U.S. Visa Applicants Must Now Disclose All Social Media Usernames from Past Five Years

The United States has announced that Nigerians applying for visas risk denial if they fail to disclose their social media history.

In a notice shared on its official X account, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria stated that applicants completing the DS-160 form for non-immigrant visas are now required to list all usernames or handles they have used on social media platforms over the past five years.

“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,” the statement read. “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.”

The policy underscores a wider global trend in which governments are increasingly scrutinizing digital footprints as part of immigration and security vetting processes.