In an effort to boost travel and business, the Interior Ministry of Nigeria has announced that the country will automate its electronic visa approval and issuance process.
The new process aims to reduce long waiting times faced by travelers upon arrival, VisaGuide.World reports.
Following the new proposal, travelers can apply online for short-term visas, while the approval would be granted within 24 to 48 hours, according to a report from Dunya News.
Once approved the e-visa will be sent to the applicant’s email, abolishing the need for a physical sticker at the airport.
The proposed visa policy aims to enhance the ease of doing business, boost tourism, and strengthen bilateral and multilateral relations with other countries.
New E-Visa to Facilitate Travel Process
Citizens from other countries interested in traveling to Nigeria for short stays for tourism, business, study, or medical purposes are required to apply for a visa before traveling to this country.
However, nationals coming from countries that are part of Nigeria’s visa exemption list, are not subject to visas when traveling to this country. Instead, they receive a short-stay visa upon arrival at the point of entry, while duration is based on the status of the visitor’s country.
Instead, they receive a short-stay visa upon arrival, with the duration based on their country’s status.
At present, nationals from the following countries can travel to Nigeria without visas:
Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Liberia, Niger, Seychelles, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
The recent decision of the Interior Ministry of Nigeria aims to facilitate the travel process.
Last year, Nigerian authorities unfolded plans to implement a more accessible system when applying for electronic visas (e-Visa) for short stays.
Over 1.2 Million Visitors Registered in 2023
Each year, Nigeria issues a large number of tourist visas and opens its doors to many visitors from countries worldwide.
The Minister of Tourism of Nigeria, Mrs. Lola Ade-John, revealed that in 2023, Nigeria welcomed more than 1.2 million foreign travelers and registered three million domestic trips.
These figures provided by the Ministry of Tourism reveal that in 2023, a 20 percent increase was recorded compared to the figures of 2022.
Domestic tourism saw three million trips in 2023, up 20 percent from 2022, with 200 million potential travelers.
The Minister also emphasized that the tourism industry contributed 3.65 percent ($17.3 billion) to Nigeria’s GDP in 2022, with the industry employing more than 1.91 million people annually.