As Nigerians face the challenges of the Japa pandemic, it’s important to gather the necessary documents and identifications that will aid their movement as they explore opportunities abroad.
The Nigerian passport is a very important and valuable piece of paper. With your Nigerian visa, you can go anywhere in the world and see what it has to offer. It’s a great chance to see new places and learn about other countries.
Although the cost of obtaining a Nigerian passport can be high, there are ways to make it more affordable. With the help of agents, it can be easy to get a visa. Nigerians can easily apply for passports online, which is great! It’s great that people are ready to try new things and take risks, even though they might be scared. With a good mood and a strong will, they can get through any problems that come up along the way.
In fact, there is still a chance that things will turn out well. In this post, I’ll show you how to use the Nigeria Immigration Service website to apply for a Nigerian passport online and get it.
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A step-by-step guide to getting your Nigerian passport online
Start by using the Nigeria Immigration Passport Application Site to apply for the passport. Click on this link to get started. Then click “Start New Application.”
Step 1:
Here, you’ll have to choose: passport type (standard), age group, processing state, processing center, passport booklet type, and validity time. Some kinds of passports are:
32 pages with 5 years of validity: This is the least common category of Nigerian passport types. It has 32 papers and is good for 5 years before it needs to be renewed. This category’s application fee is N25,000, plus a handling fee of N1,000, for a total of N26,000.
64 pages with 5 years of validity: This is a second-class passport, which has 64 pages and is only good for 5 years. It costs N35,000 plus a N1,000 handling fee.
64 pages with 10 years of validity: This is the best kind of regular passport, with 10 years of validity and 64 pages. This type of passport costs N70,000 to apply for.
Step 2:
Fill in your personal information here, such as your name, given name, date and place of birth, National Identification Number (NIN), etc.
At this point, it’s important to know that you have to write out your information just like it’s written on your NIN. Any inconsistency in your application would automatically stop it, causing you to ask the immigration workers for help. The good thing is that they are usually helpful, but this could cause your application to take longer to process.
Step 3:
Fill in your personal information here. They list your home town, village, state of birth, phone numbers, permanent address in Nigeria, etc.
Step 4:
This is the part for your next of kin, where you list their name, relationship to you, address, phone number, etc.
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Step 5:
This is the area for payments, where you can pay online. Payments are made quickly on the platforms, and once your payment is confirmed, proof will be made and sent to you. Please save this to your computer and print it out. Also, download your finished application form, appointment slip, and passport guarantor’s form and print them out.
You must choose a capture center and date. Don’t waste your time by visiting the passport office on a day other than the one provided to you.
Passport Guarantor: All Nigerian passport applications have guarantors; however, most applicants and holders don’t know who they are.
Most applicants apply through agents, who run it using people they barely know. Because immigration officers don’t care.
Online applicants must download and have their guarantors fill out the passport guarantor form. A Nigerian passport is the most important document a guarantor
In more normal places, your guarantor is meant to be the person who makes sure you can pay for yourself and won’t stay longer than you’re welcome wherever you go. They’ll also cover your return home.
On the form for the guarantor, there is information like their name, where they work, etc. It also has a part called “Particulars of Assets,” which you don’t have to fill out. You can skip that session or write “Not Available” instead.
A Commissioner for Oaths must swear to the completed guarantor’s form, which must include a copy of the passport picture. You can find them in any courthouse or town building. The form will have a seal and a stamp on it.
This should normally cost around N250, but due to the Nigerian factor, you may end up paying as much as N1000 or N1,500 for it.
On the guarantor’s form, the candidate must also include photocopies of the guarantor’s national ID card or driver’s license and the data page of the guarantor’s passport.
Capturing: Those who are chosen must go to the capturing place on the chosen day. You’ll have to go along with your
- NIN copies of appointment slips
- Photocopies of letters of identification from the local or state government of birth or residence or a national ID card
- Forms can be printed out.
- 2 pictures the size of a passport and signed by the guarantor on the back
- Completed guarantor’s form (with a copy of the data page of the guarantor’s Nigerian passport and a copy of the guarantor’s National ID card or Driver’s License)
- One passport picture of the guarantor, a birth certificate (required for people born after 1992) or an age declaration (affidavit) for people born before 1992 who don’t have a birth certificate
- Receipt of payment
Please take a white file with you. You’ll have to buy one there, and I can tell you that it costs anywhere from N500 to N1,000, based on the centre. Even though the people who sell this file aren’t immigration officers, they are generally in the area. Most of the time, a white file shouldn’t cost more than N100.
After you’ve been captured, you’ll get a confirmation slip with all the information, including your signature, which wasn’t taken on any of the other forms. This confirmation slip also has the date you can pick up your Nigerian visa.
So there you go. If you follow these steps, it shouldn’t cost you more than N30,000 to get the lowest-class of Nigerian visa. Most agents charge between $50,000 and $60,000 for this service. But if you still think it’s too stressful for you after reading this, you should definitely hire an agent. But the truth is that it’s easy, and the money you’d save is well worth it.
