Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), on Tuesday, announced the lifting of the suspension on passport application requests. Amos Okpu, assistant comptroller for immigration, in a statement, informed that the portal will open at midnight on June 8 for applicants to apply and make payments for categories of their choice. Okpu noted that the applications and payments should be done through the commission’s website: www.immigration.gov.ng.
“Also, upon successful applications, applicants shall make their online booking interview/enrollment appointment on any day, time, and location they consider convenient,” He said.
“The new timeline for passport production and issuance after a successful enrollment at the selected Issuing Centre shall be six weeks for fresh applications and three weeks for re-issue (renewal applications).
“That no applicant who is yet to make an online application and payment shall be allowed into any of the passport issuing centers for passport processing; applicants will be contacted through email and phone number they provided during application when their passports are ready.”
The commission On May 18, suspended the service for fresh requests for passport booklets to enable issuing centers to clear the existing backlog of applications.
However, on June 1 when the suspension should have lapsed, the commission postponed the resumption date till June 8 to give more time to clear the backlog of over 43,000 uncollected passport booklets.