Nigeria to begin home delivery of passports to Nigerians anywhere in the world

• The Nigerian government will soon begin delivery of passports to the homes of Nigerians anywhere in the world
• The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, stated that the ministry is concluding plans to use NIPOST speed mail service for the project
• He said that Nigerians should expect delays in passport issuance due to the volume of applications

The Nigerian government has said it is concluding negotiations with Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) to use its speed mail service to begin delivering passports to Nigerians who request the service.

Rauf Aregbesola, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, stated this while speaking at the opening of the Nigeria Immigration Passport Front Desk Office in Auchi, Edo State, on Saturday, May 20, 2023.

Nigerian finalising plans with NIPOST speed service

Areggbesola stated that the government is in the final stages of finalizing discussions with NIPOST to use its speed mail service for the project wherever Nigerians are found worldwide.

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Media Adviser to the Minister, Sola Fasure, said that launching more Passport Front Office in Edo State was part of the Nigerian government’s plans towards efficient passport delivery service to Nigerians.

Edo State has one of the highest passport applications in Nigeria

Daily Trust reports that he said the government intended to provide a passport to anyone who wants it within a reasonable timeframe at an affordable price without hassles.

The Minister noted that Edo State has one of the highest passport applications in the country and revealed that the waiting time between application and collection would increase due to demands.

Aregbesola said:

“Our current working schedule is that new application would take six weeks after biometric data registration and three weeks for renewal. This is reasonable, competitive, and in line the global best practices.

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“The challenge, however, is the waiting period at the application and data registration point.

“All applicants will be put in a queue, depending on the centre of their choice, to determine the registration date. Regrettably, it might take two months in some highly competitive centres where the application is very high. We have no control over this.”

Immigration Service receives 1.5 million passport applications in 2023

According to the Minister, the Nigerian government is intentional about front desk operations and offices to increase registration centers and reduce the waiting time before biometric data capture.

He noted that the ministry had opened front desk offices in five locations in Nigeria in 2023 alone.

The Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Isah Jere Idris, said Edo State ranks fifth among states with the highest volume of passport applications in the country with 56,291 applications out of the 1.5 million passports produced in 2023.

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Nigerian passport moves up 3 places as another country joins list of visa-free for nationals

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Nigeria has moved up three places as its passport is ranked 100th out of 116 countries, but it is still among the least powerful in Africa, the latest 2022 Henley Passport Index shows.

The index, published by Henley & Partners, a London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm, ranks 199 passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

It is updated in real-time throughout the year as and when visa policy changes occur.

Source: Legit.ng