Nigerian Government Gives Foreigners Who Overstayed Visas August 1 Deadline To Leave Or Face Penalties
The Interior Minister, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who made the announcement on Monday, said the government has activated an online immigration amnesty portal to allow affected individuals to regularise their stay before the sanctions kick in.
“Once the amnesty period is over, we will implement the law 100 per cent and, of course, there will be a penalty for overstaying in Nigeria,” Tunji-Ojo declared while addressing stakeholders at the Nigeria Immigration Service headquarters in Abuja.
Speaking directly to members of the diplomatic corps present at the event, the minister pleaded with them to inform their nationals to take the amnesty seriously.
“I plead with you, we are opening the immigration amnesty portal in July, I think within the next one or two days. Please, for the benefit of our diplomatic corps, encourage your people to take advantage of it,” he said.
“Once the amnesty period is over, we will implement the law 100 per cent, and of course, there will be a penalty for overstaying in Nigeria. Our laws are not meant to be abused. Our laws are meant to be respected. And wherever you are from, once you are in Nigeria, you must respect the laws of Nigeria,” he affirmed.
The amnesty is part of a broader immigration reform package first introduced in April and scheduled to roll out in two phases.
From May 1, the Ministry of Interior began imposing a $15 daily surcharge on any foreigner who overstays beyond the date stamped on their visa.
But in what the government described as a show of fairness, it simultaneously granted a three-month grace period, ending July 31, for visa violators to regularise their stay without paying any fine.
According to implementation guidelines published by the Nigeria Immigration Service, beginning August 1, anyone still out of status would not only pay the accumulated daily surcharge but also face harsh re-entry penalties, five years for overstays of six months, and ten years for those who remain in the country for a year or more without valid documentation.
The newly launched amnesty portal enables foreigners whose visa-on-arrival permits, single-entry visas or expatriate residence cards have expired to apply online for a stay permit.
Applicants can upload supporting documents and receive clearance digitally, without the need to visit any immigration office.
“We cancelled the physical presentation [and] manual archiving that was costing us almost a billion a year. It gives us the opportunity to verify those documents ahead of time, so the integrity of our foundational data is better enhanced…saving us almost a billion naira every year,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo added that the automation of Nigeria’s passport system formally kicked off on January 8, 2024, after he directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to scrap the use of paper files and middlemen, and move all new or renewed applications to a modern web portal.
Under the new system, both local and international applicants complete their forms online, pay electronically, and upload birth certificates, proof of address and passport photographs.
According to the NIS, the portal’s backend automatically performs security screenings, enabling immigration officers to detect irregularities long before applicants arrive at any physical passport office or capture centre.
The ministry has also issued a public advisory through Nigerian missions abroad, urging prospective travellers to use the website to “check requirements, test photos and book appointments”.
This move, according to officials, is designed to eliminate the long queues, bribery, and extortion that have characterised the process for years. (SaharaReporters)
