Nigeria Immigration Service Unveils Single Travel Emergency Passport for Nigerians Abroad

• The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced plans to launch a new biometric document — the Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) — to help Nigerians abroad with expired, lost, or stolen passports return home safely and securely.

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced plans to introduce a Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) — a new biometric travel document designed to help Nigerians abroad whose passports are expired, lost, or stolen return home securely and verifiably.

The Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nanna Nandap, revealed this during the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Khartoum, Rabat, and Niamey Processes held in Abuja, which Nigeria co-hosted alongside the Government of France.

The update was contained in a statement issued by the Service’s Public Relations Officer, ACI Akinsola Akinlabi, on Wednesday.

According to Nandap, the STEP will replace the current Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) as part of NIS’s ongoing reforms “aimed at strengthening Identity Management and Border Governance frameworks in line with global best practices.”

She explained that “the STEP will serve as a temporary travel document for Nigerians abroad whose passports are expired, lost, or stolen, enabling them to return home in a secure and verifiable manner.”

The new travel document will be issued at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad and will be valid only for a single entry, underscoring the Service’s commitment to efficient service delivery and strong identity protection.

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Strengthening Regional Cooperation on Migration

The meeting brought together major stakeholders in migration management, including the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), NAPTIP, ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), and representatives of various African and European countries.

The high-level forum focused on boosting collaboration to combat migrant smuggling and human trafficking, while emphasising the three key pillars of effective migration governance — prevention, protection, and prosecution.

Broader Reforms and Global Commitment

In her keynote address, titled “Insights on Prevention and Protection as Strategic Pillars to Effective Law Enforcement and Prosecution Responses,” Nandap highlighted the NIS’s broader reform agenda aimed at improving migration management systems, enhancing international cooperation, and advancing capacity building across the region.

“The Comptroller-General reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional and global migration dialogues,” the statement noted, “emphasising that the Nigeria Immigration Service will continue to align its policies and operations with international standards to ensure safe, orderly, and regular migration across borders.”