U.S. Embassy in Abuja, Lagos Consulate to Close for Juneteenth

The U.S. Embassy in Abuja and the U.S.

Consulate General in Lagos will temporarily close on Friday, June 19, 2026, in observance of Juneteenth National Independence Day. This holiday marks the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved African Americans of their freedom, two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Juneteenth was officially designated as a federal holiday in 2021 when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. The temporary closure will affect routine visa appointments, passport services, and non-emergency consular operations.

Regular diplomatic and consular services will resume after the holiday.