by raising a support ticket on the AVITS portal at least 10 days before the interview.
The embassy further instructed those rejected for mismatched barcodes to rebook appointments after corrections. “Applicants must ensure accuracy and full disclosure to avoid delays,” the U.S. Mission stated.