The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has released a guide for Nigerians residing abroad seeking to renew their international passports through its Contactless Passport Application System.
The Service announced the procedure in a post shared on its official X account on Tuesday, urging eligible Nigerians in the diaspora to take advantage of the digital platform to complete their passport renewal process remotely.
According to the NIS, applicants are expected to begin by visiting the official passport application portal, selecting the renewal or re-issue option, and creating an account using their National Identification Number (NIN) and date of birth for verification.
Applicants are also required to complete the online application form, choose their preferred Nigerian embassy or high commission for processing, upload the necessary supporting documents and pay the applicable passport booklet fee.
After obtaining an Application ID and Reference Number, eligible applicants can opt for the contactless service under the appointment section, acknowledge the service instructions, and proceed to download the NIS Mobile App.
Using the mobile application, applicants are expected to log in, access the passport application service, verify their eligibility with their Application ID and Reference Number, capture their facial image and fingerprints, complete the liveness verification process, pay the contactless biometric service fee and submit their biometric details.
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However, the Immigration Service clarified that the contactless option is not available to every applicant.
It explained that anyone declared ineligible by the system would be required to return to the application portal and book a physical appointment at their chosen Nigerian embassy or high commission.
For successful applicants, the Service directed that printed copies of the application form, passport payment receipt, biometric payment receipt and the current passport should be enclosed in a self-addressed return envelope and forwarded to the selected processing mission.
The NIS further stated that applicants would be able to monitor the status of their passport renewal about two weeks after submitting their applications through the passport tracking portal or the NIS Mobile App.