Nigeria Reduces Visa Fees for Americans

• Nigeria Reduces Visa Fees for Americans

Following the decision of the U.S embassy to impose additional visa fees or reciprocity fee on ‘approved Nigerians’ on Tuesday, the Federal Government has now reduced visa fees for United States citizens traveling to Nigeria.

The US Mission in Nigeria had announced on Tuesday that American visa approved Nigerians would pay a reciprocity fee, apart from the initial visa fee paid by the nonimmigrant visa applicants.

This, the embassy attributed to the difference in the amount charged by Nigerian mission to the US and the American embassy in Nigeria.

“Visa issuance fees are implemented under the principle of reciprocity: when a foreign government imposes additional visa fees on U.S. citizens, the United States will impose reciprocal fees on citizens of that country for similar types of visas. Nationals of a number of countries worldwide are currently required to pay this type of fee after their non-immigrant visa application is approved,” the U.S Consular General stated in a statement.

“The total cost for a U.S. citizen to obtain a visa to Nigeria is currently higher than the total cost for a Nigerian to obtain a comparable visa to the United States. The new reciprocity fee for Nigerian citizens is meant to eliminate that cost difference,” the statement read.

However, the Federal Government through the Ministry of Interior has responded less than 24 hours later.

Mohammed Manga, the spokesman of the ministry, said in a statement that the ministry had earlier engaged the US embassy on the issue but the delay in “transition processes in the ministry at the policy level” slow down its approval.

It said, “The committee had concluded its assignment and submitted a report, but the issuance of authorisation for its recommendations was delayed due to transition processes in the ministry at the policy level.

“The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has approved the decrease of visa charges payable by US citizens in line with reciprocity policy as recommended by the committee.

“Accordingly, the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede, has been directed to implement the decrease in Nigeria’s visa charges to US Citizens with effect from August 29, 2019.”