The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has confirmed that its special passport intervention exercise in London and Manchester is progressing smoothly, despite some initial challenges on the first day of operations. The service announced this in a statement issued by its Public Relations Officer, Akinsola Akinlabi, on Friday in Abuja. The initiative aims to provide passport services to eligible Nigerians living in the United Kingdom, addressing long-standing issues of access and delays faced by diaspora applicants.
Applicants for the intervention exercise were required to book appointments through the official website of the High Commission of Nigeria in the UK, in line with the NIS’s commitment to an orderly and transparent process. At their scheduled appointments, individuals must present a completed application form and payment receipt, an appointment slip for the intervention, a current passport if applicable, and a self-addressed return envelope. The entire application and payment process is fully automated and strictly cashless, ensuring efficiency and reducing opportunities for corruption.
The fees for the passports remain unchanged: $162 for a five-year validity booklet and $242 for a 10-year validity booklet. The NIS emphasized that no additional charges are required to participate in the exercise. Within the first four days of the intervention, a total of 1,477 Nigerians had been successfully processed and enrolled. More than half of these applicants have already received their newly produced passports, which have been dispatched to their designated addresses.
Due to the high turnout and overwhelming interest, the NIS, under the directive of Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has approved an extension of the exercise. Originally set to conclude on September 19, the intervention will now continue until October 3, 2026. This extension is intended to provide greater capacity to meet the rising demand and ensure that as many eligible applicants as possible are served. Further details regarding the extended dates, participating locations, and appointment procedures will be shared through official channels of the NIS and the High Commission of Nigeria in the UK.
Akinlabi commended Nigerians in the UK for their patience and cooperation throughout the exercise. He reaffirmed the NIS’s dedication to delivering efficient, transparent, and responsive passport services to Nigerians both within Nigeria and abroad. The successful rollout of the intervention underscores the government’s ongoing efforts to improve diaspora engagement and streamline essential services for citizens overseas. This expanded initiative is expected to further reduce backlog and enhance satisfaction among Nigerian expatriates seeking vital travel documents.
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