The Federal Government has defended the upward review of Nigerian passport fees to N100,000 and N200,000, saying the adjustment is necessary to sustain quality, curb corruption, and guarantee timely delivery of travel documents.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) announced that from September 1, 2025, passport applications within Nigeria will attract new fees of N100,000 for the 32-page, five-year validity passport and N200,000 for the 64-page, 10-year validity passport.
The NIS clarified that the new rates apply only to applications made in Nigeria, while Nigerians in the diaspora will continue to pay $150 for the 32-page, five-year booklet and $230 for the 64-page, 10-year passport.
This marks the second increase in two years. In August 2024, the 32-page, five-year passport was raised from N35,000 to N50,000, while the 64-page, 10-year booklet rose from N70,000 to N100,000.
Speaking at the Ministry of Interior’s mid-tenure performance retreat in Abuja, Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, defended the new hike, stressing that it would eliminate delays and extortion in passport processing.
“Our target is 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,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo recalled that before the reforms, Nigerians often waited up to seven months or were forced to pay as much as N200,000 to fast-track processing. He cited his own daughter’s experience as an example of the corruption that plagued the old system.
He revealed that a centralised personalisation centre, the largest in Africa, now enables the NIS to print passports five times faster, eliminating bottlenecks.
“Printing capacity is no longer our problem. Once you enrol, it doesn’t take more than 24 hours to vet. The system that produced a six-month backlog has been reformed,” he explained.
As part of the reforms, the minister announced that Passport Control Officers (PCOs) would no longer have the power to approve or delay applications.
“Some PCOs had so much power that they could decide not to approve a passport until they were settled. That abuse ends now. Approval is now centralised to cut corruption and restore credibility,” he declared.
Tunji-Ojo stressed that the reforms would protect Nigeria’s passport from abuse, citing past cases where foreigners procured Nigerian passports illegally.
“Our passport must remain a true symbol of Nigerian identity. If you are not a Nigerian, you cannot carry it. This is about our national integrity,” he said.
