The United States Embassy has announced new visa interview requirements for Nigerian applicants, starting April 22, 2025. In a statement issued on Friday, the US mission highlighted that all visa applicants in Abuja and Lagos must present a DS-160 form with a confirmation barcode beginning with "AA" followed by two zeros (00). This barcode must align with the one used to book the appointment online. Applicants whose barcode information does not match will be denied access to the Consular Section and disqualified from their interviews. “Starting April 22, 2025, all visa applicants in Abuja and Lagos must bring a DS-160 visa application form with a confirmation/barcode number (starting with AA and followed by 00 – two zeroes) that matches the one used to make their appointment online. You also must make your appointment in the location you selected when filling out your DS-160,” the statement read. To avoid issues, applicants are strongly advised to verify that their DS-160 barcode matches their appointment information at least two weeks before their interview date. The embassy also clarified that DS-160 forms from previous applications cannot be reused. In the event of a mismatch, applicants must log into their AVITS account at least 10 days before the interview and submit a correction request. “If your DS-160 barcode is incorrect, you must log into your AVITS account at least 10 days before your appointment to create a support ticket requesting correction of your barcode number,” the mission added. Moreover, appointments must be scheduled at the same location listed on the DS-160 form. Applicants who are denied entry due to barcode discrepancies will need to rectify the issue and book a new appointment. If the visa fee has expired, a new payment may be necessary. Since January 1, all applicants are also required to visit the US Consulate General in Lagos twice during the visa application process.