The United States has designated 20 cities across Africa where routine visa services will be provided under a new regional visa processing arrangement.
The move forms part of a realignment of routine US visa processing across the continent, with selected embassies and consulates serving as regional hubs for applicants.
According to the US government, routine visa services will be available at US diplomatic posts in Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lagos, Lomé, Luanda, Malabo, Monrovia, Nairobi, Port Louis, Praia and Yaoundé.
The designated cities are spread across different parts of Africa, giving applicants in several countries access to regional visa processing locations.
The 20 regional visa hubs are:
- Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
- Accra, Ghana
- Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Dakar, Senegal
- Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Djibouti, Djibouti
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Kampala, Uganda
- Kigali, Rwanda
- Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Lomé, Togo
- Luanda, Angola
- Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
- Monrovia, Liberia
- Nairobi, Kenya
- Port Louis, Mauritius
- Praia, Cabo Verde
- Yaoundé, Cameroon
The list means Lagos is one of the designated regional hubs, while Abuja is not included among the 20 locations.
However, the realignment does not mean the US diplomatic posts excluded from routine visa processing are being closed. The US government has clarified that the change in visa processing arrangements does not alter the operating status of the affected embassies and consulates.
The posts will continue carrying out other diplomatic and consular responsibilities on behalf of the United States, even where routine visa processing has been shifted to a regional hub.
It is also worth noting that while there are 20 designated posts, they are located in 19 countries, because South Africa has two hubs — Cape Town and Johannesburg.
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