Immigration introduces a fast-track program for Nigerians living abroad.
In order to make it easier for Nigerians who are abroad with expired passports to return home, the Federal Ministry of Interior and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) have introduced a specific service that is available at all ports of entry.
Anthony Akuneme, the NIS’s public relations officer, emphasized that the unique fast-track service is a component of changes to the immigration and passport systems.
The specialized service, which is available from December 12, 2022, to January 31, 2023, enables Nigerian passport holders abroad to board in their home nations and enter Nigeria using their international travel documents that have expired.
As part of the multi-layered strategic reforms of the nation’s passport administration, the service also allows returning Nigerians the chance to renew their national passports while they are still in the nation.
The Federal Government had authorized the unique arrangement, according to the Comptroller-General of Immigration (CGI), Isah Idris, in a circular sent to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, chiefs of foreign embassies, immigration attaches, airport comptrollers, and airlines on December 9, 2022.
All Nigerian airlines have been asked to allow passengers with expired passports to board without difficulty, Jere continued. Nigerian diplomatic missions abroad have also been asked to share this information with the airline operators and border control officials in their host nations to ensure compliance.
In a same spirit, Akuneme, a Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, said that special Diaspora desks had been established at all international airports around the nation to guarantee hassle-free travel for Nigerians returning from overseas. He continued by saying that the CGI had also instructed passport control offices to give precedence to the returnees and their families, keeping in mind that the majority of them had set deadlines for leaving Nigeria for their home countries following their vacation.
In addition to stating that applicants for the new enhanced Nigerian e-Passport, whose biometrics had been captured at the NIS offices at the Nigerian missions in their respective countries of residence, do not have to start a new application, he encouraged Nigerians in the Diaspora to take advantage of the Federal Government’s kind gesture.
He reiterated that the process for applying for and processing a Nigerian passport has been streamlined to be quicker, and that all new applicants must do is log in to the NIS website, https://www.passport.immigration.gov.ng, and submit an online application.
He claims that as part of the application procedure, applicants must pay for their selected passport type via authorized payment channels before visiting the passport office.
