
Table of contents
Author: IziVisas teamLast update: Oct 2026Reading time: 9 minWritten with AI assistance: our method
Summary
In Nigeria, most embassies use a private visa centre: VFS Global for the UK and Canada, TLScontact for France, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, BLS for Spain. Lagos or Abuja, booking, fees and the 2026 US rules.
In Nigeria, most embassies do not take short-stay visa applications at their own counter. They use a private visa application centre, and that is where you book your appointment: VFS Global for the United Kingdom and Canada, TLScontact for France, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, BLS International for Spain. Germany and the United States interview applicants themselves. These centres only receive files and take biometrics: the decision always belongs to the embassy or consulate.
This guide explains, for each destination, where to apply in Lagos or Abuja, how to book, what you will pay and what the embassies say about middlemen. Everything was checked on October 15, 2026 on the official websites listed at the end of the page. To see where your passport needs no visa at all, check the visa-free list for Nigerian passport holders.
Which centre for which country
| Destination | Where to apply | Visa fee | Service fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | VFS Global: Abuja, Ikeja and Victoria Island (Lagos) | £135 (6 months) | £76.50 extra at Victoria Island |
| United States | US Consulate General, Lagos (Abuja has stopped routine visas) | USD 185, plus a possible visa bond; B1/B2 issuance suspended since January 1, 2026 | none |
| France | TLScontact, Lagos (Abuja only for some family cases) | paid by card, in naira | €28, paid online |
| Italy | TLScontact, Lagos or Abuja | NGN 144,000 (€90) | NGN 20,379 |
| Germany | Consulate General, Lagos (Abuja in some cases) | €90, paid in naira | none |
| Spain | BLS International, Lekki, Lagos | €90 | see BLS |
| Belgium, Luxembourg | TLScontact, Abuja (Visa On Web first) | NGN 149,850 (€90) | €36.30 / NGN 60,440 |
| Netherlands | TLScontact: Belgian centre in Abuja or French centre in Lagos, by state | €90 | that centre's fee |
| Canada | Online with IRCC, biometrics at VFS Global, Abuja or Lagos | CAD 100 + CAD 85 | none published by IRCC |
For a Schengen visa, the fee is €90 per adult and €45 for children aged 6 to 12, fixed in euros but paid in naira at a rate set by the consulate, so the naira amount moves. Italy and Spain charge nothing under 6. TLScontact states that visa and service fees are not refunded if the visa is refused.
United Kingdom: VFS Global
UK visa applications in Nigeria go through VFS Global. VFS lists standard centres in Abuja (Mezzanine Floor, Tower C, Churchgate Plaza, Plot 473, Constitution Avenue, Central Business District) and Ikeja, Lagos (2nd Floor, Ile Oja Opebi Mall, Opebi Link Road). The Victoria Island centre (2nd Floor, Churchgate Tower 2, Plot PC 31, Churchgate Street) is a "user pays" premium centre: it costs £76.50 extra, a fee set by the Home Office. VFS has also opened premium centres in Enugu and Port Harcourt. Read the "important update about the UK Visa Application Centres in Nigeria" banner on the VFS site before choosing.
- Apply online on GOV.UK and pay the visa fee.
- Book your appointment on VFS Global UK Nigeria.
- Attend in person: you prove your identity, give fingerprints and a photo and hand in your documents.
Fees published by GOV.UK: £135 for a Standard Visitor visa of up to 6 months, £506 for 2 years, £903 for 5 years and £1,128 for 10 years (each visit still limited to 6 months). The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel. For a stay of 6 months or more, you also need a tuberculosis test from an approved clinic in Nigeria. Route details: UK visa for Nigerians.
United States: read this before you pay
Since January 1, 2026, the issuance of B-1/B-2 visitor visas, F, M and J student and exchange visas, and all immigrant visas to Nigerian nationals is partially suspended under Presidential Proclamation 10998 (State Department page updated February 2, 2026). You can still apply and attend the interview, but the visa will in principle be refused unless an exception applies: visas issued before January 1, 2026 remain valid, and the suspension does not cover dual nationals travelling on a passport of a country not on the list, US permanent residents, athletes travelling for major sporting events or certain diplomatic visas.
Since January 21, 2026, Nigeria is also subject to visa bonds. A Nigerian found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa must post a bond of USD 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000, set at the interview, with Form I-352, through Pay.gov only, and only after the consular officer tells you to. The visa cannot be issued until the bond is paid. Money paid without an officer's instruction is not returned.
Since August 1, 2026, the US Embassy in Abuja no longer offers routine visa services. Lagos is one of the regional visa hubs, so interviews take place at the US Consulate General, 2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos.
If you go ahead: fill in the DS-160, then create an account, pay and book on the official appointment service for Nigeria. The visitor visa fee is USD 185, non-refundable and non-transferable; the site published an exchange rate of NGN 1,390 to USD 1 (effective April 27, 2026). Route details: US visa for Nigerians.
France: TLScontact in Lagos
Fill in your application on France-Visas, then book on TLScontact: the appointment on the TLScontact website is compulsory and includes prepayment of the €28 service fee, not refunded if you cancel. The visa fee is collected by TLScontact for the French ministry, by card only, in local currency, and is not refunded, even after a refusal.
- Lagos: 1st floor, Banksome House, 39 Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island. Submission Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 1:00pm.
- Abuja: ground floor, Murkhtar El-Yakub Square, next to Metro Plaza, Zakariya Maimalari Street. Since November 17, 2025, it only receives family of French nationals, family reunification and diplomatic travel. Tourists and business visitors apply in Lagos.
Allow more than one month between submission and departure; you can apply up to 6 months ahead. You must attend in person. The French authorities warn: never accept offers from intermediaries around the TLS buildings. Route details: France visa for Nigerians.
