Nigeria Clarifies UK Passport Fees, Says No Extra Charges for Special Intervention Exercise

The Federal Government has clarified that Nigerians in the United Kingdom taking part in the ongoing special passport intervention exercise are not required to pay additional charges beyond the officially approved passport fees.

The clarification was issued by Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo on September 7, 2026, following concerns over inconveniences experienced by Nigerians during the passport application and processing exercise. The intervention was introduced to provide additional options for Nigerians in the UK seeking to process their international passports.

Under the clarification, the official fees remain $150 for a five-year passport and $230 for a 10-year passport, with bank charges excluded. The Interior Ministry said neither it nor the Nigeria Immigration Service has introduced any additional government charges for the special intervention.

The clarification is particularly relevant for Nigerians in the diaspora, who have faced challenges accessing passport services. The Nigeria Immigration Service has increasingly expanded digital passport services, including its Contactless Biometric Passport Application System, which allows eligible Nigerians abroad to complete renewal procedures without physically visiting a Nigerian diplomatic mission for biometric capture.

The contactless system requires applicants to complete their application online, upload supporting documents, make the required payment and, where eligible, use the NIS Mobile App to capture facial and fingerprint biometrics and complete a liveness verification. Applicants who do not qualify for the contactless option are required to book a physical appointment at their selected Nigerian embassy or high commission.

The NIS has previously acknowledged technical difficulties affecting some users of the contactless system and said it had upgraded its payment gateway and worked to resolve problems encountered by applicants. The service has also said the system had processed and issued thousands of passports to Nigerians living abroad.

The government’s latest clarification also comes as consultations continue between the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over difficulties associated with the UK intervention. The aim, the minister said, is to ensure that the inconveniences experienced by applicants do not continue.

For Nigerians in the UK, the key message is that the special intervention itself does not carry a separate government processing fee beyond the approved $150 and $230 passport charges, depending on validity. Applicants are therefore encouraged to use the official passport channels and take advantage of the contactless biometric system where they are eligible.