The German government has announced a major change in its student visa application process in Nigeria, moving all submissions to a dedicated visa application centre in Lagos.
In a notice released on Tuesday, the German Embassy in Nigeria confirmed that prospective students will no longer submit visa applications at the consulate. Instead, applicants will be processed through the VFS Global centre located in Lekki, Lagos.
According to the embassy, applicants who successfully secure an appointment online will be invited directly to the visa application centre.
“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 stated.
The new arrangement, officially launched on March 25, 2026, was inaugurated by Deputy Consul General Gerald Wolf alongside VFS Global’s General Manager of Operations, Stephen Kubasu.
The embassy further advised applicants to consult the VFS Global website for comprehensive guidance on the updated application procedures.
Under the new system, the Lekki centre will handle document submission, biometric data collection, and other related services on behalf of German missions in Nigeria, a move expected to streamline the process for thousands of Nigerian students seeking education opportunities abroad.
Germany continues to witness a surge in international student enrollment. According to the German Academic Exchange Service (Wissenschaft weltoffen report), the country recorded about 402,000 international students in the 2024/25 winter semester, representing a 6 percent increase from the previous year.
The shift is widely seen as part of efforts to improve efficiency and manage growing demand from applicants in Nigeria.