Immigration Unveils Biometric Emergency Passport For Nigerians Abroad

BY CHRISTIANA NWAOGU, Abuja

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced plans to introduce a new Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP), a biometric travel document designed to assist Nigerians stranded abroad due to expired, lost, or stolen passports in returning home safely.

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

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Service’s public relations officer, Akinsola Akinlabi, the new STEP document will replace the existing Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) as part of ongoing reforms to modernise Nigeria’s identity management and border governance systems.

In her keynote address titled “Insights on Prevention and Protection as Strategic Pillars to Effective Law Enforcement and Prosecution Responses,” Nandap reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to safe, orderly, and regular migration across borders.

“The Nigeria Immigration Service will continue to align its operations with international standards to promote regional security, facilitate legal migration, and protect human rights,” she said.

“The STEP will serve as a temporary, single-use travel document for Nigerians abroad whose passports are expired, lost, or stolen, enabling them to return home in a secure and verifiable manner,” Nandap said.

She explained that the document would be issued only at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad and would remain valid for a single entry into Nigeria.

The NIS boss added that the initiative forms part of broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s migration management system, align with global best practices, and protect the identities of citizens abroad.

The statement further noted that the high-level migration meeting in Abuja brought together representatives from ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), NAPTIP, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, as well as other African and European stakeholders.

The discussions focused on enhancing cooperation to curb migrant smuggling and human trafficking.