Photo Credit: The Sun Nigeria
Passport Renewal: FG Warns Nigerians in UK Against Paying Extra Charges
The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has warned Nigerians living in the United Kingdom not to pay any fee above the approved official charges for passport renewal under the ongoing special passport intervention exercise.

The Minister gave the warning on Monday through his Special Adviser, Alao Babatunde, amid concerns that some applicants were being asked to pay extra fees to access the intervention programme in the UK.

According to Tunji-Ojo, the special intervention was introduced as an alternative and more convenient channel for Nigerians in the UK to renew their international passports, following complaints about difficulties in accessing passport services.

He clarified that neither the Ministry of Interior nor the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has approved any additional charges for the exercise.

“It is therefore necessary to clarify that this process does not come with extra cost different from the official fees of $150 and $230 for a five-year and ten-year validity passports respectively, exclusive of bank charges,” the Minister stated.

He added, “Neither the Ministry of Interior nor the Nigeria Immigration Service has introduced any other charges outside the aforementioned.”

Tunji-Ojo urged applicants to be vigilant and report anyone demanding extra payment, while revealing that the Ministry is in talks with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to permanently address the challenges faced by Nigerians abroad during passport applications.

He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to improving service delivery for Nigerians at home and in the diaspora.

Applicants in the UK were also encouraged to take advantage of the contactless biometric passport application system to make the process faster and more seamless.
Source: The Sun Newspaper Nigeria –