Service Public Relations Officer and Deputy Comptroller of Immigration Akinsola Akinlabi announced that the Nigeria Immigration Service has commenced a five-phase reform to centralise passport printing and security personalisation at its headquarters in Abuja. The agency stated that the restructuring aims to modernise the travel document system, enhance security, and eliminate loopholes in the issuance process.
The Service assured the public that the Passport Centralisation Reform will not interrupt passport applications, processing, or collection.
All local passport offices across Nigeria and designated foreign embassies continue to function normally, handling application intake, biometric enrolment, and final document delivery. Under the new arrangement, completed passports produced at the Central Personalisation Centre in Abuja will be dispatched to local offices and overseas missions within two weeks.
Rollout across five phases through 2026
The operational migration is structured across five phases to mitigate operational risks. The first phase, completed in January 2025, covered offices in Plateau, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, Borno, and Yobe states, alongside 30 foreign missions. The second phase wrapped up in March 2026, integrating offices in the South-East, Gwagwalada in the Federal Capital Territory, selected South-West locations, and five European missions.
The third phase concluded in June 2026, encompassing Edo, Delta, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Jigawa, Kaduna, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti states, as well as missions in France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The fourth phase, scheduled for August 2026, covers Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Kano, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Bayelsa states. The final phase will be completed before the end of 2026, incorporating Lagos offices—including Ikoyi, Festac, Alausa, Alimosho, and Ikorodu—and selected missions in the US, UK, and Canada.
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