The Federal Government has justified its decision to raise Nigerian passport application fees to N100,000 and N200,000, saying the adjustment was necessary to sustain quality, eliminate corruption, and ensure timely delivery of travel documents.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, ACI AS Akinlabi, announced that from September 1, 2025, applicants in Nigeria will pay N100,000 for the 32-page, five-year validity passport and N200,000 for the 64-page, 10-year validity passport.
“The review which only affect Passport Application fees made in Nigeria, now set a new fee thresholds for 32-page with five-year validity at N100,000 and 64-page with 10-year validity at N200,000,” the statement read.
The NIS clarified that Nigerians in the diaspora would continue to pay $150 and $230 for the 32-page (five-year) and 64-page (10-year) booklets, respectively.
The adjustment comes barely a year after an earlier increase in August 2024, which raised the 32-page booklet from N35,000 to N50,000, and the 64-page booklet from N70,000 to N100,000.
Defending the new hike, Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said the reforms would ensure every Nigerian receives a passport within one week of enrolment.
He said, “Our target is very clear: within one week of enrolment, every Nigerian should have their passport in hand. Not just delivering quickly, but delivering quality passports that reflect our integrity as a nation.”
The minister explained that the centralised personalisation centre — described as the largest in Africa — would guarantee faster processing and tighter security.
“With this facility, we can print five times more passports than we currently need. Once you enrol, it doesn’t take us more than 24 hours to vet. Printing capacity is no longer our problem,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo also recounted his personal experience with corruption in the passport system.
“My own daughter had that bad experience. Even when I was chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, my daughter wanted passport, it was a problem. I had to pay hundreds of thousands to be able to get a passport for my daughter, a 12-year-old girl. That era is over,” he said.
As part of the reforms, he announced that Passport Control Officers (PCOs) will no longer have the power to approve or delay applications.
“Some PCOs had so much power that they could decide not to approve or not to print a passport until they were settled. That abuse of power ends now,” he declared.
He added that the reforms would not only improve service delivery but also protect the integrity of Nigeria’s passport.
“My responsibility is not just to make passports available, but to ensure that anybody carrying it is a Nigerian. If you are not a Nigerian, you cannot carry it. It’s about our national integrity.”
The minister further cited past abuses, recalling how a Ugandan woman once procured a Nigerian passport illegally after paying $1,000.
“That cannot continue. Our passport must remain a true symbol of Nigerian identity,” he said.
Advertisement
