Nigerian passports are issued by the NIS, the Nigeria Immigration Service. You apply and pay online, then go in person once to have your fingerprints and photograph captured. Lagos has several passport offices, and the application lets you choose one.
This guide is for Nigerian citizens, including those born abroad and those holding a second nationality. A Nigerian by birth may hold another citizenship alongside it under section 28 of the Constitution.
Before anything else: your NIN
A passport application will not proceed without a NIN, and the details on the passport are taken from your NIN record. If your NIN record is wrong, your passport will be wrong. Check the spelling of every name and your date of birth on the NIN first, and correct the record before you apply, not after.
Which passport
| Booklet | Valid for | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| 32 pages | 5 years | ₦50,000 |
| 64 pages | 10 years | ₦100,000 |
These are the fees for applying in Nigeria. They are paid online, to the NIS, and there is nothing else to pay at the passport office. If anyone there asks for money to “speed it up”, that is not a fee.
The 64-page booklet costs twice as much and lasts twice as long. If you travel often, the extra pages matter more than the price.
What to have ready
- Your NIN
- Your birth certificate or a declaration of age
- A letter of identification from your local government or state of origin
- Your marriage certificate, if your name has changed by marriage
- Your old passport, if you are renewing
Bring the originals and a set of photocopies. A document that disagrees with your NIN record is the usual reason an application stalls.
The process
- Apply online on the NIS website, choosing the booklet, the passport office and a capture date.
- Pay online. Keep the payment reference and the receipt; you need both at the office.
- Go to the passport office on your date with your documents, for fingerprints, photograph and signature.
- Collect the passport when you are told it is ready, in person, with your receipt.
Arrive early on your capture date. Queues are long in Lagos, and an appointment time is a place in the queue rather than a time you will be seen.
Renewing
Renewal follows the same steps, with the old passport. Start it well before the old one runs out: many countries will not admit you on a passport with less than six months left, and many airlines will not board you.
Children
A child needs their own passport. Both parents’ consent is expected, and the child must attend the capture. Bring the child’s birth certificate and the parents’ IDs.
If your passport is lost or stolen
- Report it at a police station and get a written police report.
- Swear an affidavit of loss at a court registry.
- Apply for a replacement, with both documents.
A lost passport is cancelled once reported. If you later find it, it cannot be used.
If you are abroad
Apply through the Nigerian embassy or high commission in the country where you live. The fees abroad are set in that country’s currency and differ from the ones above.