Italy: TLScontact in Lagos and Abuja
Italian visa applications are handled by the Consulate General of Italy in Lagos, through TLScontact:
- Lagos: 4th floor, Ivie House, 4/6 Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island.
- Abuja: 3rd floor, Murkhtar El-Yakub Place, next to Metro Plaza, Plot 1129 Zakariya Maimalari Street, Central Business District.
Both open by appointment only, Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 1:00pm. Register and book on TLScontact Italy Nigeria. TLScontact lists the short-stay visa at NGN 144,000 (€90) and NGN 72,000 for children aged 6 to 12, plus a service fee of NGN 20,379. Both are payable by card only, no cash, and you must bring the exact amount. Route details: Italy visa for Nigerians.
Germany: Consulate General in Lagos, waiting list
Germany has no private centre: as a rule, the Consulate General in Lagos handles visa applications. The Embassy in Abuja takes them only in specific cases, on request to [email protected]. You fill in the form on the Federal Foreign Office's Consular Services Portal, then receive a link to book. Because of high demand, a waiting list is used for several categories, processed in strict chronological order: you are emailed a date when your turn comes.
Booking is free. The consulate does not work with agencies selling appointments, and an applicant whose booking is misused is blocked from further bookings. Apply at least 15 days and at most 6 months before the trip. Every applicant attends in person. The fee is €90, paid in naira, in cash or by POS, and not refunded after a refusal. Route details: Germany visa for Nigerians.
Spain: BLS International in Lekki, Lagos
BLS International lists a single Spain visa centre in Nigeria: 8 Professor Gabriel Olusanya Street, off QMB Builders Mart Road, Elf bus stop, Lekki, Lagos. Since September 25, 2023, applications are accepted only there, so applicants from Abuja also travel to Lagos.
- Book only on the [BLS Spain Nigeria website](https://nigeria.blsspainvisa.com/).
- Visa fee: €90 above 12 years, €45 from 6 to 11 years, free under 6.
- A no-show is not refunded: a confirmed appointment you miss is lost.
Route details: Spain visa for Nigerians.
Belgium and Luxembourg: Visa On Web, then TLScontact in Abuja
- Fill in the form on Visa On Web and print it.
- Book on TLScontact Belgium Nigeria and pay the service fee of €36.30 (NGN 60,440) online. The embassy states that applications can exclusively be processed through TLScontact.
- Pay the visa fee by card at the centre: NGN 149,850 (€90), NGN 74,925 for children aged 6 to 12.
The embassy announces a waiting time of two to three months for a tourist visa appointment. Processing takes up to 15 days. Luxembourg is represented only by the Belgian post in Abuja, and does not cooperate with any agents. Route details: Belgium visa for Nigerians.
Netherlands: it depends on your state
NetherlandsWorldwide sends you to one of two TLScontact centres, according to where you live:
- Abuja FCT and several northern and central states (including Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno and Gombe): the Belgian TLScontact centre in Abuja.
- All other states: the French TLScontact centre in Lagos.
Check the full list on the official page before booking. Route details: Netherlands visa for Nigerians.
Canada: online application, biometrics at VFS Global
Apply online with IRCC, then give your fingerprints and photo at a VFS Global centre in Abuja or Lagos (Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm). IRCC fees: CAD 100 per person (CAD 500 maximum for a family of 5 or more applying together) and CAD 85 for biometrics (CAD 170 maximum per family). Route details: Canada visa for Nigerians.
No slot available: what to do
- Never pay for an appointment. BLS says its staff never ask for any payment to obtain an appointment and that buying one from a third party is fraud (report it to [email protected]). Germany blocks applicants whose booking is misused.
- Ignore touts. France warns against intermediaries around the TLS buildings; Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany say they work with no agents.
- Watch for cancellations. The German consulate releases cancelled dates and new dates daily; its waiting list moves in order.
- Plan months ahead. Two to three months of wait for a Belgian tourist appointment is the embassy's own figure. Schengen visas can be requested up to 6 months before departure, UK visas only 3 months before.
- Use the right centre. For the Netherlands it depends on your state, for France tourists go to Lagos, for the US only Lagos interviews.
- For the US, pay a bond only on Pay.gov and only when the officer instructs you.
Before the appointment: the two documents that get most applications refused
Travel insurance. Compulsory for every Schengen visa and a frequent cause of incomplete files. The minimum cover, the validity rules and the common traps are in our Schengen visa travel insurance guide.
Accommodation. Your file must show where you will stay: a hotel booking or an invitation from your host. If you book a hotel, choose free cancellation, and keep the booking until you travel: border police can ask for it.
Official sources
Checked on October 15, 2026.
- GOV.UK, Standard Visitor visa, find a visa application centre, TB test clinics in Nigeria and VFS Global UK Nigeria.
- travel.state.gov, suspension under Proclamation 10998, countries subject to visa bonds, realignment to regional hubs and fees; US Embassy in Nigeria.
- France-Visas, Nigeria.
- Consulate General of Italy in Lagos, where to apply and TLScontact Italy, fees.
- German Missions in Nigeria, Schengen visa and booking an appointment.
- BLS International, Spain visa in Nigeria.
- Embassy of Belgium in Nigeria and TLScontact Belgium, fees.
- NetherlandsWorldwide, apply in Nigeria.
- IRCC, fees and VFS Global Canada Nigeria.
IziVisas is not an embassy or a visa centre and does not book appointments. Check the amounts on the centre's website before you go: they can change.
Indicative information, drawn from official sources and Wikipedia, and updated automatically. Rules change: confirm with the embassy or the official portal before booking. Our methodology
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