03/06/2026
3 June 2026
Southern Africans Could Soon Travel to Angola or South Africa for U.S. Visa Applications
Namibia and several other Southern African countries may soon be required to submit their U.S. visa applications through regional processing centres in Angola and South Africa as part of a proposed restructuring of American visa services across Africa.
The U.S. Department of State has confirmed plans to reduce the number of embassies and consulates handling visa applications on the continent from around 50 locations to approximately 20 regional hubs.
Under the proposal, cities such as Luanda, Cape Town and Johannesburg are expected to remain key visa-processing centres. This could mean that applicants from countries including Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe would need to travel to these locations for visa interviews and other immigration procedures.
According to the Department of State, the planned changes are intended to streamline and centralise visa processing while maintaining visa services throughout Africa.
No official implementation date has been announced, and existing visa services at U.S. embassies and consulates remain unchanged until further notice.