Nigerians applying for passports will be charged N1,000 in Nigeria for the verification of their National Identification Number (NIN). The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) disclosed this in a statement signed by its Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke, on Monday. The fee is intended to improve the quality, accuracy, and speed of passport services through timely NIN verification, and it has been agreed upon with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).
NIMC explained that the new arrangement follows the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy’s directive to streamline passport application, renewal, and issuance processes. Consequently, a NIN verification fee will be charged for each Nigerian passport application. The commission added that NIMC and NIS have agreed on a revised applicant journey that will significantly speed up passport issuance or re‑issuance and reduce traffic at NIS offices. The NIN service, fees, and the new NIS process will go live on 1 April.
According to the commission, the verification fee will be N1,000 for applications made in Nigeria, $5 for those made in other African countries, and $15 for applications made elsewhere. NIN is designed to link an individual’s records, incorporating demographic data, fingerprints, a head‑to‑shoulder facial picture, other biometric data, and a digital signature into the National Identity Database for confirmation and verification.
Acting Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Isah Idris, recently attributed delays in passport issuance to the integration of data between NIS and NIMC, which also involves linking applicants’ BVN data. He noted that this integration could be causing processing delays.
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