The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has rolled out an enhanced passport tracking feature in response to growing public complaints over delays in passport issuance and collection.
This was disclosed in an update posted by the Service on X on January 15, 2026.
The development follows weeks of heightened criticism from passport applicants, including prominent Nigerians, who have taken to social media to express frustration with the process.
According to the NIS, the updated system introduces a new status—“PRODUCED (PASSPORT PRODUCED, READY FOR COLLECTION)”—to the existing passport tracker.
The feature is intended to give applicants clearer visibility on when their passports are ready for pickup or courier delivery, thereby reducing uncertainty around processing timelines.
What they are saying
In its statement, the NIS said the update became necessary after discovering that hundreds of passports had already been produced but remained uncollected, contributing to rising complaints.
The Service said the new tracker status would help applicants distinguish between production delays and passports that are ready but yet to be retrieved.
“This update enhances the existing tracking system, and helps applicants stay informed about timelines for passports produced and awaiting collection (for physical collection) or produced but not delivered (for courier delivery),” the Service stated.
The announcement comes amid widespread public outcry on X, where users have reported delays stretching into several months, as well as allegations of deliberate bottlenecks within the system.
Social media complaints
One of the most prominent 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 attracted over 1,400 likes and hundreds of reposts, criticised the immigration process and accused the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, of failing to deliver promised reforms.
“It is now six months since I paid and applied for the renewal of my international passport,” Soyombo wrote, describing the reforms as “gallery play and public sentiment manipulation.”
In response, the NIS stated that Soyombo’s passport had already been produced and was ready for delivery. The Service added that delays can sometimes arise from incomplete applications or technical issues on the platform.
Allegations of sabotage and bribery
Beyond individual complaints, several applicants accused immigration officers of deliberately frustrating the online application process to extract bribes.
- One applicant claimed their passport was delayed for four months after refusing to pay for “express” processing at the Abuja passport office.
- Others alleged that officers intentionally fail to update application statuses on the portal, pushing applicants to pay extra for urgency.
- The NIS has not directly addressed the bribery allegations but reiterated its commitment to an efficient, transparent passport system aligned with global best practices.
What you should know
Last year, the NIS announced a sweeping increase in the prices of the country’s passports, citing the need to improve efficiency and quality of the document.
For a 32-page passport with 5-year validity, the price was increased from N50,000 to N100,000.
According to the Service, a 64-page passport with 10-year validity now costs N200,000, a 100% increase from the N100,000 fee Nigerians were paying before the increment, which took effect from September 1, 2025.
That increment came as the second within 12 months. Earlier in August 2024, the Service had announced a price hike that saw the price of the 32-page passport jump from N35,000 to N50,000.
