By Deborah Nnamdi
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced the rollout of an enhanced passport tracking feature aimed at addressing widespread complaints over delays in passport issuance and collection.
The Service disclosed the update in a post on its official X handle on Thursday, noting that the move followed growing public concern about prolonged waiting periods for passports. According to the NIS, hundreds of passports that had already been produced remained uncollected, a situation that had contributed to mounting frustration among applicants.
Under the updated system, a new status—“PRODUCED (PASSPORT PRODUCED, READY FOR COLLECTION)”—has been added to the existing passport tracker. The Service said the feature is designed to provide clearer information on when passports are ready for physical collection or courier delivery, thereby reducing uncertainty around processing timelines.
The development comes after weeks of intense criticism from passport applicants, including prominent Nigerians, who took to social media to express dissatisfaction with delays that, in some cases, reportedly stretched into several months. Some users also alleged deliberate bottlenecks within the system.
The NIS, however, said the new tracker status would help applicants distinguish between genuine production delays and cases where passports have already been produced but not retrieved.
“This update enhances the existing tracking system and helps applicants stay informed about timelines for passports produced and awaiting collection or produced but not delivered through courier services,” the Service stated.
One of the most notable complaints came from investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo, who shared his experience of waiting over six months for a passport renewal despite completing payment and biometric capture in July 2025. His post, which gained significant traction online, criticised the immigration process and accused the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, of failing to deliver on promised reforms.
In response, the NIS said Soyombo’s passport had already been produced and was ready for delivery, adding that delays could sometimes result from incomplete applications or technical issues on the platform.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of recent increases in passport fees by the Service. Last year, the NIS raised the cost of a 32-page passport with five-year validity from N50,000 to N100,000, while a 64-page passport with 10-year validity was increased from N100,000 to N200,000. The latest increment took effect on September 1, 2025, marking the second price hike within 12 months following an earlier increase in August 2024.
