Important Visa Information (2024)

Important Visa Information

Payment Methods & Details

Visa Fees

Overview

Visa applicants, including children, are required to pay a non-refundable, non-transferable visa application fee, sometimes referred to as the MRV fee, before applying for a nonimmigrant visa. The visa application fee must be paid whether a visa is issued or not. The type of visa for which you apply determines the fee amount. Information on visa application fees associated with each nonimmigrant visa type can be found at travel.state.gov.

Please note that only the application fees for nonimmigrant visas are listed here. Information about other visa fees that are paid directly to the National Visa Center, to the U.S. Embassy, to the U.S. Consulate General, or to the Department of Homeland Security, can be found at travel.state.gov.

Payment Information

Fee Payment Options

Cash at Bank

Nonimmigrant visa applicantswithout a GTBank account must pay their visa application fee in cash at anyGTBank branch. At the bank, you must write your fee payment amount and your telephone number on the U.S. visa fee collection slip available at the bank. After processing payment, the bank will generate a receipt. PLEASE NOTE – THE INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT OF THE APPLICANT FOR WHOM THE RECEIPT IS INTENDED IS REQUIRED WHEN MAKING VISA FEE PAYMENT AT ANY GTBank LOCATION.

Online Payment

If you have an account with GTBank you may choose to pay your visa application fee online using GTBank’sonline bill pay service.

Note:It is important that you correctly type your payment code (also called a UID) into the online payment form when you pay your fee online. The payment code is created after you create your online profile at the beginning of theonline payment process. This code verifies your payment and allows you to schedule your visa interview.

Please keep the GTBank fee receipt for your records.

Scheduling Your Interview

Cash at Bank

You can schedule your interview within a few hours of paying your visa application fee.

Whether you schedule your appointmentonlineor contact ourcall center, you will need the payment code printed on your receipt. This is the UID given to you at GTBank, or when you created your online profile. You also need to have your passport number to schedule your visa interview.

Online Payment

You can schedule your interview after 3:00 p.m. on the first banking day following the date the visa application fee was paid online with GTBank.

Whether you schedule your appointmentonlineor contact ourcall center, you will need the payment code printed on your receipt. (This is the UID given to you at GTBank, or when you created your online profile.) You also need to have your passport number to schedule your visa interview.

Restrictions

Your visa application fee is non-refundable and non-transferrable. It cannot be transferred to another person.

The visa application fee is valid for one year from the date of payment.

Visa Types and Application Fee Amounts

The application fees are shown below and apply to one visa application. The application fee for the most common nonimmigrant visa types is $185. This includes tourist, business, student and exchange visas. Most petition-based visas, such as work and religious visas, are $190. K visas cost $265 and the fee amount for E visas is $205. Please note that visa fees for K applicants must be made at GT Bank.The tables below are a more comprehensive list of visa types and fee amounts. Following the tables is a short list of nonimmigrant visas which do not require payment of an application fee.

Visa Types and Conditions with No Fee Required

• Applicants for A, G, C-2, C-3, NATO, and diplomatic visas (as defined in 22 CFR 41.26)
• Applicants holding J visas and who are participating in certain official U.S. Government-sponsored educational and cultural exchanges
• Replacement of a machine-readable visa when the original visa was not properly affixed or the visa needs to be reissued through no fault of the applicant
• Applicants exempted by international agreement, including members and staff of an observer mission to United Nations Headquarters recognized by the UN General Assembly, and their immediate families
• Applicants traveling to provide certain charitable services
• U.S. Government employees traveling on official business
• A parent, sibling, spouse or child of a U.S. Government employee killed in the line of duty who is traveling to attend the employee’s funeral and/or burial; or a parent, sibling, spouse, son or daughter of a U.S. Government employee critically injured in the line of duty for visitation during emergency treatment and convalescence

Other Fees

SEVIS Fees

The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is an Internet-based system that tracks F, M and J visa participants (and their family members) from the time they receive their initial documentation (either an I-20 or a DS-2019) until they graduate/leave school or conclude/leave program.

F, M and J visa principal applicants: Check with your U.S. school to make sure your information has been entered into SEVIS. You will need to pay a separate SEVIS fee in addition to the visa application fee. For nonimmigrant students with Form I-20, the SEVIS fee is US$350. For most exchange visitors with Form DS-2019, the SEVIS fee is US$220. Instructions for paying the SEVIS fee can be foundSEVIS Fee Processing Website.

SEVIS Fee Exception

Applicants participating in a U.S. Government sponsored program (programs whose codes begin with G-1, G-2, G-3, G-7) are not required to pay the SEVIS fee.

Blanket L Fee (Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee)

First-time principal applicants who are covered under a blanket petition for L status must pay a Fraud Prevention and Detection fee of US $500. This fee should be paid in cash to the cashier at the Consular Section on the day of the interview. If a subsequent L-1 visa application is based on a new Form I-129S, the Fraud Prevention and Detection fee must be collected again.

More Information

If you have any questions regarding the consular currency exchange rate, pleasevisit the application portal, create a profile, answer five short questions so that we can determine the correct amount you must pay.

