The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has deployed a dedicated Passport Intervention Team to the United Kingdom to speed up passport processing for Nigerians there.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, directed the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, to deploy the team from NIS headquarters in Abuja, as part of ongoing efforts to ease passport applications for Nigerians in the diaspora.
The team is scheduled to arrive in the UK on Monday, August 10, 2026, and will work with the Nigerian High Commission to process pending, new and renewal passport applications.
As part of the exercise, the team will visit designated cities across the UK to conduct passport enrolment and processing, allowing eligible applicants outside London and other major centres to access the intervention without travelling to a central location.
The intervention is open to applicants with pending passport applications, first-time applicants, and holders of passports with less than one year remaining before expiry who wish to apply for renewal.
Applicants are required to present their completed application forms and proof of payment at the point of enrolment.
Detailed Schedule To Follow As NIS Warns Against Premature Visits
The NIS said the detailed schedule for the intervention, including designated cities, dates, venues and enrolment times, would be announced separately through official channels.
“Applicants are therefore advised not to proceed to any location until the relevant schedule has been officially communicated and to monitor the official communication channels of the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom for further details,” the agency said in a statement.
For enquiries or complaints, the NIS said applicants could contact passport.london@immigration.gov.ng or its WhatsApp-only line, +234 916 087 8000.
The agency added that all its digital passport application channels, including the Contactless Passport Application System, would remain fully operational during the intervention, alongside its existing home delivery service.
“The Nigeria Immigration Service remains committed to efficient, transparent and responsive passport Service Delivery to Nigerians at home and in the diaspora,” the statement said.
The deployment follows similar past interventions the NIS has run in other countries with large Nigerian communities to reduce backlogs in passport processing, amid long-standing complaints from Nigerians abroad about delays in obtaining or renewing their travel documents.
The UK is home to one of the largest Nigerian diaspora communities outside Africa, and Nigerian missions there have periodically faced pressure over long processing times for passports and other consular documents.
The NIS operates the Contactless Passport Application System, which allows Nigerians to apply, pay and, in some cases, receive their passports without visiting an immigration office in person, alongside a home delivery option for completed booklets.
The agency said both services would continue running normally throughout the UK intervention, meaning applicants who prefer not to attend an in-person session can still process their applications through the existing digital channels.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Interior oversees the NIS and has in recent years pushed several initiatives aimed at cutting passport wait times, including expanding enrolment centres abroad and increasing passport booklet production capacity at home.
WhatsApp Channel
Telegram Channel
