How to Get an International Passport in Nigeria: A Step-by-Step Guide

A job offer abroad, a graduate scholarship, an international conference or a family visit all start in the same place: a valid Nigerian international passport. For many first-time applicants, the process feels harder than it is, mostly because outdated advice and middlemen fill the gaps that the official information leaves.

The process today is largely online. You apply on the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) portal, pay the official fee online, book an appointment, and attend one in-person session for your photograph and fingerprints. This guide walks through each stage: what to prepare before you start, what it costs, how long it takes, and what to do about renewals, children's passports, name changes and lost passports.

The short version

1. Make sure your National Identification Number (NIN) is active and your NIMC details are correct.
2. Gather your documents: birth certificate or age declaration, state of origin or LGA letter, and a guarantor for a first passport.
3. Apply on the official portal, passport.immigration.gov.ng, choose your booklet and passport office, and pay online.
4. Attend your appointment with your printed slips and original documents for photo and biometric capture.
5. Track your application online and collect your passport when it is ready.

The rest of this guide explains each step in detail.

Which passport do you need?

Most Nigerians apply for the standard e-passport, which is the ordinary passport for private travel, study and work. Official and diplomatic passports are issued only to government officials on government business, so they are not covered here.

The standard passport comes in two booklets:

These fees took effect on 1 September 2025, when NIS doubled the cost of passports issued inside Nigeria. Fees for Nigerians applying abroad stayed the same. Always confirm the amount on the portal before paying, because fees are reviewed from time to time.

Which booklet should you choose? If you expect to travel often, or you are relocating for work or study, the 10-year booklet usually works out cheaper per year and saves you a renewal in the middle of a visa process. If you are travelling once and money is tight, the 5-year booklet is enough. Consulates often want at least six months of validity left on your passport when you apply for a visa, so a short-dated passport can force an early renewal anyway.

Before you start: get your NIN in order

Your NIN is now the foundation of the passport application. When you apply, the portal checks your NIN and date of birth against the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database, and the details on your passport are drawn from that record.

This is where many applications stall. Before you open the portal, check that:

• Your NIN is active and linked to a phone number you can still access.
• Your name on the NIN record is spelled exactly as you want it on your passport, in the same order.
• Your date of birth and state of origin on the NIN record are correct.

If anything is wrong, correct it with NIMC first. Fixing a mismatch after you have paid for a passport is slower and more frustrating than fixing it before.

Documents you need for a fresh passport (adults)

According to NIS, adults applying for their first passport need:

• Letter of identification from your Local Government or State of origin or residence, or your National Identity Card. Government employees can submit a letter of introduction from their employer with a valid staff ID.
• Completed application form and two passport photographs. The photographs must be endorsed on the back by your guarantor.
• Guarantor's form, signed before a Commissioner for Oaths. Your guarantor must hold a Nigerian e-passport, and you attach a copy of their passport data page and one of their passport photographs.
• Birth certificate issued by the National Population Commission (NPC) if you were born from December 1992 onwards. If you were born before then, a sworn declaration of age endorsed by a Commissioner for Oaths is accepted.
• Marriage certificate, if you are married and using your married name.
• Acknowledgement slip and evidence of payment, printed from the portal.

Choosing a guarantor. Pick someone who holds a valid Nigerian e-passport and who can be reached easily: a relative, a senior colleague or a family friend. Their passport details go on your form, so make sure they are comfortable sharing them.

Photographs. Use recent photographs with a plain white background, a neutral expression and no glasses, caps or heavy filters. Your official passport photo is taken at your appointment, but the printed photographs still have to be acceptable.

How to apply inside Nigeria, step by step

Step 1: Open the official portal

Go to passport.immigration.gov.ng. This is the only official application site for applicants inside Nigeria. Choose Fresh Passport for a first passport, Renewal or Re-issue if you already have one, or Correction of Data if your details are wrong.

Step 2: Sign in and verify your identity

Sign in with the account options the portal offers, then enter your NIN and date of birth. The portal checks them against the NIMC database and fills in your core details.

Step 3: Complete the form

Fill in your personal details: name, date of birth, state of origin, address, contact information and next of kin. Check every field carefully. A typing error here can become a printed error on a document you will carry for ten years.

Step 4: Choose your booklet and passport office

Select the 32-page 5-year or the 64-page 10-year booklet, then choose the passport office where you will attend your appointment. NIS has passport offices in state commands across the country, so pick one you can reach easily on your appointment day.

Step 5: Pay online and book your appointment

Pay the official fee online through the portal with a debit card, credit card or the bank payment options shown. Then choose an available appointment date. You will receive an application ID and a reference number. Write both down and keep them safe, because you need them to track your application and at every later stage.

