Contactless passport application system app usage commences Dec 1

The usage of the Contactless Passport Application System app will commence on the 1st of December, 2024.

The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) announced this in an update it provided on its official X account on Sunday evening.

“The Contactless Passport Application System app is now available on Google Play store as “NIS Mobile”,” NIS announced.

“Please remember that the worldwide usage will commence from the 1st of December, 2024.”

According to the statement, the current Geo-fencing feature means it is only available for use by Nigerians in Canada and the United States of America (USA).

The Federal Government, meanwhile, recently partnered with the United Kingdom (UK) to strengthen security in Nigeria and also work on a lasting contactless biometrics solution.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this in a statement on his official X account after meeting with the Home Secretary of the UK, Rt Hon Yvette Cooper, early in November.

Tunji-Ojo said the FG’s commitment to building strategic partnerships that enhance security and public service delivery was reinforced after the meeting.

“We discussed mutual goals to strengthen security, efficiency, and service delivery, showing our administration’s dedication to sustainable development through cooperation and shared purpose,” he said.

“In line with our initiative to extend contactless biometrics solutions to the UK, having successfully launched in Canada with an impressive success rate, I also led senior officials, including the Permanent Secretary, Dr Magdalene Ajani, on an oversight visit to the Nigeria High Commission.”

According to Tunji-Ojo, the visit reaffirms the federal government’s support for the attachés working to improve their services to Nigerians abroad.

The NIS decided to implement the contactless biometric solution process for passports and visa applications to ease challenges associated with the process and curb corruption.

Tunji-Ojo while presenting a scorecard of his achievements within one year in office had explained that the contactless biometric system allows applicants to apply for passports or visas from the comfort of their homes or offices.

He added that they would do this without visiting any passport office, particularly for Nigeria’s consulates, where the number of applications often exceeds the daily capture capacity.

“With the contactless biometric solution, you won’t need to go to the embassies to book an appointment anymore because of the new system,” the minister explained.

“The era of resource wastage in the passport process is over. In Canada, for example, over 16,000 applications are received as against 260 captures per day.”

Tunji-Ojo was joined in the meeting with the UK Home Secretary, Cooper by key Nigerian officials including the Comptroller General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap and the Controller General of Fire Service, Engr. Abdulganiyu Olola Jaji.