The Federal Government has defended its decision to increase the cost of obtaining Nigerian passports, saying the move is necessary to sustain quality service, reduce corruption, and guarantee prompt delivery of travel documents.
In a statement on Thursday, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) announced that beginning September 1, 2025, applicants within the country will now pay N100,000 for the 32-page passport with five-year validity and N200,000 for the 64-page passport with a 10-year validity period.
“The review which only affect Passport Application fees made in Nigeria, now set a new fee thresholds for 32-page with five-year validity at N100,000 and 64-page with 10-year validity at N200,000,” the statement read.
The NIS clarified that Nigerians abroad will continue to pay $150 for the 32-page passport and $230 for the 64-page booklet. It noted that the adjustment was designed to improve efficiency while preserving the document’s integrity.
This latest increment comes just a year after the government approved a similar upward review in August 2024, when fees were raised from N35,000 to N50,000 for the 32-page passport and from N70,000 to N100,000 for the 64-page booklet.
Speaking at the Ministry of Interior’s mid-tenure performance retreat in Abuja on Thursday, Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said the revised fees would help eradicate corruption and delays in the system.
He said, “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 recalled how backlogs and extortion once plagued the system, forcing applicants to wait months or pay huge sums to fast-track processing.
“The system that we inherited that had six months backlog which we were able to clear in two and a half weeks. Nigerians will apply for passports and wait endlessly, or be asked to pay hundreds of thousands of naira.
“My own daughter had that bad experience. Even when I was chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, my daughter wanted passport, it was a problem. I had to pay hundreds of thousands to be able to get a passport for my daughter, a 12-year-old girl. That era is over,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He added that the new centralised personalisation centre, said to be the largest in Africa, would fast-track processing and boost 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. Printing capacity is no longer our problem,” he explained.
As part of the reforms, the minister also announced that Passport Control Officers would no longer have the authority to approve or delay applications.
“Some PCOs had so much power that they could decide not to approve or not to print a passport until they were settled. That abuse of power ends now,” he declared.
He explained that centralising approvals would reduce corruption and strengthen the credibility of Nigerian passports.
“We realised that the best way to cut corruption is to remove human contact to the barest minimum. Passport approval will no longer rest with PCOs. My responsibility is not for them to like me — it is to deliver efficiency. Let Nigerians be happy,” he said.
ALSO READ
According to Tunji-Ojo, the reforms are also targeted at protecting the authenticity of Nigeria’s passport.
“My responsibility is not just to make passports available, but to ensure that anybody carrying it is a Nigerian. If you are not a Nigerian, you cannot carry it. It’s about our national integrity.”
He cited past incidents where foreigners illegally obtained Nigerian passports.
“In one incident, a Ugandan woman carrying a Nigerian passport was arrested at Lagos Airport after paying $1,000 to procure it. That cannot continue. Our passport must remain a true symbol of Nigerian identity,” he stressed.
