THE Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced a sharp increase in the cost of obtaining international passports, with the new charges set to take effect from September 1, 2025.
In a statement issued on Thursday made available to News Point Nigeria, the Service’s Public Relations Officer, A.S. Akinlabi, disclosed that the revised fees affect only applications made within Nigeria.
Under the new pricing structure, the 32-page passport with a five-year validity will now cost ₦100,000, while the 64-page passport with a 10-year validity will cost ₦200,000. This represents nearly a 100 percent increment compared to previous fees.
However, passport fees for Nigerians in the diaspora remain unchanged at $150 for a 32-page booklet with five-year validity and $230 for a 64-page booklet with 10-year validity.
“The review, which only affects passport application fees made in Nigeria, seeks to balance quality service delivery with affordability for Nigerians,” Akinlabi explained.
The fee hike comes at a time when the country is witnessing an unprecedented wave of emigration, popularly known as the ‘Japa’ phenomenon, driven by worsening unemployment, economic hardship, and security challenges.
Nigerian youths and middle-class professionals have been relocating en masse to destinations such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and parts of Europe, seeking better education, job opportunities, and improved living conditions.
According to the World Bank (2023), Nigerians in the diaspora remit over $20 billion annually to the country, a figure that underscores the economic significance of migration.
The outgoing President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has previously lamented the mass migration trend, warning that Africa risks turning its demographic dividend into “somebody else’s problem.”
“We have over 465 million young people between the ages of 15 and 35. Their future should not lie in Europe, America, or Asia. It should lie in Africa growing well, robustly, and creating quality jobs,” Adesina said in an earlier statement.
Meanwhile, the NIS has assured citizens that despite the increment, it remains committed to improving service delivery, reducing delays in processing, and curbing racketeering within passport offices.
