The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has released an updated guide for its Contactless Passport Application System, enabling eligible Nigerians living abroad to renew their passports without visiting a Nigerian embassy or high commission for biometric enrolment.
Gatekeepers News reports that in the revised step-by-step guide shared on its official X account on Tuesday, the Service encouraged Nigerians in the diaspora to take advantage of the digital platform to complete the passport renewal process remotely.
According to the NIS, applicants are required to:
- Visit the official NIS Passport Application portal.
- Click “Continue” on the welcome page.
- Select “Apply for Renewal/Re-issue”, create an account and verify their identity using their National Identification Number (NIN) and date of birth.
- Complete the application form and select the Nigerian embassy or high commission where the passport will be processed.
- Upload all required supporting documents.
- Pay the passport booklet fee.
- Obtain an Application ID and Reference Number.
- Under Application Status/Book Appointment, select the Contactless option.
- Read the instructions and opt into the service.
- Download the NIS Mobile App.
- Sign in or create a profile.
- Select Passport Application Services.
- Open Passport Biometrics Enrolment, enter the Application ID and Reference Number, and confirm eligibility.
- Capture a facial image and fingerprints.
- Complete the liveness verification.
- Pay the contactless biometric enrolment fee.
- Submit the biometric details.
The Immigration Service, however, clarified that the contactless option is only available to eligible applicants.
“If response is INELIGIBLE, then it means applicant should return to the landing page of the portal to book physical appointment at the Embassy/High Commission,” the Service stated.
Applicants who successfully complete the remote biometric enrolment are still required to send their supporting documents to the Nigerian mission selected during the application process.
The NIS said applicants should print their application form, passport payment receipt and biometric payment receipt, and include them with their current passport in a self-addressed return envelope before forwarding the package to the designated embassy or high commission.
The Service added that applicants can begin tracking the status of their passport applications two weeks after submission through the NIS online tracking platform or the NIS Mobile App.
