Following complaints from some Nigerians in the United Kingdom about delays and difficulties experienced at intervention centres has over the process for Nigerians applying for international passports under the ongoing special passport intervention exercise, the Federal Government has denied introducing any additional charges for obtaining new Passport.
According to the clarification made by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, applicants are only required to pay the approved passport fees of $150 for a five-year passport and $230 for a 10-year passport, excluding applicable bank charges. The Ministry of Interior and the Nigeria Immigration Service have not introduced any other fees for the intervention exercise.
The concerns raised including the centre in Manchester. The minister acknowledged the concerns and said consultations were ongoing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address the challenges and improve the experience for applicants.
The special passport intervention exercise was introduced to provide Nigerians in the UK with additional options for processing new passport applications, renewals and other related services. The government has also encouraged applicants to take advantage of the contactless biometric passport application system as another option for processing their passports.
