The United States has made a major change to how it issues non-immigrant visas to citizens of Nigeria and 30 other African countries and it’s already causing conversations across the continent.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Embassy in Abuja confirmed that most non-diplomatic, non-immigrant visas issued to Nigerians and by extension to others on the list, it will now be limited to just three months and only valid for a single entry. That means if you leave the U.S., you’ll need to apply for a new visa to return.

This policy took effect immediately on July 9, 2025. However, it does not affect those who already hold valid visas issued before that date, their current visa durations will remain the same.

Though no detailed explanation was provided for the sweeping change, visa decisions are often influenced by a mix of diplomatic relations, reciprocity rules, security assessments, and immigration trends. 

In the past, the U.S. has reviewed visa terms to match how other countries treat American citizens seeking entry, or to manage overstay concerns.

For many African travelers especially students, businesspeople, and tourists, this shorter visa duration may mean increased costs and tighter planning. 

Previously, some applicants could get multi-year, multiple-entry visas. Now, they’ll have to reapply more frequently, with no guarantee of approval.

Here are the 31 African countries affected by the new policy:

Angola
Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cameroon
Chad
Congo Brazzaville
Congo DR
Cote d’Ivoire
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gambia
Ghana
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mozambique
Niger
Nigeria
Sao Tome and Principe
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe

While the U.S. hasn’t said whether more countries will be added or if this rule will be reversed anytime soon, travelers from these 31 nations will now have to navigate this new reality, one short visa at a time.