The Nigeria Immigration Service has enrolled 16,785 Nigerians in its special passport intervention exercise in the United Kingdom, as the programme entered its 42nd day.
The latest figures released by the NIS Public Relations Officer, Akinsola Akinlabi, showed that 414 applicants were processed across four centres on Thursday.
In his Day 42 update issued on Friday, Akinlabi said the exercise remained orderly, with passport production and dispatch continuing without interruption.
“A total of 414 applicants were enrolled across all the centres,” he stated, adding, “Cumulative enrollment: 16,785 applicants. Passport production and dispatch continue unhindered. The exercise remains orderly and well managed.”
The four centres currently handling applicants are located in London, Manchester, Aberdeen and Cardiff.
Manchester recorded the highest number of enrolments with 160 applicants, while Cardiff processed 92. Aberdeen and London each recorded 81 applicants.
The intervention programme began with operations in London and Manchester, where 1,477 Nigerians were enrolled within the first four days.
In an update issued on September 11, the NIS disclosed that more than half of those processed during the initial period had already received their produced passports through dispatch to their respective addresses.
The number of applicants enrolled in the UK subsequently increased to 5,099 as of September 21.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, approved an extension of the exercise on October 3 before a further extension brought Aberdeen and Cardiff into the programme, increasing the number of operational centres from two to four.
The NIS had earlier announced the intervention on September 7, 2026, directing applicants to book appointments through its JotForm portal or the Nigerian High Commission’s website.
Applicants are required to present a completed passport application form, payment slips, an appointment confirmation print-out, a self-addressed return envelope and their existing passport where they are applying for renewal.
The approved charges are $162 for a five-year passport booklet and $242 for a 10-year booklet. The service also stated that payments at the centres must be made through non-cash channels.
Beyond the United Kingdom, the NIS has conducted similar passport intervention exercises in the United States, Canada and Qatar to improve access to passport services for Nigerians living abroad.
In the United States, the service enrolled 535 applicants across Chicago, Michigan and Milwaukee between September 7 and 15.
Canada recorded 2,257 enrolments across Manitoba, Toronto, Saskatoon, Alberta and New Brunswick between September 6 and 19, while 751 Nigerians were processed in Qatar between August 9 and 24.
Akinlabi explained that the intervention programmes were organised in collaboration with Nigerian diplomatic missions and representatives of Nigerian communities to bring passport services closer to citizens living in different locations.
“The exercises aimed to bring passport services closer to Nigerians across various cities, and were conducted in collaboration with Nigerian diplomatic missions and representatives of Nigerian communities,” he said.
The programme was initially announced on August 9 through a circular issued by the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, who directed the deployment of an immigration team to the United Kingdom to work with the Nigerian High Commission.
The exercise covers pending applications, fresh passport applications and renewals for passports with less than one year before expiry.
The NIS also advised Nigerians who are unable to secure appointment slots or prefer not to visit the intervention centres to use its Contactless Passport Application System, which it said remains operational throughout the exercise.
The UK intervention programme is scheduled to run until November 27, 2026.
