WHY WE INCREASED PASSPORT FEE BY 100% — FG
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By: Sefiu Ajape
The Federal Government has justified the 100% increase in Nigerian international passport fees, explaining that the move was necessary to curb corruption, enhance service delivery, and guarantee the production of high-quality travel documents.
According to Hotjist, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, ACI AS Akinlabi, announced that from September 1, 2025, passport applications processed within Nigeria will cost N100,000 for a 32-page passport with five-year validity and N200,000 for a 64-page passport with ten-year validity.
“The review, which only affects passport application fees made in Nigeria, now sets a new fee threshold for 32-page with five-year validity at N100,000 and 64-page with 10-year validity at N200,000,” the NIS said.
However, fees for Nigerians abroad remain unchanged at $150 for the 32-page, five-year passport and $230 for the 64-page, 10-year passport.
It will be recalled that in August 2024, the Federal Government had already increased the passport fees from N35,000 to N50,000 for the 32-page booklet and from N70,000 to N100,000 for the 64-page version.
Defending this second hike in just one year, Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said the increment forms part of the ongoing passport reforms designed to reduce delays, eliminate human interference, and restore public trust in the issuance process.
“Our target is very clear: within one week of enrolment, every Nigerian should have their passport in hand. Not just delivering quickly, but delivering quality passports that reflect our integrity as a nation,” he stated on Thursday at the Ministry’s mid-tenure performance retreat in Abuja.
Tunji-Ojo explained that passport issuance had been marred by huge backlogs, extortion, and inefficiencies, which the new system seeks to end.
“Nigerians used to apply for passports and wait endlessly or be asked to pay hundreds of thousands of naira. Even my own daughter had that bad experience. While I was chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, I had to pay hundreds of thousands just to get a passport for my 12-year-old daughter. That era is over,” he said.
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