United States | State Department moves US visa services in Africa to 20 regional hubs

The State Department announced it will “realign” visa operations in Africa to designated regional hubs starting Aug. 1, 2026. The announcement includes FAQs on the realignment.

Key takeaways:

Visa processing centralized at regional hubs. Routine nonimmigrant and immigrant visa services currently handled at 25 African posts will be moved to designated regional hubs. Citizens and residents of these countries or cities who wish to apply for a visa on or after Aug. 1, 2026, must schedule an appointment and pay the required visa fee at the appropriate designated location.

20 regional visa hubs identified. Routine visa services will be provided at the U.S. embassies and consulates in Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar-Es-Salaam, Djibouti, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lagos, Lome, Luanda, Malabo, Monrovia, Nairobi, Port Louis, Praia and Yaoundé.

Wide range of visa categories affected. The realignment applies to all routine nonimmigrant and immigrant visa types, including tourist and business-related nonimmigrant visas, as well as petition-based nonimmigrant visas.

No change to valid visas or current restrictions. Valid visas will not be affected. Visa suspensions under presidential proclamation 10998, visa bond requirements and immigrant visa pauses for certain nationalities remain in place.

Embassies remain operational. The change does not close U.S. embassies or consulates.

Additional information: The complete FAQs and other details can be found here.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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