UNITED STATE

Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States must first obtain a visa, either a nonimmigrant visa for temporary stay or an immigrant visa for permanent residence. Citizens of qualified countries may be able to visit the U.S. without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program. All travelers coming to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program must obtain authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) system prior to initiating travel to the United States.

If you do not qualify for the Visa Waiver Program or are traveling to study, work, participate in an exchange program, or any other purpose that does not fall under a B visa purpose of travel, you will need a nonimmigrant visa.

A visa does not guarantee entry to the United States. A visa simply indicates that a U.S. consular officer has determined that you are eligible to apply for entry to the United States for a specific purpose.

Nonimmigrant Visas

A nonimmigrant visa is used by tourists, business people, students, or specialty workers who wish to stay for a particular period of time in the United States to accomplish specific purposes. According to U.S. visa laws and regulations, most nonimmigrant visa applicants must demonstrate to the consular officer that they have strong ties to their country of residence and must show that they intend to depart the United States after their temporary stay. In Nigeria, you can apply for a nonimmigrant visa at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja and the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos.

Immigrant Visas

Immigrant visas are for persons who plan to live permanently in the United States. The immigrant visa permits an application for admission to the United States as a Legal Permanent Resident and is a potential step toward acquiring U.S. citizenship. Most immigrant visa applications begin when a qualified family member who is a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident submits a petition on behalf of the intending immigrant to the U. S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) in the United States. It is also possible for a U.S. employer to file a petition for a foreign national whom the employer wishes to hire for an eligible permanent position. In Nigeria, the U.S. Embassy in Abuja does not process immigrant visa applicants. Applicants from across Nigeria apply for immigrant visas at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos. If you have any questions regarding the immigrant visa process, please write to the U.S Consulate General in Lagos at lagosiv@state.gov.

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. This webpage lists visa application fees associated with each nonimmigrant visa type. In Nigeria, depending on your visa class, the majority of visa applicants will pay either $160, $190 or $265 at GT Bank. 

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 here.

Payment Information

Although fees are listed in U.S. dollars, payment must be made using local currency. You can pay your fee at any GTBank branch or, if you are an account holder at GTBank, you can pay online. More information about payment options is here. To find a GTBank or GTBank branch, click here.

Restrictions

Your visa application fee is non-refundable and you cannot transfer it to another person. You will receive a receipt after paying the application fee. This receipt is valid for one year from the date of payment and allows you to schedule your interview at the U.S. Embassy/Consulate General. You must schedule your interview while the receipt is valid, which means your interview must be booked within one year of paying your fee. If you do not schedule an interview within a year of payment then your receipt will expire, you will not be able to schedule an interview, and you must pay the fee again and begin the process anew.

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 $160. This includes tourist, business, student and exchange visas. Most petition-based visas, such as work and religious visas, are $190. K visas cost $240 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.

Exchange Rate
Consular Exchange Rate:	400.00 NGN = 1 USD
Expiration Date:	08/06/2017
Visa Types and Application Fee Amounts - Sorted by Fee Class
Fee Amount (USD)	Fee Amount (NGN)	Visa Type	Description
$160	64000.00	B	Business/Tourist
$160	64000.00	C-1	Transit
$160	64000.00	D	Ship/Airline Crew
$160	64000.00	F	Student (academic)
$160	64000.00	I	Journalist and Media
$160	64000.00	J	Exchange Visitors
$160	64000.00	M	Student (vocational)
$160	64000.00	T	Victim of Human Trafficking
$160	64000.00	TN/TD	NAFTA Professionals
$160	64000.00	U	Victim of Criminal Activity
$190	76000.00	H	Temporary/Seasonal Workers and Employment, Trainees
$190	76000.00	L	Intracompany Transferees
$190	76000.00	O	Persons with Extraordinary Ability
$190	76000.00	P	Athletes. Artists & Entertainers
$190	76000.00	Q	International Cultural Exchange
$190	76000.00	R	Religious Worker
$265	106000.00	K	Fiancé(e) or Spouse of U.S. Citizen
$205	82000.00	E	Treaty Trader/Investor, Australian Professional Specialty

Visa Types and Application Fee Amounts - Sorted by Visa Type
Visa Type	Description	Fee Amount (USD)	Fee Amount (NGN)
B	Business/Tourist	$160	64000.00
C-1	Transit	$160	64000.00
D	Ship/Airline Crew	$160	64000.00
E	Treaty Trader/Investor, Australian Professional Specialty	$205	82000.00
F	Student (academic)	$160	64000.00
H	Temporary/Seasonal Workers and Employment, Trainees	$190	76000.00
I	Journalist and Media	$160	64000.00
J	Exchange Visitor	$160	64000.00
K	Fiancé(e) or Spouse of U.S. Citizen	$265	106000.00
L	Intracompany Transferees	$190	76000.00
M	Student (vocational)	$160	64000.00
O	Persons with Extraordinary Ability	$190	76000.00
P	Athletes. Artists & Entertainers	$190	76000.00
Q	International Cultural Exchange	$190	76000.00
R	Religious Worker	$190	76000.00
T	Victim of Human Trafficking	$160	64000.00
TN/TD	NAFTA Professionals	$160	64000.00
U	Victim of Criminal Activity	$160	64000.00

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 Fee

• 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$200. For most exchange visitors with Form DS-2019, the SEVIS fee is US$180.  Instructions for paying the SEVIS fee can be found here.

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 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.

Bank and Payment Options/Pay My Visa Fee

Pay Now

I want to pay my visa fee online
I want to pay my visa fee at a local bank

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. This webpage lists visa application fees associated with each nonimmigrant visa type.

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/Consulate, or to the Department of Homeland Security, can be found here.

