For years, Nigerians have voiced frustration over the challenges in passport acquisition and renewal, citing obstacles like bureaucracy, lengthy waits, limited locations, and corruption.
Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, shared insights into the Nigerian Immigration Service’s new ‘contactless’ passport renewal initiative, designed to simplify the process both within Nigeria and for citizens abroad.
Addressing these issues, Minister Tunji-Ojo noted, “Nigerians, especially those in the diaspora, often face substantial inconvenience, from long travel times to job or school disruptions, just to renew a passport.” In London alone, he mentioned, there are over 16,000 applicants waiting, yet only 200 to 300 are served per day.
The contactless process allows applicants to handle renewals entirely online and receive passports directly at home within 24-48 hours. The initiative includes a partnership with private sectors for a Value Added Service (VAS) option, though applicants can still visit an immigration center if preferred.
Addressing Key Challenges
This solution eliminates the primary reason Nigerians visit immigration offices—biometric capture. With advancements in technology, the minister highlighted, “Virtual capture resolutions can now rival physical ones.” Moving to an online platform also addresses corruption by removing the need for in-person interactions where bribes are often solicited.
“People often have to pay excessive amounts to get passports, sometimes double the official cost,” Tunji-Ojo remarked, citing examples from notorious locations like Umuahia. This solution, he explained, aims to prevent such practices and ensure payments contribute to government revenue, which will be reinvested into the system.
Who Qualifies and How it Works
This service is open to Nigerian citizens aged 18 and older with a previous passport to renew. New applicants must still go through traditional channels to meet security requirements.
To begin, users will download the NIS app, create a profile, and enter their NIN and expired passport details. After uploading a selfie and fingerprints, users make payment and complete the renewal process. All data is secured, verified, and processed centrally, ensuring compatibility with NIS databases.
Launch Date
The contactless process is slated to go live on April 1, 2025, with extensive testing before the launch. Production will be centralized in Abuja and Lagos, with passport production machines capable of processing up to 800 passports per hour by March 31. Minister Tunji-Ojo expressed optimism that this initiative will curb corruption and significantly improve the passport renewal experience.
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