Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), has reportedly suspended all new international passport application pending the time they’ll clear all the backlogs of existing applications.
The service disclosed this yesterday in a statement released via its official Twitter handle @nigimmigration.
NIS is said to have suspended taking a new application for international passports both fresh or reissue, with effect from Monday, May 18, 2021, to May 31, 2021, when they’ll be done printing and distributing the existing backlogs of applications they have on the ground.
In its statement, the service directed all the Passport issuing centres to complete printing and distributing the passport of those who have applied and completed all the steps of application on or before May 31.
And to ensure clearing all the backlogs, NIS, has, however, announced they are not going to welcome any new passport application pending the stipulated time except for locations in the mission abroad.
The service urged all the existing applicants to remain calm as the notification for the collection of produced passports is already going out to those who supplied functional phone numbers during the registration.
Lastly, NIS declared that the application and processing regime of new passport both fresh and reissue will commence by July 1st, 2021, and by then there would be no backlogs again.
The tweets read:
“PUBLIC NOTICE All Passport Issuing Centres have been directed to clear existing backlog of applications on or before 31st May 2021. 2. To this effect, requests for Fresh and or Reissue shall not be entertained with effect from 18th May 2021-31st May 2021 in all Centres except for locations in the Mission abroad.”
“Notifications for collection of produced Passports are already going out to applicants who indicated functional phone numbers in their applications.”
“Meanwhile, a new Passport application&processing regime shall commence by 1st June 2021.”
