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Frequently Asked Questions
Nigeria visa

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General questions

What is a visa for Nigeria?

If you want to go to Nigeria for a holiday or business trip, you must apply for a regular visa before entering the country. The visa is a sticker issued by the Nigerian government and affixed to the passport. With this visa you are allowed to enter the territory of Nigeria. This visa is usually issued by the Embassy of Nigeria in The Hague.
The visa will be checked during passport control in Nigeria. If you arrive by plane, the first visa check will probably already take place at the airport.
Our staff will work professionally to ensure that your Nigeria visa application is presented flawlessly at the Nigerian Embassy so that you can travel with confidence.

Do I always have to provide a Nigerian visa upon arrival?

Yes, unless you have a passport from one of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), you must have a visa. For some nationalities, a Visa on Arrival will also suffice. However, this is not the case for Dutch passport holders and they must arrange a regular visa in advance.

Is it possible to stay with friends or family in Nigeria?

If the visa applicant is staying with family or friends in Nigeria instead of a hotel, an invitation letter from Nigeria is required instead of a guarantee letter. This letter must:

  • Provide the full address of the inviting party and all contact details.
  •  State the name and position of the invitee.
  • Specify the reason and duration of the stay.
  • State that the inviting party assumes full financial liability. You should use the following sentence: “We accept full immigration and financial responsibility for ….”.
  • Signed by the inviting party.
  • A copy of the passport is also required from the inviting person. If the inviting person is not a Nigerian national, a copy of the residence permit (CERPAC) and a certified copy or scan of the approved expat quota with an official stamp are also required. This quota is issued by the Ministry of the Interior in Nigeria. The position of the signatory, as stated on the invitation, must also be stated on the approved expat quota and the CERPAC.

What is the difference between the tourist and business visa for Nigeria?

Tourists with Dutch nationality always need a visa for Nigeria, this visa is suitable for 1 entry to Nigeria and applies for a maximum of 90 days.
Business visas come in different variants, which can be applied for for 1 entry (single-entry) or for an unlimited number of entries within a year (multiple-entry).

Which types of visa are available for Nigeria?

Various visas are available for Nigeria. The type of visa depends on your destination. The most common are a visa for tourist reasons or a visa for business purposes. However, you also have a Temporary Work (TWP) visa, Subject to Regulation (STR) visa and a private visa.
The purpose of your trip determines the type of visa you need to apply for. If you are unsure which visa is most applicable to your situation, do not hesitate to contact us, our staff can advise you.

What is meant by issuing biometric data for the Nigeria visa?

As of January 2020, it is mandatory for all travelers to provide fingerprints to obtain the Nigeria visa. This applies to all visa types.
As soon as we have received all documents from you and have confirmed them to you as complete and in accordance with conditions, Traveldocs can – of course in consultation with you – schedule an appointment. You must travel to The Hague yourself. However, guidance from us will be available to help you during this process.
In fact, you only need to donate fingerprints and a facial scan. The Nigerian officials might also ask you a couple questions about your trip. Once this is done, the processing time you choose will start running. One of our visa specialist will be with you during this appointment to make sure that everything will go in the right order and make sure that your application will be processed correctly.

Do I have to provide all the information (and biometrics) agian for each trip to Nigeria?

No. The biometric data will be linked to your current passport for 5 years. If you submit a new visa application to us within 5 years after issuing your first biometrics, you do not have to go to The Hague again because the current data is valid.
Did you receive a new passport in the meantime or is your new application 5 years after you first issued the biometric data? Then you need to travel to The Hague again. It may also be that the Nigerian government demands that you again provide the biometric data. In that case you are obliged to do this (again).

Do children need to have their own visa for Nigeria?

Yes, anyone traveling, regardless of age, must be able to present a visa when entering Nigeria. This means that everyone should therefore also have their own passport (so children are not credited in the passport of a parent / guardian), which will contain the visa.

Do I have to travel on the date stated on my application?

No, you do not have to, Note: You may only travel within the validity dates stated on the Nigeria visa. If you have changed your trip and it is no longer within the validity of the visa, you must apply for a new visa.

How long will it take before I receive my Nigerian visa?

The costs for the visa vary per visa and processing time. Normally a normal application takes 13 working days. An emergency procedure can also be completed in 3 working days. However, this will only start from the moment you have handed over the biometrics.
Check this page for the rates and the structure of the total price of the visa type you want.
However, the embassy reserves the right at all times to take longer to assess your application than the stated average processing time for this.

Application related questions

How do I apply for a Nigerian visa?

