Nigerians Can Now Apply for Passports Without Leaving Home
Nigerians will soon be able to apply for and receive their passports from home, eliminating the need to visit a passport processing center in person. This new system will only be available to those aged 18 and older and to people renewing expired passports. First-time applicants will still need to visit a center to register their biometric information.
Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, announced this new contactless passport processing app at a stakeholders’ forum in Abuja. The project, developed by two Nigerian companies—Irish Smart Technology and New World—has been tested for the last nine months and aims to minimize human contact during the passport application process.
The minister noted that this new technology will ease the difficulties Nigerians face at home and abroad when trying to get a passport. It will also help prevent exploitation by middlemen who create unnecessary obstacles for applicants. The app is designed to handle all requirements for obtaining a Nigerian passport quickly and efficiently.
Starting in April next year, all passport production will be centralized in Nigeria, and immigration officials abroad will no longer be able to approve visa issuances. Additionally, the President has approved that 50% of the Nigeria Immigration Service’s (NIS) internally generated revenue will be retained to improve operations and speed up passport processing and other essential services for Nigerians.
Mrs. Kemi Nandep, the Comptroller-General of the NIS, explained that the goal of contactless passport issuance is to reduce the hassle of in-person processing and enhance the security of Nigerian passports, aligning with international standards.
