The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) disclosed that Nigerians applying for international passports would be charged N1000 in Nigeria for verifying their National Identification Number.
This was written in a statement signed by the Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke, on Monday. According to the commission, the fee is to improve the quality of service, accuracy, and speed of passport services through timely verification of NIN.
In the agreement of this framework with the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIMC said, “This new arrangement is in furtherance of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy’s directive to streamline passport application, renewal, and issuance processes.
“Consequently, a NIN Verification fee would be charged for each Nigerian passport application for this service.”
However, the statement added, “NIMC and NIS have agreed on a revised applicant journey that will significantly improve the speed of passport issuance /re-issuance and reduce the traffic visiting the NIS office(s). The NIN service, fees, and the new NIS process will go live on 1st April.”
The commission disclosed that Nigerians would pay N1000 for NIN verification in Nigeria, $5 in other African countries, and $15 in other countries.
According to NIMC, NIN serves as a link to an individual’s records. For this reason, Individual details such as demographic data, fingerprints, head-to-shoulder facial pictures, other biometric data, and digital signatures should be lodged in the National Identity Database and confirmed by verification through NIN.
Read More; More than 60 days after the NIMC server glitch, subscribers are still in the dark
A means to reduce the delay in the issuance of international passports
Isah Idris, the acting comptroller general of the Nigerian Immigration Service, recently attributed the delay in passport issuing to the data integration between NIS and NIMC.
He said, “The delay in the processing of passport applications could be as a result of the integration of data between NIS and the NIMC, which also, in turn, integrate with the BVN data of applicants.”
The National Identification Number (NIN), given to a person after completing enrollment into the National Identity Database, comprises 11 numbers (NIDB). A NIN is unique in that once it has been assigned to a person, it cannot be changed, given to, or used by anyone else.
Nigeria’s national identification scheme may be the biggest in Africa, given its population of nearly 200 million. With the passage of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act, it was introduced in May 2007.
In recent times, many Nigerians have experienced difficulties in their efforts to verify their NIN during the international passport registration process. This, among other issues, leads to delays in the production of passports.
In 2022, the NIMC announced that plans were ongoing to enable Nigerians to verify their NIN on its website to fast-track the issuance of international passports to applicants.
Nevertheless, the new tactical method of paying the NIN during the application for an international passport will speed up the procedure without delay before acquisition.
Read More; NIMC says ‘NIN portal’ is now restored; banks, telcos hope for relief
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