Marriage Green Card · Nigeria

Nigeria Marriage Green Card: Country-Specific Guides

Nigerian nationals applying for a marriage green card go through Consular Processing at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, the only U.S. immigrant visa post in the country. Two things shape the Nigeria path: civil documents are in English, so no translation or apostille is needed, and since January 1, 2025 Lagos runs a two-visit process with a separate Document Review before the interview. These guides cover the documents, the Document Review, the medical exam, the interview trip, and what to do if your case goes to a 221(g), the Fraud Prevention Unit, or administrative processing.

Consulate

U.S. Consulate General Lagos (only immigrant visa post)

Civil documents

NPC birth certificate and registry records, in English, so no translation

Two-visit process

A separate Document Review before the interview (since January 1, 2025)

Panel physicians

Lagos-designated clinics, exam before the interview

Start here: your path, in order

1
Confirm your path. If you are already married, you are on the CR-1/IR-1 consular route through Lagos. Start by getting the civil documents in order.
2
The U.S. citizen or LPR files Form I-130, the petition that starts the case.
3
Gather your civil documents: the NPC birth certificate (or an LGA Attestation plus a Declaration of Age), your marriage certificate, and the Nigeria Police Character Certificate.
4
After I-130 approval, the National Visa Center reviews your documents and you pay the fees.
5
Attend the In-Person Document Review at Lagos before your interview. Since January 1, 2025 this is a separate, required visit.
6
Do the medical exam before the interview at a Lagos-designated panel physician.
7
Attend the interview at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos; plan the trip and what to bring.
8
If you receive a 221(g), or your case goes to administrative processing, the Fraud Prevention Unit, or a DNA request, identify your track, respond, and know the timelines.

What makes this pathway different

One Immigrant Visa Post: Lagos

Every Nigeria immigrant visa interview happens at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos (2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island). All immigrant visa logistics, the Document Review, the medical, and the interview point to Lagos.

Documents in English, No Apostille

Nigerian civil documents are issued in English, so you do not need a translation. Nigeria is not a Hague Apostille member either, so documents are submitted as certified originals with no apostille step.

The Two-Visit Document Review

Since January 1, 2025 Lagos requires a separate In-Person Document Review before the interview. The consulate emails the date, and you bring your original civil documents to be verified, then return for the interview itself.

High Scrutiny: the Fraud Prevention Unit and DNA

Lagos scrutinizes relationships and documents closely. The Fraud Prevention Unit may verify documents or investigate in the field, and the consulate can request DNA testing where a derivative child's biological relationship is in question. DNA never proves a marriage.

Guides for Nigeria applicants

Nigerian Birth Certificate (NPC) for U.S. Immigration: Certificate, Attestation, and Declaration of Age (2026)

Which Nigerian birth document a U.S. green card needs by birth year: the original NPC Certificate of Birth, or the LGA Attestation of Birth plus a High Court Declaration of Age for older unregistered births. No translation or apostille required.

Nigerian Marriage Certificate for U.S. Immigration: Statutory, Customary, and Islamic Marriage

Which Nigerian marriage document a U.S. green card needs, a statutory Marriage Registry certificate versus a customary (LGA) or Islamic record, the prior-divorce documents both spouses need, and why no translation or apostille is required.

Nigeria Police Character Certificate (Certificate of Good Conduct) for U.S. Immigration

How to get the Nigeria Police Force Character Certificate for a U.S. green card via the online portal or the Force CID at Alagbon Close, who needs it, the validity window, and why no translation or apostille is required.

Nigerian Names on U.S. Immigration Forms: Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, and Name Discrepancies

Which name is the surname, surname-first confusion, multiple given names across Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa traditions, where a baptismal name goes, and fixing an NPC-certificate-versus-passport mismatch with a sworn affidavit. Copy-paste letter and affidavit templates.

DNA Testing for the Lagos Immigrant Visa: When the Consulate Orders It and How It Works

How DNA relationship testing works at Lagos: it is voluntary and consulate-started, the U.S. petitioner picks an AABB-accredited lab and pays, and the kit ships straight to the consulate. It applies to derivative children, not the spouses, and never proves a marriage.

Lagos Document Review: The Pre-Interview Document Verification Visit (2026)

Since January 1, 2025 Lagos requires a separate in-person Document Review before the immigrant visa interview. Upload your civil documents to CEAC, watch your email for the date, and bring originals to both visits.

Lagos Immigrant Visa Interview Trip: U.S. Consulate Logistics and Medical

The full Lagos day-of guide: the mandatory In-Person Document Review, the medical exam timing, what originals to bring, the electronics ban, Victoria Island logistics, and how the passport is returned.

Lagos Panel Physicians: The Designated Clinics for the Immigrant Visa Medical Exam (2026)

The U.S. Consulate-designated panel physicians in Lagos for the Nigeria immigrant visa medical exam: booking, fees, what to bring, vaccinations, timing against the Document Review, and how sealed results reach the Consulate.

Common 221(g) Refusals at the U.S. Consulate General Lagos (and the Fraud Prevention Unit)

What a 221(g) means at Lagos, how to read your refusal letter to find your track, what the Fraud Prevention Unit does, the DNA request for derivative children, how to submit documents, and when a refusal is a legal matter for an attorney.

Lagos Administrative Processing and Timelines: How Long the Steps Take

Reported time ranges for the steps after a Lagos interview (administrative processing, Fraud Prevention Unit field investigations, DNA collection to results, document verification), why you cannot expedite by asking, and when to inquire or escalate.

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