The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has clarified that Nigerians living abroad do not necessarily need a valid passport to return to the country, saying expired Nigerian passports can be used for travel back home and renewed after arrival.
The clarification comes as many Nigerians in the diaspora prepare for end-of-year trips, particularly during the December holiday season.
The NIS said Nigerians planning to travel home can take advantage of their stay in the country to process passport renewals instead of waiting to complete the process at diplomatic missions abroad.
The agency also addressed concerns over passport services in the United Kingdom, assuring Nigerians that an ongoing passport intervention exercise has not affected normal operations at the Nigerian High Commission.
According to the NIS, applicants with scheduled appointments are still being attended to as planned.
The service’s spokesman, DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, also confirmed that the contactless passport application platform remains operational.
He said the platform provides Nigerians who prefer not to visit passport offices physically with an alternative means of processing passport renewal remotely through the application.
The NIS urged Nigerians abroad to make use of the available passport services and plan their renewal arrangements accordingly, particularly ahead of the busy end-of-year travel period.