Step 6: Print your slips

Print the completed application form, the payment receipt and the appointment slip. Bring them to your appointment along with all your original documents and a set of photocopies.

Step 7: Attend your appointment for capture

On your appointment date, go to the passport office you chose. Officers will review your documents, take your digital photograph, scan your fingerprints and capture your signature. Dress neatly, avoid white tops that blend into the background, and arrive early, because queues at busy offices can be long.

Step 8: Track and collect your passport

You can track the progress of your application online using your application ID and reference number. When your passport is ready, collect it in person from the office where you enrolled, with your slips and identification. Check every detail on the data page before you leave the counter.

How long does it take?

The Federal Government has said its target is for passports to be ready within one week of biometric enrolment. In practice, waiting times still vary by passport office and season, and busy commands can take several weeks.

Plan as if it will take longer than the target. If you have a visa appointment, a school resumption date or a job start date, apply at least six to eight weeks ahead. If you are applying for a visa that requires your passport, finish the passport first; most embassies will not accept an application without one.

What it really costs

The official fee is the main cost, but budget for a few smaller expenses as well:

• Passport fee: ₦100,000 or ₦200,000, paid only through the portal.
• Birth certificate or age declaration: an NPC certificate if you do not already have one, or a sworn declaration at a court registry.
• Commissioner for Oaths fees: for the guarantor's form and any affidavits.
• Passport photographs and printing.
• Transport to your passport office, sometimes twice.

NIS does not charge an extra "processing" or "express" fee outside the portal. Anyone who asks you for money to "speed up" your passport, or to "help" with an appointment, is not part of the official process. Paying them puts both your money and your personal data at risk. The same caution applies to job offers abroad that ask you to pay for a passport or visa through an agent: our guide to job application red flags and scams explains how to spot them.

Worked example: Chiamaka's first passport

Chiamaka is 27, works in Lagos and has been shortlisted for a remote role with a company in the Netherlands. The final stage is an in-person onboarding trip in eight weeks, and she has never had a passport.

Week 1. She checks her NIN record and finds her middle name missing. She updates it with NIMC before doing anything else. She asks her uncle, who has a valid e-passport, to be her guarantor, and he signs the guarantor's form before a Commissioner for Oaths.

Week 2. Her NPC birth certificate is ready, since she was born in 1999. She applies on the portal, chooses the 64-page 10-year booklet at ₦200,000 because she expects to travel for work again, pays online and books the earliest appointment at the Ikoyi passport office.

Week 3. She attends her appointment with her printed slips, originals and photocopies. Her photo and fingerprints are captured that morning.

Weeks 4 to 5. She tracks her application online and collects her passport once it is ready, then checks every detail on the data page at the counter.

Weeks 6 to 8. With her passport in hand, she books her visa appointment, leaving a buffer for any delay.

The lesson from Chiamaka's timeline is that the passport itself is rarely the bottleneck. The delays usually come before the application: a NIN mismatch, a missing birth certificate or a guarantor who is hard to reach.

Renewing your passport

Renewal follows the same online process, but with fewer documents and no guarantor.

1. Go to passport.immigration.gov.ng and choose Renewal or Re-issue.
2. Verify your identity with your NIN and date of birth, complete the form and choose your booklet.
3. Upload your NPC birth certificate or age declaration, your state of origin certificate and your current passport data page.
4. Pay online and book an appointment.
5. Attend your appointment with your current passport for photo and biometric capture. Your old passport is usually surrendered at this stage.

When to renew. Do not wait until your passport expires. Many countries require at least six months of validity left on your passport for entry or for a visa application. If you have a valid visa in your old passport, ask the issuing embassy whether you can travel with both passports or need the visa transferred.

Renewing from abroad: the contactless option

Nigerians living abroad apply through passportintl.immigration.gov.ng and process their passports through the Nigerian embassy, high commission or consulate in their country. The fees are $150 for the 5-year booklet and $230 for the 10-year booklet.

In 2026, NIS expanded a contactless renewal option for eligible Nigerians abroad, so they do not have to visit a mission for biometric capture. In outline, the process works like this:

1. Apply for renewal or re-issue on the portal, verify your identity with your NIN and date of birth, choose your processing mission and pay the passport fee.
2. Choose the contactless option under your application status or appointment page.
3. Download the official NIS Mobile app, enter your application ID and reference number, and check your eligibility.
4. If you are eligible, capture your face and fingerprints in the app, complete the liveness check and pay the contactless enrolment fee.
5. Post your printed application form, payment receipts and current passport, with a self-addressed return envelope, to your chosen mission.

