As of 2026, the US Visa Waiver Program allows citizens from 42 partner countries the opportunity to travel to the United States for up to 90 days, either for work or leisure, just by completing an online application form. The countries on the list have very low rates of visa overstay and refusal and are compliant on issues relating to security, data sharing, and specific biometric passport requirements. (Note: This article contains affiliate links. If you sign up through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
The US government has also issued travel bans via Presidential Proclamation 10998, a policy focused on limiting entry to protect national security. This led to a partial suspension of first-time visas for visitors coming to the US, including Nigerian citizens. Coming alongside global geopolitical shifts, such as how rising oil prices impact African fuel importers—these restrictions add another heavy layer of operational uncertainty for African businesses in 2026.
Making Sense of the 2026 Policy Changes
The travel ban issued on January 1 2026 divides banned countries into two tiers.
Total suspension of visas for 19 countries, which means no visas for either immigrants or nonimmigrants. They include Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, as well as other non-African countries as Afghanistan, Haiti, Iran, and Syria.
Partial suspension involving the banning of immigrant visas as well as B-1/B-2 visas for business or tourists and student or exchange visas. This ban affects countries like Angola, Benin, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Besides the regular Visa Waiver Program Nigeria already faces, the travel ban and visa bond will affect any founder planning to travel.
Ghana has no travel ban or visa bond but is affected by the immigrant visa freeze. Kenya and South Africa aren’t listed either on the full or partial ban, visa bond, or immigrant freeze lists. But there’s still the VWP exclusion to deal with, including the regular B-1/B-2 procedure.
The Real Cost: What Nigerian Founders Need to Budget
Before the travel ban, Nigeria was included in the US Department of State’s Visa Bond Pilot Program, which came into effect on January 21, 2026. As an eligible applicant for a B-1/B-2 visa, a consular officer could still need you to pay a refundable bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 before granting your visa.
It’s less like a payment and more like a deposit. If you make your trip out of the US within the specified deadline via a recognized airport (Boston Logan, JFK, and Washington Dulles), you get it back. Else, you lose the money.
Let’s break this down; a bond of $10,000 for a company doing a seed round of $50,000-$250,000 means that you’re locking yourself into a month or two of cash just to meet a potential investor. If you have the money to do this, it’s fine. Or else simply, at a time when face-to-face interactions still decide who gets funded.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning Your Trip
Currently, B-1 and B-2 visas are not being granted to Nigerians and some other listed countries due to the ongoing suspension. For countries not under this suspension, the process of applying for a B-1 business or B-2 tourist visa is basically the same: fill out the online DS-160 form, pay the US$205 application fee, and attend the interview at your nearest US embassy or consulate.
Your letter of invitation helps. It should come from the organizer, accelerator, or investor inviting you and state clearly the purpose and timeframe of your visit. At the interview, the consular officer wants to see some proof of your ties to home, including business registration, employment, property ownership, and family, as evidence that you plan on returning.
Your wait time however, might be long. Currently in 2026, B-1/B-2 interviews for Nigeria can take between 250-400 days for Lagos and 200-300 days for Abuja. The wait times for Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, usually shorter than in Nigeria but may still take several months. Founders make mistakes by applying only after travel plans have been made, but the time it takes to wait for your interview alone can easily cover a whole funding cycle.
Planning Your US Trip Itinerary?
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