*The National Identity Management Commission explains the N1000 fee for verification of National Identification Number during an application for passport is meant to improve the speed of passport services delivery in the country

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has stated that Nigerians are expected to pay a fee for the verification of their National Identification Number (NIN) during an application for a passport.

Mr. Kayode Adegoke, Head of Corporate Communications at NIMC, in a statement issued Monday, March 13, 2023, said the introduction of the fees was in line with a framework earlier agreed with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

Adegoke noted the fee is meant to improve the speed of passport services delivery in Nigeria.

The NIMC Head of Corporate Communications further stated: “The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) wishes to inform the general public that it has devised and agreed on a framework with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to significantly improve the quality of service, accuracy, and speed of passport services through the timely verification of the National Identification Number (NIN).”

The identity management regulatory agency also explained that the new arrangement is in furtherance of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy’s directive to streamline passport application, renewal, and issuance processes.

The statement said: “Consequently, a NIN Verification fee would be charged for each Nigerian passport application for this service.”

According to Adegoke, under the new framework billed for implementation from 1 April, Nigerian citizens resident in the country will be charged N1000 for NIN verification for each Nigerian passport application.

However, the statement clarified that Nigerians living in other African countries or other countries in the world would be charged a fee of $5.00 and $15.00 (or its equivalent in other currencies), respectively.

The regulatory agency noted: “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 2023.”