Overview

In most cases, each visa applicant, including children, is required to pay a non-refundable, non-transferable Machine Readable Visa (MRV) application fee, whether a visa is issued or not. The visa application fee is determined by the type of visa for which you wish to apply. Generally, Nigerian citizens need to pay a fee for a visa to the United States.

If you are a citizen of a country participating in the Visa Waiver Program, please first confirm whether you need to apply for a nonimmigrant visa or not. Certain individuals may not need a visa, for example, individuals eligible under the Visa Waiver Program, and should not pay an MRV fee.

In addition, some applicants for U.S. visas are not required to pay a fee. If you are applying for an A or G visa for official travel, or for a J visa to participate in certain U.S. Government-sponsored programs, please do not pay an MRV fee. Please consult with the U.S. Embassy in Abuja or U.S. Consulate in Lagos if you are not sure whether to pay the fee.

If you do need to apply for a visa, please follow the instructions below for paying your visa application fee. For more information about fee exemptions, please visit this page.

Note: Applicants are limited to the number of times they can reschedule their appointments. Please plan accordingly so that you are not required to pay another visa application fee. Visa application fees are nonrefundable.

Fee Payment Options

Cash at Bank

With the exception of K visa applicants who must pay at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, any nonimmigrant visa applicant can pay their visa application fee in cash at any GTBank branch. At the bank, you must write your fee payment amount and your telephone number in the U. S. visa fee collection slip available at the bank. After receiving your payment, the bank will give you a receipt.

Online Payment

If you have an account with GTBank you may choose to pay your visa application fee online using GTBank's online 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 the online payment process. This code verifies your payment and allows you to schedule your visa interview.

After you have paid the visa application fee, please keep the GT Bank fee receipt for your records.

All applicants are required to come with their GT Bank fee receipt on their scheduled appointment day.

Scheduling Your Interview

Cash at Bank

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

Whether you schedule your appointment online or contact our call 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 in order to schedule your visa interview.

The table below shows the different fee payment processing times and when you can schedule your interview after paying your application fee.

Visa Application Fee Payment Processing Timelines - Cash at Bank
Time of Payment	Bank	Receipt Purchase Date	Interview Booking
9:00am - 3:30pm	GTBank	Same as date of payment	4 hours after payment
after 3:30pm	GTBank	Date of next banking day	anytime after 10:00am on the banking day after date of payment

Online Payment

You can schedule your interview after 3:00pm on the first banking day following the date you pay your visa application fee online with GTBank.

Whether you schedule your appointment online or contact our call 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 in order to schedule your visa interview.

The table below shows the different fee payment processing times and when you can schedule your interview after paying your application fee.

Visa Application Fee Payment Processing Timelines - Online Payment
Time of Payment	Bank	Receipt Purchase Date	Interview Booking
anytime during a weekday	GTBank	Date of next banking day	anytime after 3:00pm on the banking day after date of payment
anytime on a weekend or holiday	GTBank	Date of next banking day	anytime after 3:00pm on the banking day after date of payment

More Information

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

HOW TO APPLY

DS-160 Information

Each applicant - including children - must have their own Form DS-160 visa application. The Form DS-160 must be completed and submitted online prior to your interview at the Embassy or Consulate. The barcode number on the Form DS-160 confirmation page is required in order to book your interview. The Form DS-160 must be submitted online and the printed confirmation page must be brought to the interview. The Embassy or Consulate will not accept handwritten or typed applications and you will not be permitted to attend your interview without a Form DS-160 confirmation page.

When you sign your DS-160 electronically, you are certifying that all the information contained in it is true and correct. Misrepresenting any facts could render you ineligible to enter the United States. Please double-check that all your answers are accurate and that every question is answered completely.

Applicants should CLICK HERE to fill the DS-160 form

Appointment Wait Times

All applicants are processed as efficiently as possible and all U.S. Embassies and Consulates strive to keep the wait time for appointments as short as possible. That said, the earlier you book your appointment, the more likely you are to be able to get the interview date and time you want.

Nonimmigrant visa applicants are encouraged to apply at least three (3) months in advance of the intended date of travel. So remember, apply early!

Visa Processing Time

Although visa processing time is typically three working days, processing time for specific cases may vary due to individual circumstances and other special requirements.

Current Appointment Wait Time in Abuja
Current Appointment Wait Time in Lagos
Current Appointment Availability
Schedule an Appointment

Photos and Fingerprints

When applying for a nonimmigrant visa, you are required to bring a color photograph as part of completing and submitting the DS-160 visa application form. You should also bring a copy of your photograph to the Embassy/Consulate on the day of your interview. You will also be fingerprinted when you arrive for your interview at the Embassy/Consulate General.

Fingerprinting

Visa applicants are fingerprinted by the U.S. Embassy/Consulate General as part of the visa interview. During the visa application process, usually at the interview, an ink-free, digital fingerprint scan will be quickly taken. There are some applicants whose fingerprints are not required, including:

• Applicants applying for a diplomatic or international organization visa
• Applicants under the age of 14 or over the age of 79

Digital Photo Requirements

Your visa application photo must meet certain criteria regarding size and content. Submitting photos that do not meet these criteria can delay the visa application process.

Head Size
Your head height, measured from the top of your head, including the hair, to the bottom of your chin, must be between 50% and 70% of the photo's total height. Your eye height, measured from the bottom of the photo to the level of your eyes, should be between 55% and 70% - or roughly 2/3 - of the photo's height.

Photo Dimensions
Your photo must be square-shaped, meaning the photo's height must be the same as its width. The minimum dimensions for your photo are 600 pixels x 600 pixels (height x width). The maximum dimensions are 1200 pixels x 1200 pixels (height x width).