The Federal Government has justified the recent hike in Nigerian passport fees, raising the cost to ₦100,000 and ₦200,000, effective September 1, 2025.
According to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the new rates apply to applications made within Nigeria: ₦100,000 for the 32-page, five-year validity passport, and ₦200,000 for the 64-page, 10-year validity passport. Nigerians in the diaspora, however, will continue to pay $150 and $230, respectively, for the same categories.
In a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, ACI Akinlabi, the NIS stated that the increment was necessary to sustain service quality, curb corruption, and ensure the timely issuance of travel documents.
This development comes barely a year after the last review in August 2024, which increased the 32-page booklet from ₦35,000 to ₦50,000, and the 64-page from ₦70,000 to ₦100,000.
Speaking in Abuja during the Ministry of Interior’s mid-tenure performance retreat, Minister of Interior Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo defended the decision, stressing that the reforms were designed to eliminate delays and restore credibility to Nigeria’s travel documents.
“Our target is clear: within one week of enrolment, every Nigerian should have their passport in hand. We are not just delivering quickly, but also delivering quality passports that reflect our national integrity,” Tunji-Ojo said.
The minister revealed that in the past, citizens faced delays of up to seven months or were required to pay as much as ₦200,000 to expedite their applications.
He narrated how his own daughter was once a victim of such extortion despite his position as then-Chairman of the House Committee on NDDC.
“That era is over,” he declared.
According to him, the newly established centralised personalisation centre, the largest in Africa, has the capacity to print five times more passports than the country’s current demand, with vetting now possible within 24 hours.
He also disclosed that Passport Control Officers (PCOs) will no longer have the power to approve or delay applications, noting that centralising approvals would eliminate corruption.
“We realised that the best way to cut corruption is to reduce 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,” Tunji-Ojo said.
The minister further emphasized that the reforms would safeguard the integrity of the Nigerian passport, citing past instances where foreigners had obtained the document illegally.
“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 said.