The importance of having an international passport as a Nigerian citizen cannot be overemphasized. Aside the fact that it makes you a complete citizen of the federal republic of Nigeria, it’s also a necessary document for official use in the event of traveling, verification and other emergency purposes.
Gone are the days whereby people who apply for international passport are the big politicians, business tycoons, celebrities, wealthy and influential people. Today, anybody can apply for international passport as far as he/she can meet up with the requirements and pay the stipulated fees. It’s not surprising that they are some students who have international passport in their possession. This illustrates the fact that applying and getting your international passport is something that can be done in just a record of time.
Applying for international passport has been made easy by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).
Steps To Apply For International Passport In Nigeria
To apply for international passport is just by following these simple steps:
1. Meet all the requirements: There are certain requirements in the form of documents you must make sure they’re available before applying for an international passport. It must be noted that the Nigerian Immigration service is a government parastatal where due process and protocol holds sway. Even if you want to by-pass the protocols, maybe because you’re in a hurry or not available, you will still need to drop some required documents for the registration to take place.
These documents are as follows:
(A) Birth certificate: This is what shows that you’re a bona fide citizen of a country. It shows the place and time of your birth. But in the case whereby the birth certificate is lost or not available, a sworn affidavit or age declaration can serve as a replacement. It must be noted here that if there’s a change of name, it should be attached to this birth certificate for proper documentation. It’s instructive also to make sure that your chosen name should match that on your NIN or any other required documents. Discrepancies in names and date of birth may affect your application process.
(B) Local government of origin: This is the document that shows the particular local government and state of the federation you are coming from. This is very important because it shows that you’re not an immigrant and you’re being recommended by a traditional ruler or councilor of your community. This certificate shows the particular state you’re coming from even though you can apply for international passport in any state of your choice.
(C) NIN: This is the most important document that will be requested during registration. The national identification number is a unique and personalized number created by the federal government authorized commission called National Identity Management Commission(NIMC) to track citizens’ biometric data and help combat crimes.
(D) Utility bill: This could be your Nepa bill or water bill but the generally accepted one is the light bill because of non-functional water services. This utility bill serves as a proof that you’re contributing your quota to the development of the country by paying your bills and on time too. This utility bill may be postpaid or prepaid payment receipt and they usually accept from two months down to the current date.
(E) Passport photograph: This is your face and shoulder passport photograph with white background. They usually request for two passport photograph which should be made available for registration to be commence.
Step two: Proper registration. At this point you’ve to go to any Nigerian Immigration Service office near you and fix an appointment for registration or go to their portal for proper registration if you’ve your documents ready. It’s important to note that you’ve to complete an online registration form in the process of registration. You can ask an immigration officer or trusted agent to guide you in the process.
Step three: Making necessary payments. Getting an international passport is not a free lunch. It will cost you thousands of naira. So, there’s a point where you will have to make some necessary payments for the processing of the international passport. Following the federal government drive for more revenue, the prices has increased. The cheapest it can cost you for a five-year international passport is one hundred thousand naira(N100,000).
Step four: Go to the NIS office for capturing. This is the most important part of the registration process because if your biometric data are not captured, it renders your online registration invalid, null and void. Going to Nigerian Immigration Service office for biometric capturing is to validate your international passport and show that you’re a human and not a robot or imposter.
Step five: Collection of international passport. After waiting for weeks and months and your international passport is now ready for collection, you will be informed via email or SMS that your passport is ready. It’s important to go and collect the international passport promptly as delay is dangerous. Again, while collecting your international passport, it’s important to cross-check if the information you provided tally with the information in the passport. Example, your name and the correct spelling and arrangements, date of birth etc. This is because any mistake in the form of wrong spelling of name or inconsistent date of birth with your NIN renders the international passport invalid.
In conclusion, applying for international passport is a task that must be followed with due diligence and focus as there is no substitute for international passport in the event of international travel. If you’ve the intention to leave the shores of this country, getting an international passport is the first step you’ve got to consider. Even if you don’t have plans yet to travel, it’s also a worthwhile document to be kept at your disposal. This is because there are times that network glitches may affect your NIN verification process in the bank during financial transactions and the bank may request for your international passport instead. What happens if you don’t have it? You might miss out an important business deal because of Nigerian network issues. Go get yours today.
