Nigeria to start automated passport application for diasporans March 8

The federal government of Nigeria is set to introduce automated passport processing for Nigerians living abroad on March 8, 2024 to simplify and streamline the passport application and collection process.

The announcement was made Tuesday through the Ministry of Interior and Nigeria Immigration Service during a public lecture organized by the Nigerian In Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) in Abuja.

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, federal minister of interior, stated that the new system will first be implemented in Nigerian missions in Italy, Canada, South Africa and Malaysia to help eliminate inconveniences experienced by passport applicants living far away from the Nigerian missions in the respective countries. He mentioned that further passport renewals would be fully automated.

During the meeting, Wura-Ola Adepoju, Comptroller General (CG) of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), announced that the reform is in response to the growing number of passport applications over the years. She revealed that Nigeria has experienced a 150% surge in passport applications since 2021 from just over a million applications in 2021 to 2.1 million applications in 2023, attributing this to the rise in migration numbers.

According to Adepoju, the surge however puts pressure on immigration offices and slowed down the issuance process, hence the reform.

In January, Nigeria introduced automated passport application in Nigeria after long anticipated months eliminating the need for physical interaction, queues, and paperwork to create a contactless application process and prevent incidences of identity thefts.

The minister of interior announced that under the new automated system, Nigerians will only need to visit immigration centres for fingerprint biometrics, simplifying the passport application process by reducing the face-to-face requirements and making it more convenient for applicants.

Olubunmi-Ojo also revealed that Nigeria is planning to install more eGates in all its international airports, setting a December deadline for the installation of 16 eGates in Lagos airports. He says the move will help in profiling diasporan Nigerians who enter the country, and simplify passport processing by requiring only a national identification number.