Biometric Enrolment Now Required for Issuance of Visa On Arrival

The current directive was issued in furtherance to the instruction by the Federal Ministry of Interior which announced a phased introduction of the Nigerian Biometric Visa in 2017 and is designed to restrict entry to only qualified and approved persons.

The implementation of the biometric visa application system initially commenced with the requirement that applicants for Nigerian visas submitted at the various embassies across the world should submit their applications in person and enrol their biometric information.

Thus, applicants in some countries were required to enrol their fingerprints and facial image at Online Integrated Solutions (OIS) centers at the various Nigerian embassies. This applies to all visa categories.

However, the application of the policy was yet to be extended to applicants for Visa onArrival, a class of visa issued upon the arrival of the expatriate at a pre-designated port ofentry in Nigeria. As the procedure for issuance of visa on arrival does not require thephysical presence of an applicant at the Nigerian Embassy, it is understandable that theimplementation of biometric enrolment was stalled until an appropriate mechanism andplatform for its implementation is fashioned out.

Foreigners traveling to Nigeria are enjoined to ensure that adequate financial provision is made for the biometric enrolment and be prepared to spend extra time at the port of entry to undergo the biometric enrolment process. 

• Visa on arrival