US government to increase the validity of tourist visas for Nigerians to five years.

According to the federal government, a deal has been reached with the US government to increase the validity of tourist visas for both nations to five years.
The new regulation is applicable to both tourist visas and visas for diplomats and government personnel, according to Sola Fasure, spokesperson for Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola.
The new policy, which is due to go into effect on March 1st, is the consequence of bilateral consular agreements between Nigeria and the US.

The declaration said;

"With effect from March 1, 2023, the Federal Government of Nigeria has directed the full implementation of a new visa reciprocity policy for US nationals.

After the approval for the implementation of the new bilateral consular policy agreements between the governments of Nigeria and the United States of America, Interior Minister Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola issued the directive.

The reciprocity of a five-year tourist visa validity period for Americans under Section 30 of the Immigration Act of 2015, as well as the extension of the visa validity period to three years for diplomats and government officials between the citizens of Nigeria and the United States of America, are among the agreements.

The Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, has been instructed by the Interior Minister to begin implementing the policy on March 1, 2023.

The new Nigeria Visa Policy (NPV), which among other things promotes tourism, was introduced by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020, as Nigerians would likely recall. Short Visit Visa (F5A) is the designation used for tourist visas. The President's intention to increase trade and cultural interchange between the two countries is in line with this objective.

"As part of the bilateral agreement, the United States of America will enact a comparable policy for Nigerians seeking to enter the nation on tourist visas as well as for our diplomats and officials.

Hence, the United States would increase the validity of tourist visas for Nigerian nationals to five (5) years.