New US Visa Rule:Nigerian Must Provide Five-year Social Media History

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria has issued a directive to visa applicants, mandating the disclosure of all social media usernames and handles used over the past five years as part of the visa application process.

The directive, announced in a post on the Mission’s official X account on Monday, comes as the US Department of State recently reiterated its commitment to bolster national security through enhanced screening measures.

U.S. Mission said Nigerian visa applicants are required to provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application form.

It warned that omitting the information could lead to visa denials and potential ineligibility for future U.S. visas.

The post read, “Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last 5 years on the DS-160 visa application form.”

“Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit. Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas.”