The visa application procedure for Nigeria starts online. To do this, open the online application form. After filling in all the details of the traveler (s) concerned, the application can be paid very simply. That is possible with iDeal, Bancontact, Paypal or with Credit Card. When the payment has been completed you will receive (within a maximum of 1 hour) an email from us with instructions on how to deliver the required documents. To deliver these documents, you can choose to drop them off at our office, send them by registered mail or courier, and you can also use our secure collection service.
After granting the visa you will receive the passport with the visa for Nigeria back from us. You can select the method of return in the application form, namely; Registered mail, DHL courier, personal collection from our office or ready at Schiphol.

My application has been processed but I still haven't received an email.

If you have not received an e-mail from us within an hour after paying your visa, first check the junk mail folder (spam box). Didn’t receive an email there either? Please contact us by phone or e-mail via the contact page.

How long in advance can I apply for a Nigerian visa?

Visa application for Nigeria is possible between 90 days and about a week before departure depending on your chosen visa type. To ensure that the visa is issued on time, we recommend that you submit the application a few weeks before departure. You can find more information about this on the delivery times page.
Note: A maximum of 1 valid visa for Nigeria can be present in your passport, if you have a current visa in your passport, the validity of this old visa expires.
Other conditions of the Nigeria visa can be viewed here.

Is there an urgent procedure available?

Yes, the visa for Nigeria can also be applied for urgently. The usual delivery time for both the business and tourist visa is 13 working days, if you make an urgent request, this is 11 or 3 working days. . More information about the additional costs and operation of these procedures can be found on the page with costs and delivery times.

Is it possible to apply for multiple travelers or as a group?

Yes, it is possible to add multiple travelers on one application form who travel to Nigeria together. Because a lot of data only has to be entered once, this can save a lot of input.

How do I send my passport and documents?

There are a number of delivery methods, namely; deliver at our office in Hoofddorp, send it yourself (registered by post or by courier), have it picked up by us (the next day or in case of emergency the same day).
Sometimes our pick-up service can be used the same day. The possibility and costs depend on the pick-up location, the time and the crowds at our courier service. The costs for the next day’s pick-up also depend on the pick-up location.
You can contact us by phone for the possibilities of our collection service.

How will I receive back my passport with the Nigerian visa?

The return of the passport containing the Negeria visa can be done in various ways. In the application form that you fill in online, you can indicate which option you prefer: pick it up at our office in Hoofddorp, pick it up yourself at Schiphol (surcharge: € 44.95), shipping by courier next working day (surcharge: € 39.95 ), by registered mail (surcharge: € 17.09), by courier on the day of grant (surcharge on request) *
* Ask about the possibilities by telephone as this is not always possible.
Prices are per application and not per visa. If multiple visas are applied for with one application form, the shipping costs will remain the same (with a maximum of 4 passports per shipment)

When and how do I pay for the Nigerian visa?

After submitting the online application form, you must make the payment. You can do this with: iDeal, Paypal, Bancontact or credit card. If a surcharge is charged for the collection and / or shipping method you have chosen, this will be added directly to the total amount.
If you use a custom courier (for collection and / or return), the costs will be invoiced afterwards.

Is it possible to extend a Nigerian visa?

No, it is not possible to renew a visa. Please also note that any new visa application for Nigeria will immediately invalidate any old visa for Nigeria. So only submit a new visa application when you no longer want to use any previously issued visas.

Required documents

Which documents do I have to provide in order to obtain a Nigerian visa?

The information and documents you have to provide depend on your destination (tourist or business), the number of entries required in Nigeria and the desired period of validity of the visa. After submitting the online visa application for Nigeria, you will receive a personal email from us with instructions on how to provide the necessary documents for your situation.
You can also check which documents these will be on this page.

Which conditions apply to my passport?

An emergency passport is not accepted.
The passport must be valid for at least six months after each entry. The passport must contain at least two blank pages.
The passport must also be free of covers and loose content, please remove them before sending them to us. If you fail to remove the cover before sending it to us, it might be possible that you will receive your passport back without the cover or any other loose content.

Does my passport state the letter O or the number 0?

Document numbers in the Netherlands never contain the letter “O”, but they can contain the number “0”. Even though it seems that there is a letter O in your passport, it will be the number 0. It is also important to know that document numbers in the Netherlands are 9 characters long.
Belgian document numbers may include the letter (s) “O” and / or the number “0”. Belgian document numbers are 8 characters long and always start with 2 letters followed by 6 numbers.

Which conditions apply to my photographs?

The passport photo must be hardcopy (on paper and not digital), taken in the last 3 months in the format 35x45mm. to be delivered. The passport photo must be of high quality and in color with a white background. Headwear is only allowed in the passport photo if this is for religious reasons: The visibility of the entire face is then a requirement.
The passport photo must be loose (so not attached to the application form in any way) and free of any glue / staple remnants.

