Immigration Begins Issuance Of 10-Year-Valid Passport

The issuance of the Nigeria Passport with 10-year validity has begun,

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) started issuing it on Monday.

The 64-page passport is produced with enhanced polycarbonate. It is also embedded with the National Identity Number.

The new passport costs N70,000.

Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari launched the new passport on January 15, 2019.

The new document is part of the passport reform approved by the Federal Government to improve the quality and security of the travel document as well as reduce the incidence of damage, counterfeit, and forgery.

According to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), it is compulsory for passport applicants to have the Nigeria Identification Number (NIN). To achieve that, the management of NIS  had set up a desk at the passport office where individuals could register for NIN.

According to the NIS Public Relations Officer, DCI Sunday James, “The National Identity Number is compulsory for all applicants of the new document. To make it easy for applicants, the Nigeria Immigration Service has provided space for the National Identity Management Commission at the service headquarters, Abuja to register applicants and issue to them the NIN.

“The public are advised not to rush for the new booklet as the new enhanced passport will run concurrently with the old one.”

The NIS spokesman further said applicants holding passports with more than six months validity are not eligible for the new booklet except in the case of damage, change of data and those whose booklets were exhausted.

James advised applicants to pay online or directly to the banks situated within the passport offices; he also advised them against patronising touts “as all the service windows are equipped to meet their needs.”

He added that the Comptroller-General of Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede, had directed passport offices at state commands to continue to issue the old booklet while the service headquarters Abuja would issue the new passport.