By National Record, with Agency Report
THE NIGERIA Immigration Service (NIS) has announced an upward review of Nigerian Standard Passport fees by 100 per cent, effective from September 1, 2025.
A statement by NIS’ Public Relations Officer, ACI AS Akinlabi, said the increment was aimed at maintaining the quality and integrity of the Nigerian passport.
Under the new rates, applications made in Nigeria would cost N100,000 for a 32-page passport with five-year validity and ₦200,000 for a 64-page passport with 10-year validity.
However, passport fees for Nigerians in the Diaspora remain unchanged at $150 for the 32-page passport with five-year validity and $230 for the 64-page passport with 10-year validity.
“In a bid to uphold the quality and integrity of the Nigerian Passport, the Nigeria Immigration Service hereby announces an upward review of Nigerian Standard Passport fees, set to take effect on 1st September, 2025.
“The review which only affects Passport Application fees made in Nigeria, now set new fee thresholds for 32-page with 5-year validity at N100,000 and 64-page with 10-year validity at N200,000.
“Meanwhile, Nigerian Passport Application fees made by Nigerians in the Diaspora remain unchanged at $150 for 32-page with 5-year validity and $230 for 64-page with 10-year validity.
“The Service reiterates its commitment to balancing quality service delivery with the need to ensure Passport services are accessible to all Nigerians.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government says plans are ongoing to ensure the processing time for Nigerian passports does not exceed a week after submission of application. The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, gave the assurance during the ministry’s mid-tenure performance retreat on Thursday in Abuja.
Tunji-Ojo said the planned shortened time frame was part of the federal government’s reforms in passport issuance process.
“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 said.
He said that the new system was designed to eliminate long delays and extortion that once forced citizens to wait six months to seven months and pay excessively for fast-track processing. He explained that the centralised personalisation centre will ensure faster processing and stricter 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 as printing capacity is no longer our problem,” he said.
The minister further said that the inefficient system inherited by his administration with six months backlog of passport applications were cleared in two and a half weeks.
“Nigerians will apply for passports and wait endlessly, or be asked to pay hundreds of thousands of Naira,” he said, adding that Passport Control Officers (PCOs) would no longer have powers to approve or delay passport applications.
“This reform is aimed at curbing racketeering, eliminating delays and restoring integrity to Nigeria’s travel documents. We realised that the best way to cut corruption is to remove human contact to the barest minimum.
“Passport approval will no longer rest in the hands of officers as my responsibility is not for them to like me, but to deliver efficiency. Let Nigerians be happy,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo further said that the reforms would also eradicate the illegal possession of Nigerian passports by foreigners.
“In one incident, an Ugandan woman carrying a Nigerian passport was arrested at Lagos Airport after paying $1,000 to procure it. That cannot continue as our passport must remain a true symbol of Nigerian identity,” he declared.
