The Federal Government, on Thursday, defended the upward review of Nigerian passport fees to N100,000 and N200,000, saying it was necessary to sustain quality, curb corruption, and ensure timely delivery of travel documents.
The Nigeria Immigration Service, in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, ACI AS Akinlabi, on Thursday, announced that from September 1, 2025, applications made 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 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, however, said Nigerians in the diaspora will continue to pay $150 for the 32-page, five-year passport and $230 for the 64-page, 10-year passport.
It explained that the adjustment was aimed at maintaining the integrity of the document while making issuance processes more efficient.
The increase comes barely a year after the Federal Government approved an earlier adjustment in August 2024, which raised the 32-page, five-year booklet from N35,000 to N50,000, and the 64-page, 10-year booklet from N70,000 to N100,000.
At the time, the NIS said the hike was necessary to sustain the quality of the passport and improve service delivery.
On Thursday, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, defended the new hike.
Speaking in Abuja during the ministry’s mid-tenure performance retreat, Tunji-Ojo said the hike would ensure timely delivery of passport and eliminate corruption,
He noted that the new system was designed to eliminate long delays and extortion that once forced citizens to wait up to seven months or pay as much as N200,000 to fast-track processing.
The minister disclosed that the centralised personalisation centre, the largest in Africa, would ensure faster processing and tighter security.
As part of the reforms, Tunji-Ojo announced that Passport Control Officers will no longer have the power to approve or delay applications.
According to him, centralising the approval process would curb corruption and restore credibility to Nigeria’s travel documents.
He added that the reforms will also protect the integrity of Nigeria’s passport.
“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,” the minister stressed.
