The Nigerian Immigration Service has announced the launch of the enhanced e-Passport for Nigerians in the United Kingdom and the United States of America, which comes with a ten-year validity.
This is for the Nigerian missions and consulates in the UK and the USA, according to a statement by the Nigerian Immigration service on Thursday.
The e-passports were launched last year to counter the passport booklet crisis facing the Service.
NIS said the passport comes in 3 categories, which are 32-page 5-year validity, 64-page 5-year validity and 64-page 10-year validity.
The steps to get the passport are:
- Visit passport.immigration.gov.ng
- Fill form and make payment online
- After successful payment book appointment date.
- Print appointment slip
- Visit pre-selected mission and consulate with all required documents
- NIN is mandatory for applying for the e-passport. NIS said timeline for processing e-passport is 5 weeks for fresh applications and 3 weeks for renewals.
Nairametrics reported last year that the FG launched the Electronic Temporary Passport to cater for Nigerians desirous of returning home but whose national passport is not available.
They later announced the launch of an enhanced e-passport, which they say will improve the passport application process for Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora.
NIS said the process of securing a passport had been riddled with challenges from the shortage of booklets to louting, with an economy of corruption built around it.
