The Nigeria Immigration Services, NIS, said on Friday it would introduce the recently approved new rates and charges for the procurement of international passport on Aug. 1.
The Public Relations Officer of the service, Chukwuemeka Obua, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
Mr. Obua said that the charges for obtaining an international passport was reviewed upward in order to enhance the security features of the document having discovered that some syndicates had been engaged in faking international passports for unsuspecting applicants.
“Starting from August 1, new charges in the cost of the passport will commence and this is from government’s approval for certain reforms in the passport matters in Nigeria.“
Mr. Obua said that NIS would improve on the security features of the passport to prevent the abuse of the document by duplicators.
According to him, the reform will also accommodate frequent travellers, prevent identity theft, and conform to international best practice.
The NIS spokesman, therefore, warned the public to beware of passport syndicates parading themselves as immigration officials. He said the new idea was one of the measures adopted by the Federal Government to check the incessant influx of people to the country.
It will be recalled that earlier this year, the Federal Government approved the new charges on passport procurement for different categories of people. The spokesperson said that with the approval of the new fees and categories of e-passport, N20,000 would be charged for the attainment of a 64-page frequent traveller’s passport.
He said that passports for 18 to 60 year old persons would go for N15, 000, while those for persons below 18 years, 60 years and above would be procured at N8, 750. Mr. Obua further said that N20,000 would be charged for change of data and for replacement of lost passport. According to him, change of name due to marriage, divorce, and death of spouse would cost N8, 750, while changes of data on request would attract N30, 000 as processing fees.