The cost of acquiring a Nigerian passport had increased. On 1 September 2025, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) stated that the fee to apply to obtain a passport will increase once again.  

According to an announcement by the Service Public Relations Officer, ACI AS Akinlabi, the new fees only apply to those applications that were filed within Nigeria. The statement changed the application fee in Nigeria to ₦100,000 (32 pages) and ₦200,000 (64 pages), which are valid for 5 and 10 years, respectively.  

You are an expatriate living in a foreign country, and you are a Nigerian; you are okay, nothing is changing that. It stated that the cost of the passports that were applied to the overseas, the 32-page five-year and the 64-page 10-year passports, was still 150 and 230 dollars respectively.

Immigration Service indicated that the new charges are included in an effort to maintain the quality of the Nigerian passports and still make them affordable to people.  

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Two years after the federal government removed the same fee in August 2024, which became effective on 1 September.  

At that time, the 32-page five-year passport was increased to ₦35k to ₦50k, and the 64-page 10-year passport was increased to ₦70k to ₦100k. Officials argued that the increase was required to maintain the quality of the passports and enhance the provision of service.  

The standard 32-page passport that used to cost only ₦35k less than a year ago now costs ₦100k- nearly three times the amount in less than two years. The bigger 64-page 10-year-old one has also increased its prices in the same period by two times.

The NIS insists the hike will keep services efficient and passports secure, although the adjustment is likely to spark fresh debates about affordability and access, especially at a time when living costs continue to rise nationwide. The standard 32-page passport, which cost just ₦35,000 a little over a year ago, will now set applicants back by ₦100,000, almost three times the price in under two years. The bigger 64-page, 10-year passport has also doubled in cost within the same period.

For families sending children to school in a foreign country, the cost of ordering a batch of passports can be quite outlandish. To young pros with gigs abroad get-you-there passport, your entry ticket into the Japa game, has now cost a little more.

The big question, therefore, is whether this will slow or accelerate the Japa trend. One party believes that the increased charges would drive some Nigerians who are already experiencing the heat of rising inflation and living expenses. However, the other party claims that the necessity to leave the country can make people spend any amount of money, as this passport is the key to employment, education, and opportunities beyond Nigeria.

Ultimately, the influence will be ambivalent. Those who will be able to afford it will simply add to their budget expenses, but other people may need to postpone their plans. Whichever the case, the passport is no longer a travel document but has since become an expensive symbol of transiting, pursuing dreams, and the hard decisions Nigerians are making nowadays.

Anita Chinedu