How much is the new Nigerian international passport? And how long does it take to get it?

How much is the new Nigerian international passport? And how long does it take to get it? Just read on.

The international passport is an essential document for travellers who intend to travel outside West Africa. Whether you are going for fun, tourism or business, the international passport must come in handy. In Nigeria, the international passport is issued by the Nigerian immigration service.

In this article, we shall take a holistic look at the new Nigerian international passport, which was officially unveiled by the Nigerian government on January 16th, 2019. The passport was first issued to President Muhammadu Buhari and other members of the first and second family. The passport had, however, been in the works since 2018, and it comes with a lot of improvements from the old existing passport.

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Features of New Passport

According to the Comptroller General of the immigration service, the new e-passport is a product of an intensive review of the existing passport booklet. Some of the features of the new documents include:

1. The introduction of a ten year validity period from the hitherto five years which invariably increase its durability.
2. Introduction of polycarbonate technology that leaves little room for damage by providing resistance to harsh weather condition.
3. Enhanced security feature which improves the standard of the passport.
4. Computerization of all the process of application and enhanced online self-tracking feature.  
5. Compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
6. Save Nigerians in Diaspora time of frequent visits to the embassy.

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Cost of the New International Passport

The passport fee for the 32 pages, five-year validity new Nigerian standard passport is N25, 000 for Nigerians within the country and $130 for Nigerians in the diaspora. While, the 64 pages, five-year validity cost N35,000 for Nigerians within the country and $150 for Nigerians in the diaspora.

Meanwhile, the 64-page booklet and ten-year validity passport is officially issued for N70, 000 or $230 for Nigerians outside the country. The five-year validity passport is available to adults and minors, while the ten-year validity passport is only issued to adult.

It is, however, necessary to note that the new international passport is expected to run concurrently with the old one for some time till its gradual phasing out. So holders of the old passport are expected first to exhaust their existing booklet or at its expiry before migrating to the sleek new one.

Required Documents for the New International Passport

Some of the documents needed for the new Nigerians international passport include:

1. Birth certificate or age declaration.
2. Two recent colour passport size photograph.
3. Parents letter of consent for minors.
4. Marriage certificate where applicable.
5. Completed passport application form.
6. National Identity Number (NIN) issued by the National Identity Management Commission.

Application Process the Passport

The new Nigeria international passport application process is carried out on the official immigration portal, and you are expected to:

1. Visit the home page of the immigration portal.
2. Click on the appropriate application form tab to start the process.
3. Select a passport type – i.e. standard e-passport.
4. Select the processing country and complete the application form.
5. Check the ‘I accept full responsibility for the information provided in the form’ checkbox and click to print.
6. Select the preferred payment option, which is either bank or through your debit card.
7. After payment, the validation number is generated, which you will use to confirm the payment.
8. You can decide to print your payment receipt.
9. Go to the ‘query your application payment status’ and enter your application ID and reference number, which can be found on the printed application form. If a validation number field appears, you should input the validation number generated after payment.
10. Click the search record button, and you be redirected to a page where your interview date will be displayed.
11. Print the acknowledgement slip as you will need it on the day of your interview.
12. Take printed and signed application form to passport office/embassy or high commission for the photograph and biometric data capturing.

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Processing Time for the New International Passport

According to information available on the immigration service website, it takes about 48 hours after biometric enrolment to get a new passport. The service also claims that renewal might take between 72 hours and ten working days. In reality, however, it is best not to keep your hopes high as the processing time has been known to run into several months due to lack of booklets at the passport office and other bureaucratic incompetence.