Federal Govt Opens E-Passport Offices In Italy, Spain, Others

As part of its ongoing commitment to streamline passport processing and acquisition for Nigerians residing in the diaspora, the federal government has unveiled additional enhanced e-Passport facilities at select Nigerian embassies in Europe.

The select Nigerian Embassies where the facilities were unveiled are Italy, Spain, Greece, Austria and Switzerland.

Unveiling the facilities, the minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said the new passport processing centres are part of efforts “to streamline passport processing and acquisition for Nigerians residing in the diaspora.”

The public relations officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Dr Dotun Aridegbe, in a statement said, the advanced travel document offers three categories: 32-page five-year validity category, 64-page five-year validity category and 64-page 10-year validity category (for adults only).

According to the statement, titled: “Federal Government Unveils Enhanced e-Passport Facilities in Europe”, Tunji-Ojo was represented by the acting Comptroller-general of Immigration, Caroline Wura-Ola Adepoju, who emphasised the dedication of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government to citizens’ diplomacy and the enhancement of services to the diaspora community.

Adepoju announced the phased rollout of the enhanced e-Passport in Europe, adding that Phase one, which includes Spain, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy, was officially introduced in Rome on Monday, while phase two is scheduled to be implemented by the end of the week.

The minister added that the e-passport complies with all standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, positioning Nigeria as the first country in Africa and the fifth worldwide to embrace this technology.

He highlighted that the enhanced e-Passport will reduce processing delays in Europe, “provided applicants adhere strictly to application guidelines, including utilising the online application and payment platform at passport.immigration.gov.ng and ensuring the synchronisation of their passport application data with their National Identification Number.”