New single-use emergency passport to help stranded Nigerians return home
As Nigerians abroad continue to face long passport processing delays, the new temporary document aims to simplify returning home when a passport is lost, expired, or stolen.
For many Nigerians living abroad, renewing a passport or replacing a missing one is not always a smooth process. Embassies in some countries have long appointment backlogs, slow processing, or limited service windows.
When passports expire or get stolen, some people end up stranded for months, waiting. It is this familiar struggle that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) says it is trying to ease.
The NIS has announced that it will roll out a new document called the Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP). The STEP will replace the current Emergency Travel Certificate and will serve as a temporary passport issued only to Nigerians abroad who need to return home due to expired, lost, or stolen passports. It will allow for one-time entry into Nigeria and will be issued at designated embassies and consulates.
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Comptroller General of Immigration, Kemi Nanna Nandap, disclosed the development at a joint migration forum co-hosted by Nigeria and the Government of France. She explained that the STEP is designed to provide a more secure, traceable, and verifiable travel option, while also improving identity management within Nigeria’s migration system.
According to the Service, the initiative is part of a broader set of reforms aimed at strengthening border governance and aligning Nigeria’s travel documentation processes with global standards. The meeting brought together key stakeholders in migration oversight, including representatives from NCFRMI, NAPTIP, ECOWAS, the African Union, the European Union, and officials from partner countries.
The discussions emphasised better cooperation to combat migrant smuggling and trafficking, as well as stronger protection for vulnerable travellers across regional migration routes.
While the STEP will not replace the standard Nigerian passport, it may provide relief for many Nigerians abroad who often face long waits and uncertainty when issues arise with their travel documents.
The key question going forward will be how efficiently embassies can process and issue the new document when urgent travel is involved, because the real success of STEP will be in its delivery.
