In December, President Muhammadu Buhari had announced that
Nigeria would begin to issue visa-on-arrival to every person that carries an
African passport.
The president told attendees of the Aswan Forum for
Sustainable Peace and Development in Africa that the move will “bring down
barriers that have hindered the free movement of people within the continent”.
True to his words, the president unveiled a new visa policy
for the country on Tuesday.
No cash transactions
Under the new visa policy, immigration officers have been
prohibited from receiving cash from visa applicants. The federal government
says this will reduce the chances of corruption.
Biometrics needed
Femi Adesina, the special adviser to the president on media
and publicity, describes the 2020 visa policy as a global visa system.
Biometrics registration has been made a requirement for
every applicant.
Adesina said the “chances of criminals beating the system
are negligible”.
Biometrics is to be conducted at the port of entry.
Visa on arrival to be issued only at airports
Visas to be issued on arrival will only be available at the
airports, not at sea or land borders.
VOA only for short visits
In line with the clarification earlier made by Muhammad
Babandede, comptroller general of the Nigerian Immigration Service, that not
every African will get the visa on arrival, the policy states that only
short-term visitors will get visa on arrival.
Single-entry, short-visit visas have been made available for
journalists, entertainers, clerics and sportsmen wishing to visit Nigeria will
now also get single-entry, short-visit visas.
Three visa categories, 79 visa types
The visa policy introduces three categories of visas: short
visit, temporary, and permanent residence.
It also increases the visa types from the previous six to
79.
The policy provides for five categories for investor visa
namely: N3A, N3B, N3C, N3D, N3E
Visa for diaspora Nigerians by birth
Under the new visa policy, Nigerians living in the diaspora
who are citizens by birth are now eligible for a multi-year, multiple-entry
visa.
The visa is available to citizens who have had to renounce
their citizenship to become citizens of other countries.
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