The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially approved a significant increase in the fees for obtaining Nigerian passports, a decision that will take effect from September 1, 2024.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) announced this change, citing efforts to maintain the quality and integrity of the Nigerian Standard Passport as the primary reason for the fee hike.
According to a statement released on Wednesday by the NIS spokesman, Kenneth Udo, the fees for both the 32-page and 64-page passport booklets will see substantial increases.
The cost of the 32-page passport booklet, which is valid for five years, will rise from N35,000 to N50,000. Similarly, the 64-page passport booklet with a ten-year validity will now be issued at N100,000, up from the current fee of N70,000.
The decision to review the passport fees was approved by the federal government and is part of broader efforts to ensure the continued high standards of Nigerian passports, Udo explained.
“Based on the review, the 32-page Passport booklet with 5-year validity previously charged at Thirty-five Thousand Naira (N35,000.00) will now be Fifty Thousand Naira (N50,000.00) only; while the 64-page Passport booklet with 10-year validity, which was Seventy Thousand Naira (N70,000.00), will now be One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000.00) only,” Udo stated.
He emphasized that the fees for passport issuance outside of Nigeria would remain unchanged, providing some relief to Nigerians in the diaspora who may be concerned about the increase.
While acknowledging that the fee hike might cause inconvenience to prospective applicants, Udo reassured Nigerians that the NIS remains committed to delivering quality services and maintaining transparency in its operations. He urged applicants to prepare for the changes and assured that the quality of the passport booklets would justify the new fees.
