The Federal Government has approved an upward review of the fees for the Nigerian passport effective from September 1, 2024.

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the spokesman for the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kenneth Udo, on the X handle of the NIS.

Also read: Wife may bag jail term for tearing husband’s passport at Lagos airport – NIS

The increment aims to ensure the quality and integrity of the Nigerian Standard Passport, Udo said.

“As part of its efforts to maintain the quality and integrity of the Nigerian Standard Passport, the Federal Government has approved an upward review of the fees for the passport, effective from September 1, 2024.

“Based on the review, a 32-page passport booklet with five-year validity previously charged at N35,000 will now be N50,000 only; while a 64-page passport booklet with 10-year validity which was N70,000 will be N100,000,” the statement read.

The NIS said though it regretted “any inconvenience this increase might cause prospective applicants,” it assured Nigerians of “unwavering commitment to transparency and quality service delivery at all times.”

On October 21, 2022, the UAE government announced a ban on 20 African countries, including Nigeria.

However, on July 15, 2024, Nigeria’s Information Minister, Mohammed Idris, announced that the ban “had been lifted following a mutually beneficial discussion” between Nigeria and the UAE.

Also read: Applicants decry N640,000 UAE visa fee hike

Since this announcement, there has been a frenzy of information activities in the media.

Visa Fees and Banking Requirements:

Changes are imminent and reveal a source close to the UAE. Following the recent lifting of the visa ban, the UAE imposed more controls on the visa process, requiring document verification to ensure the authenticity of documents submitted by applicants.

The Document Verification Number (DVN) fee was structured at 640,000 NGN by the website managing the DVN process, documentverificationhub.ae. Additionally, a bank balance of 15 million naira was requested as a precondition to obtain a visa.

These stringent fees and banking requirements have caused significant concern and backlash among Nigerian travellers and stakeholders.

Potential Review and Reduction of Fees:

In response to the widespread concern, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) requested through official channels that the UAE reconsider these fees.

However, only the UAE has the power to lower these stringent conditions, something the Nigerian government has been actively pushing for.

Sources close to the UAE have revealed that a new and revised rate for DVN and the bank balance requirement is imminent. This potential review aims to make it more affordable for Nigerians to visit the UAE for tourism, business, and family visits.

The FG’s efforts appear to have been successful, with several sources confirming that the UAE is seriously considering revising the fee structure.

Impact on Nigerian Travelers:

A reduction in DVN and visa fees would alleviate the financial burden on Nigerian travellers, making it easier for them to visit the UAE. This move is expected to foster stronger ties between the two nations, encouraging more tourism, business engagements, and cultural exchanges.

Lowering the fees would likely increase the number of Nigerian visitors to the UAE, boosting tourism and economic activities. It would also provide an opportunity for more Nigerians to explore business and investment opportunities in the UAE.

Timeline and Implementation:

Although the exact timeline for the fee reduction has not been announced, changes are anticipated soon.

Detailed guidelines and updated fee structures are expected following the review.

The potential reduction of visa and DVN fees underscores the UAE’s commitment to maintaining strong bilateral relations with Nigeria.

This development signifies a positive step towards more inclusive and affordable travel policies, benefiting Nigerian citizens and enhancing diplomatic ties.

The DVN will improve Nigeria’s image in the UAE, hoping that more credible people will be able to travel & do business in UAE with ease and remove negative perception from the few Nigerians involved in crime

More expenses await African nationals seeking visas to enter the European Union as the EU plans to increase visa fees starting Tuesday, according to Schengen visa statistics released on Saturday.

The report stated that starting from Tuesday; African nationals would pay €90 instead of €80 for a Schengen visa application

Also read : UK new Visa rules and how they affect Nigerians, other immigrants

The report stated that the EU had earned €3.4m from rejected Schengen visa applications submitted by Nigerian citizens.

According to the data, in 2023, African nationals received 704,000 negative responses for their visa requests.

“This means that €56.3m went up in smoke, considering that visa application fees are not refundable,” it stated.

The report noted that a high number of rejected visa applications had caused African nationals to spend millions every year, with the fees known as ‘reverse remittances’ benefitting no one but the EU countries.

“African nationals spent €56.3m in visa application fees in 2023, representing 43 per cent of all expenses; rejection rates in 2023 were especially high for African and Asian countries, which bear 90 per cent of all expenses. Expenditures are to increase by 12.5 per cent starting next week as the EU raises visa fees for adults from €80 to €90 on 11 June, following a recent decision by the EU Commission,” it added.

Algeria was the country of origin for most rejected applications in 2023, representing 23.5 per cent of all amount spent on rejected applications.

The country also had the second-highest number of rejected applications compared to all – 289,000 out of 704,000, representing 42.3 per cent of all requests.

“This nationality group is especially impacted by visa rejections because it has high application rates and they are affected economically when placing visa applications” the report added.

It further explained that Moroccans, top visa applicants from Africa for the year, had the highest number of visas rejected.

“A total of 437,000 visa requests filed by this nationality group were rejected in 2023, representing 62 per cent of the total. As per expenses, Moroccans spent €10.9m on rejected visa applications in 2023,” the report indicated.

It added that Africans were heavily impacted by those expenses, considering that the majority of African countries have some of the lowest wages in the world.

According to the report, the amount of Africans rejected visas is 43.1 per cent of all the amount generated by rejected applications in 2023.

A recent study by EU Observer revealed that the Schengen visa rejections generated an amount of €130m in 2023.

“In the previous year, this amount stood at €105m, showing an upward trend of Schengen visa expenses as well as rejection rates,” the report stated.

The founder of LAGO Collective, Marta Foresti, said, “Visa inequality has very tangible consequences and the world’s poorest pay the price. You can think of the costs of rejected visas as ‘reverse remittances’, money flowing from poor to rich countries. We never hear about these costs when discussing aid or migration, it is time to change that.”