My Shocking Nigerian Passport Renewal Experience

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I still can’t believe I renewed my Nigerian passport from outside Nigeria in less than two weeks without stepping foot in the embassy. 

Yes, you read that right. 

No travel. No queues. No stress. Just me, my phone and a surprisingly efficient system.

How It Started

My passport expired in September and I needed to renew it urgently but I could not travel to the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C.. So I started digging around for alternatives and discovered something I wasn’t sure was even real: Contactless passport renewal. All from home!

Thankfully, I had the new B-series passport (the one linked to your NIN) which qualified me for the online process. Still, I was skeptical. Nigerian portals can sometimes be… let’s just say, “audio innovations.” Tech this, innovation that but when it's time to actually work? E get as e be.

But since I had no choice (and no travel plan), I decided to give it a go.

The application process was shockingly smooth.

I completed the online form with zero stress. Then I got to the payment section and saw the two options:Walk-in or Contactless.

You already know I clicked contactless with speed. It cost an extra $100 but considering the airfare and the stress I was avoiding, it was a steal. My total came to $330. I paid happily.

Biometrics From Home? Yes! 

This was the part that made me pause. Biometrics… from home ke? For a Nigerian passport? I wasn’t sure whether to believe it but guess what? It worked.

The picture capturing was straightforward but the fingerprint part — a little cumbersome. Positioning my fingers correctly took patience and stubborn determination. I spent almost half the day experimenting until I got it out of the way and once the system finally accepted my fingerprints and verified everything, I exhaled.

Printed my application and supporting documents, got a $50 money order addressed to the embassy and paid for a USPS return priority envelope addressed to myself. Packed everything neatly and shipped it off to D.C.

The Shocking Part

Omo! 😳 
Two days later, USPS tracking showed my documents had reached the embassy and I was expecting a long wait for the return journey — maybe weeks. But eight days after arrival, my return tracking updated:In transit kwa!

Passport was already on its way back at a facility 30 minutes away from my location.

As how na???
E shock me!

Like…for real? Could a Nigerian government service be this fast? This efficient? With no follow-up, no delay, no “come back tomorrow,” no begging? I was beyond impressed.

Tear leather passport😝

The next day, as I received the parcel. Inside were my old passport and a brand new, flawlessly captured 10-year passport. Everything correct. Everything intact. Start to finish… less than two weeks without follow up. Amazing.

I’m still in shock fa!

This entire experience deserves a standing ovation. 

Whoever is running things at the Ministry of Interior and NIS right now, I salute. Well done. Just like NECO too…In fact, give them promotions and pay raises, abeg. Let other agencies like come and borrow sense. This is how it should be done.

E dey play, e dey show. No Cho Cho Cho…

A Quick Tip for Anyone Who Wants to Try It

From my experience, my iPhone 17 Pro Max worked far better for capturing biometrics than the Samsung Z Fold I tried multiple times before making the switch. So yes! your device may affect your experience. But overall, the portal itself is solid, straightforward and honestly top-tier.


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