The German government has announced that all student visa applications from Nigeria will now be processed exclusively through a visa application centre in Lekki, Lagos, instead of the German consulate.
In a notice posted on its official X handle on Tuesday, the German Embassy in Nigeria stated that applicants will be invited to the VFS Global-operated centre only after securing an appointment through online registration.
“This means that you will be invited to the centre, not the consulate, when an appointment is assigned to you after registering online,” the embassy said.
The move, officially launched on March 25, 2026, by Deputy Consul General Gerald Wolf and VFS General Manager Operations Stephen Kubasu, is aimed at streamlining the student visa process for Nigerians seeking to study in Germany.
The embassy advised prospective students to visit the VFS Global website for guidance on document submission, biometric data collection, and related services handled at the Lekki centre.
Germany has seen growing interest from international students in recent years. In the winter semester of 2024/25, German universities enrolled around 402,000 international students, representing a 6% increase from the previous year, according to the DAAD’s Wissenschaft weltoffen report.
The new arrangement is expected to improve efficiency and ensure a smoother visa application experience for Nigerian students planning to pursue higher education in Germany.