The Federal Government has announced a new upward review of passport fees, pegging the 32-page five-year booklet at ₦100,000 and the 64-page ten-year booklet at ₦200,000, with effect from September 1, 2025.
According to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), represented by its spokesperson Assistant Comptroller of Immigration (ACI) A.S. Akinlabi, the increment is restricted to applications submitted within Nigeria. Nigerians in the diaspora will still pay $150 and $230 respectively.
This latest increase follows a previous review in August 2024, which raised the costs to ₦50,000 and ₦100,000.
At a mid-tenure retreat in Abuja, Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, explained that the new fee policy is part of sweeping reforms to modernize passport processing.
“Our target is very clear: within one week of enrolment, every Nigerian should have their passport in hand,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo narrated how widespread inefficiency and corruption once plagued the system. Applicants often waited several months or paid heavily for expedited service. He added, “My own daughter had that bad experience… That era is over.”
Among the reforms highlighted is a centralised personalisation hub, said to be the largest in Africa, which allows rapid production of passports at a capacity five times greater than demand.
The minister also announced that Passport Control Officers (PCOs) would no longer wield power over approvals, a move designed to curb extortion.
He warned against fraudulent acquisition of Nigerian passports by foreigners, recalling a Ugandan woman caught at Lagos Airport with a passport purchased for $1,000.