NIGERIA has announced
changes to its visas and the
application procedure. The
Nigerian Immigration Service
(NIS) has launched a 48-hour
visa-on-arrival system and
the Nigerian Consulate in
Johannesburg has temporarily
stopped issuing express
visas.
The 48-hour visa-on-arrival
system, launched on March
23, is not for leisure purposes
and is available for, among
others, frequent business
travellers and members of
government delegations.
The visa can only be applied
for online through the NIS and
takes 48 hours to process.
Embassies and other visa
companies will not be able to
issue a visa-on-arrival.
Applicants must fill out a
form on the NIS website and
a formal letter of request from
a representative (such as a
business partner) and a copy
of a valid return ticket must
be included in the application.
If successful, the applicant
will receive an approval
letter, valid for 14 days. The
applicant must then make an
online payment of $58 (R785)
for a single-entry or $103
(R1 398) for a multiple-entry
visa. Agents need to stress to
their clients that a successful
payment online is not an
approval.
Upon arrival at the port of
entry, applicants must present
their approval letter, passport
and evidence of payment to
receive the visa. The visaon-arrival
system is currently
operational at all Nigerian
international airports.
Furthermore, the Nigerian
Consulate in Johannesburg
has suspended the issuing
of express visas (which were
used for urgent applications
and took two to three days to
process).
Agents need to advise
travellers to arrange their
travel dates accordingly as
other embassies, such as the
Nigeria High Commission in
Pretoria, do not issue express
visas.
At the time of going to
print the consulate could
not confirm when it would
continue issuing express
visas.
