The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced a major crackdown on foreign nationals who overstay their visas, set to commence on August 1, 2025. The move is part of sweeping immigration reforms aimed at enhancing security, streamlining documentation, and eliminating systemic corruption in the sector.
Speaking at a stakeholder sensitisation forum held at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters in Abuja, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed that over 14,000 electronic visa (e-Visa) applications have been successfully processed within the first six weeks of Nigeria’s new digital immigration regime.
To ensure fair compliance, the government has introduced a one-month amnesty window—running throughout July 2025—via a newly launched online immigration portal. This platform enables foreigners whose visas have expired to regularise their status without visiting immigration offices physically. It covers holders of expired visa-on-arrival permits, lapsed single-entry visas, and overdue expatriate residence cards.
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“This is a one-time opportunity for overstayers to come clean before the law takes full effect,” Dr. Tunji-Ojo emphasized. He urged foreign missions in Nigeria to notify their nationals and ensure they take advantage of the grace period before strict enforcement begins on August 1.
Under the new policy, foreigners who overstay their visas beyond July 31 will face a daily fine of $15. Those who overstay for over six months will receive a five-year re-entry ban, while overstays exceeding one year will attract a 10-year ban, according to updated NIS enforcement guidelines.
As part of the broader immigration reform, the government has cancelled manual archiving contracts for visa and passport records—saving nearly ₦1 billion annually. The new digital system allows immigration officials to verify data in real-time and detect anomalies more efficiently.
Since the official rollout of e-passport automation on January 8, 2024, the Ministry of Interior has transitioned fully to an online application and screening process. Applicants can now complete every step online—from form submission to document upload—while biometric capture and booklet collection are scheduled in 20-minute intervals to reduce waiting time.
By May 2025, the Ministry had cleared a backlog of over 204,000 passports and reported that 99% of passport processing is now fully digital. Dr. Tunji-Ojo remarked that these reforms had “cured the madness of scarcity” and dismantled the widespread corruption that once plagued the system.
“Before now, people paid as much as ₦500,000 to touts for a service that should cost far less. The digital transformation has ended such exploitation,” he stated.
The government is also moving to digitize the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (CERPAC) and the Temporary Work Permit (TWP), both of which were previously prone to abuse. The digitised TWP is expected to drastically reduce processing times and eliminate loopholes used to bypass immigration laws.
Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, affirmed that additional upgrades are being rolled out, including electronic gates (e-Gates) at airports, a central command and control centre, and digital exit/landing cards to improve national security and traveler experience.
Nandap also highlighted the benefits of the e-Visa system, which completely removes the need for physical visits during application, and the new e-CERPAC, which consolidates multiple permits into a single, streamlined digital format.
“The e-TWP will close the gaps that once encouraged manipulation and overstaying,” she added.
Dr. Tunji-Ojo emphasized that the reforms are not only for convenience but also part of a strategic security and economic agenda. “We are building a system where you no longer need to know the Minister or the CG to get a visa. This digital shift is irreversible,” he declared.
He revealed that technical teams—including immigration and ICT experts—have been working intensively, sometimes even convening meetings at his private residence, to ensure the systems operate flawlessly.
As the countdown to August 1 begins, the Federal Government is sending a clear message: visa violations will no longer be overlooked, and the era of impunity is over.
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