Appointments & Locations

For Immigrant Visa Applicants:

The Immigrant Visa Unit is interviewing immigrant visa applicants in all visa categories. While the appointment availability remains restricted by public health conditions, the Immigrant Visa Unit is currently scheduling visa appointments while prioritizing the following:

• Adoptions: appointments for adopted children of U.S. Citizens.
• Spouses and children of U.S. citizens.
• Applicants petitioned by U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPR), to include fiancées of U.S. citizens, whose immigrant visa interviews were scheduled between March 22, 2020 and June 30, 2020, and subsequently canceled due to the closure of routine visa services on March 22, 2020. All affected applicants should have been contacted with a new interview date.
• LPRs applying for boarding foils and SB-1s.
• Reissuance of immigrant visas that expired between March 2020 – August 2020.
• We are contacting all applicants who were affected by the various Presidential Proclamations to conclude the processing of their immigrant visa cases.

Applicants covered under one of the categories mentioned above are responsible for monitoring the email addresses they have provided to NVC and/or the Immigrant Visa Unit for updates and scheduling purposes.Applicants who fail to attend their scheduled interview should expect extended delays before an interview can be rescheduled.

NOTE: Immigrant visa applicants seeking an emergency appointment can submit a request as follows:

• If your immigrant visa petition is currently at the National Visa Center (NVC), you must submit your request, together with supporting documentation, directly to NVC for consideration. NVC can be contacted at:https://nvc.state.gov/ask.
• If you have received notification from the National Visa Center that your petition has been transferred to the Immigrant Visa Unit, or you have previously been interviewed at the Consulate General and were refused as a result of a Presidential Proclamation, please contact the call centeratsupport-nigeria@ustraveldocs.com or +234-0201-227-8955 summarizing the nature of your emergency.

For Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants:

The Embassy and Consulate General continue to prioritize travelers with urgent travel needs, although regular visa appointments are made available as local conditions allow.

In response to pandemic-related service disruptions, the Department of State announced the extension of Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee validity until September 30, 2023, for individuals who paid an MRV fee but were unable to schedule and/or attend an interview during the suspension of services.

If you have an urgent matter and need to travel immediately, please follow the guidance provided athttps://www.ustraveldocs.com/ng or +234-0201-227-8955 to request an emergency appointment.

To contact a customer service representative, or to make a specific inquiry on a visa case already in progress, please visit theContact Us page for full information or use contact information below:

• Email:support-nigeria@ustraveldocs.com
• Telephone:+234-0201-227-8955

Locations

Abuja
Business Hours:
Monday through Thursday from 07:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and
Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Plot 1075, Diplomatic Drive
Central Business District, Abuja
Tel: +234-0201-227-8955
E-Mail:ConsularAbuja@state.gov

Lagos

Answers to most questions can be found here: Lagos Visa Navigator

Business Hours:
Monday – Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
U.S. Consulate General Lagos Office
2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos
Tel.: +234-0201-227-8955

Security Information

Overview

You are not allowed to enter the U.S. Embassy or Consulate General while carrying any of the following items:

• battery-operated or electronic devices such as mobile phones, digital diaries, digital watches, pagers, cameras, audio/video cassettes, compact discs, MP3s, floppy disks, laptops, or portable music players
• large shoulder bags/purses – only bags that can be carried by hand will be permitted
• sealed envelopes or packages
• liquids and bottles
• cosmetics or other powdery substances
• cigarettes, cigars, match boxes, lighters
• sharp objects such as scissors, pen knives or nail files
• weapons or explosive materials of any kind

This list is not exhaustive. Other items may be prohibited at the discretion of security staff.

There is no facility at the Embassy/Consulate general to store prohibited items. You must make arrangements to store these items before you enter the Embassy/Consulate General.

Due to security considerations, there is no information window for walk-in visitors at the Embassy or the Consulate General. Only visa applicants with scheduled interviews will be admitted into the Embassy/Consulate General. There is no location for non-applicants to wait at the Embassy/Consulate General.

Reasonable Accommodation

If you need reasonable accommodation for your appointment, we encourage you to request your accommodation immediately once you schedule your appointment. We make every effort to provide accommodations to persons with disabilities and medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations vary, depending on the situation and the person’s needs.
Examples of accommodations include, but are not limited to:

• • If you require a private appointment due to a medical condition or disability, we may schedule an alternative time for you to come in for your interview.
  • If you or your child has special needs that requires a private appointment in a quiet space without distractions, we may schedule an alternative time for you or your family to come in for your interview.
  • If you are unable to speak, you may be allowed to respond to questions in an agreed-upon nonverbal manner such as using pen and paper.
  • If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may bring a sign language interpreter to translate during the interview if needed.
  • If you have low vision, we may provide you with communications in large print.

If you are unable to provide fingerprints because of a medical condition, including birth defects, physical deformities, skin conditions, you may qualify for a fingerprint waiver for certain fingers.

• Interview waivers are only granted in extreme situations, such as having a medical condition that requires flying in an air ambulance.

The waiting room of the Consular Section and its restroom is wheelchair-accessible.