Contactless Passport Renewal Cuts Nigerian Diaspora Processing Time to Five Days

Nigerians residing in the United Kingdom have praised the federal government’s contactless passport renewal program, claiming it has put an end to years of frustrating delays and cumbersome procedures that once required applicants to wait for months and travel long distances to renew their passports.

The diaspora community reports that the digital system, launched by the Federal Ministry of Interior and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), has reduced passport processing time from over six months to between five days and two weeks, allowing Nigerians abroad to complete renewals from home and receive their passports by mail.

Initially launched for Nigerians in Canada and later extended to the United Kingdom and other countries, the contactless passport renewal system lets eligible citizens submit applications and biometric details remotely via a dedicated mobile app, removing the need to appear in person at Nigerian missions abroad.

Timileyin Gbenga, a Nigerian community leader in Birmingham who has used both the old and new systems, described the difference as “night and day.”

Gbenga said, “I had to travel from Birmingham to London to the Nigerian High Commission for biometrics and from the time I applied online to when I got my passport, it took more than six months. But when I used the contactless process for a family member, it took less than two weeks from application to delivery.”

He credited the transformation to reforms led by Minister of Interior Dr. Olubunmi Tunji‑Ojo, under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

“That is the change we are all looking for. We need to appreciate this initiative and the reforms,” he said.

Gbenga Ogunderu, another Nigerian living in the UK, said the initiative signaled Nigeria