ATTENTION: Each applicant must provide 2 sets of photographs. They must be the same and recently taken.

What is a Certificate of Incorporation?

When applying for a business visa for Negeria, a Certificate of Incorporation must be submitted. This is a deed of incorporation of the company in Nigeria, issued at the time of incorporation. This document must be provided by the inviting party.

What is a bank statement?

To apply for the visa for Nigeria you must have sufficient financial means.
For this you must be able to provide a recent copy of your bank statement with a balance of at least € 1000. This can usually be downloaded or requested at/via your (online) bank(account).  The statement should state the name of the traveler, a recent date (no older than 3 weeks) and a visible balance of at least € 1000,-

Which conditions apply to the invitation letter?

To obtain a visa for Nigeria, you must supply an English-language invitation letter, on the letterhead of the inviting company. A sample of this will be sent by e-mail immediately after submitting your online application.
The invitation letter must contain at least:

  •  The invitation letter must contain the following sentence: “We…. Accept full immigration responsibility for Mr./ Mrs… (fill in your name).
  • The full address, including all contact details of the inviting party
  • Information about the traveler (full name, gender and date of birth, nationality, job title, passport number, date of issue of the passport and expiry date of the passport)
  • The first travel dates
  • Description of which business activities
  • The required period of validity as well as the number of entries required
  • Must be signed with name and position of the inviting party

In all cases, Traveldocs can help you with an invitation. Both tourist and business. Check our Nigerian visa page or contact us.

What should be stated in the Letter of Guarantee?

In order to obtain a business visa for Nigeria, you must provide an English-language guarantee letter, on stationery from the Dutch company. A sample of this will be sent by e-mail immediately after submitting your online application.
The warranty letter must contain at least:

  • The full address and Chamber of Commerce number of the Dutch company
  • The required period of validity as well as the number of entries required
  • State that the company guarantees all expenses incurred
  • State the full name of the traveler
  • State that the traveler is insured
  • Declare that the traveler will leave the country before the visa expires
  • The first travel dates
  • Description of which business activities
  • Must be signed by supervisor or human resources

What should be stated in the Travel Plan?

To apply for a Nigeria visa you must provide a travel schedule, this schedule must contain a day to day description, in English, of your trip and must be signed by the applicant.

How can I obtain a Yellow Fever Certificate?

Before applying for the Nigeria visa, you must be able to demonstrate that you have been vaccinated against yellow fever. Such proof abroad is called a Yellow Fever Certificate, an official certificate that you have been vaccinated. The well-known yellow vaccination booklet that you receive from the GGD or a vaccination agency is sufficient for this.

Do I have to book a flight and hotel in advance?

To apply for a Nigeria visa you must provide a copy of your flight schedule, this schedule or e-ticket of your flights must show that the traveler is leaving the EU for Nigeria and that (and when) the return journey from Nigeria takes place. You must also provide a hotel confirmation of your entire trip in Nigeria.

How do I obtain a Nigerian embassy form?

After you have submitted the online application form and payment has been completed, you will receive the embassy form by e-mail. This form will be filled in for you by a visa expert with the information you entered on the online form. All you have to do is sign this form and submit it to us together with the other documents (passport photo, passport etc.).

Changing or cancelling an existing application

Can I cancel an existing application?

Cancellation is only possible before payment is completed. As soon as we have received the payment of your eVisitor visa application, we will process it immediately and refund of your payment is no longer possible from that moment.
If you made a mistake with the application, you can submit a new application. Costs for this new application are entirely at your own expense.

My application has been denied by the Nigerian embassy. Can I get my money back?

No. We must pay the visa in advance. If the Nigerian government decides that you are not allowed to enter the country for any reason, we cannot get these costs back.

I made an error on my application and/or documents. Can I correct this?

In this case, please contact us as soon as possible to indicate what is not in order. Whether your visa application can still be corrected depends on the nature of the error and the status of your application. If we have not delivered your application to the embassy yet, it is possible to make changes. If your applicaiton is already in the hands of the embassy, there is nothing we can do. You must obtain a new visa with the proper information and cancel the existing one.

Additional questions

Can I get help with my application?

Always try to find your question on this page first, in almost all cases you will find the answer to your question about your visa application here.
In the unlikely event that you find no or insufficient answer to your question, we will of course be happy to help you, click here to contact us.

How do you handle my personal data?

We will only use your data to process your visa application. In doing so, we respect the privacy of every user of our site and will ensure that all personal information you provide to us will be treated confidentially. We strongly inform you that your data will not be sold or used for any other commercial purposes.
If you have any further questions about your privacy, please view our privacy policy or contact us.

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