If the app says you are not eligible, you return to the portal and book a physical appointment instead. Contactless capture is currently for renewals. First-time applicants, both inside and outside Nigeria, still attend in person.

Passports for children (under 18)

Children can only get the 32-page 5-year passport. A parent or legal guardian applies on their behalf, and the child must attend the appointment for capture.

NIS lists these requirements for minors:

• Completed application form with one passport photograph of the child, endorsed on the back by the consenting parent or parents.
• Evidence of the parents' Nigerian citizenship, usually their passport data pages.
• The child's NPC birth certificate, if the child was born in Nigeria.
• A letter of consent from either parent.
• Acknowledgement slip and evidence of payment.

Adopted children also need the court adoption order and an approval letter from the State Ministry of Women Affairs or Child Development.

Changing your name or correcting your details

You cannot simply renew under a new name. Name changes and data corrections have their own process and a separate, non-refundable administrative charge.

After marriage. Apply online and upload your birth certificate or age declaration, state of origin certificate, an application letter, your marriage certificate, a sworn court affidavit, a newspaper publication of the change, and your current passport data page.

Correcting an error such as a misspelled name or a wrong date of birth requires an application letter explaining the error, a court affidavit, a newspaper publication, and your supporting documents.

Other name changes, such as adding, removing or rearranging names, go through the NIS name-change portal with similar documents.

Make sure your NIN record shows the same updated details before you apply. A passport name that does not match your NIN, your certificates or your bank records will cause problems later with visas, employers abroad and identity checks.

If your passport is lost or stolen

Report the loss to the police and get a police report, and swear an affidavit of loss at a court registry. Then apply on the portal for a re-issue and follow the instructions for a lost passport, which may include an extra charge and an interview. If you are abroad, report the loss to the local police and contact the nearest Nigerian mission.

Keep a scanned copy of your passport data page in a secure place. It makes a replacement much easier and helps you prove your identity while you wait.

Common mistakes that slow applications down

• Paying agents or "touts." All payments go through the official portal. There is no faster paid route.
• Starting with a NIN mismatch. Correct your NIN record before you apply.
• Choosing an office you cannot reach. Missed appointments mean rebooking and more waiting.
• Arriving without originals. Bring the original of every document you uploaded, plus photocopies.
• Leaving it too late. Apply at least six to eight weeks before any travel, visa or school date.
• Not checking the data page at collection. Errors are easier to raise at the counter than months later.

Your passport and your job search abroad

A passport is often the first practical step in an international job search, not the last. Employers and recruiters hiring across borders may ask for it during onboarding, and remote employers increasingly ask candidates to show government ID on camera to confirm their identity. Our guide on how honest applicants handle deepfake checks and identity verification explains what to expect.

If you are targeting the United States, two more steps matter once your passport is ready: finding employers that genuinely sponsor visas, and presenting your work authorization correctly on your resume. Our US visa sponsorship guide and our guide to writing your work authorization on a resume cover both.

Frequently asked questions

How much is an international passport in Nigeria in 2026? Inside Nigeria, the 32-page 5-year passport costs ₦100,000 and the 64-page 10-year passport costs ₦200,000. These fees have applied since 1 September 2025. Nigerians abroad pay $150 and $230. Pay only on the official portal and confirm the current amount before paying.

What is the official website for a Nigerian passport application? Applicants in Nigeria use passport.immigration.gov.ng. Nigerians abroad use passportintl.immigration.gov.ng. The main NIS website is immigration.gov.ng.

Do I need a NIN to get a Nigerian passport? Yes. The portal verifies your NIN and date of birth against the NIMC database, so your NIN must be active and your details correct before you apply.

How long does it take to get a Nigerian passport? The government's target is about one week after biometric enrolment, but actual times vary by office and season. Apply at least six to eight weeks before any travel or visa date.

Can I get a Nigerian passport without going to an immigration office? First-time applicants must attend in person for photo and fingerprint capture. Eligible Nigerians abroad can renew through the contactless option in the NIS Mobile app.

Can a child get a 10-year passport? No. The 10-year passport is for adults aged 18 and above. Children get the 32-page 5-year passport.

Do I need a guarantor to renew my passport? No. A guarantor is required for a fresh passport application, not for a renewal.

Related reading

• US Visa Sponsorship Jobs: How to Find Employers That Actually Sponsor
• US Work Authorization on a Resume: What to Write
• Deepfake Job Candidates: How Honest Applicants Win
• US Job Application Red Flags: Spotting Fake Job Postings and Scams
• Certifications That Pay in 2026: The Honest ROI Guide

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