Nigeria High Commission to Refund £50 to UK Passport Applicants Charged £70
The Nigeria High Commission in the United Kingdom has announced that it will refund £50 to passport applicants who were charged a £70 administrative fee during the ongoing passport intervention exercise.
The refund effectively reduces the administrative charge paid by affected applicants to £20.
The High Commission announced the decision in a notice published on its website on Friday, September 11, 2026, following complaints and scrutiny over the £70 administrative charge, which has now been reduced to £20.
A £20 administrative fee had previously been introduced during the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari for a similar passport intervention exercise.
However, the High Commission later imposed a £70 charge without approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while applicants seeking replacement passports for lost documents were reportedly charged £150.
Officials involved in the exercise told TheCable that the additional payment was introduced to facilitate the process and “generate revenue”.
The development attracted complaints from Nigerians living in the UK, with Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, expressing concern over the difficulties surrounding the passport intervention exercise.
Tunji-Ojo also denied that applicants were required to pay separate administrative fees for the exercise.
In a statement issued on Friday, September 11, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) spokesperson, Akinsola Akinlabi, said the applicable passport fees remained $162 for a five-year validity booklet and $242 for a 10-year validity booklet.
Akinlabi said the intervention exercise was progressing smoothly at the London and Manchester centres despite challenges encountered on its first day.
He urged eligible Nigerians to book appointments for the special intervention through the Nigeria High Commission’s website, stressing that “no additional charges are required to participate in the intervention exercise.”
According to the NIS spokesperson, 1,477 Nigerians were successfully processed and enrolled during the first four days of the exercise.
“Over half of those enrolled have already had their passports produced and dispatched to their respective addresses,” Akinlabi said.
Following the high turnout and strong interest in the exercise, Tunji-Ojo approved an extension of the intervention exercise in London and Manchester from September 19 to October 3.
Akinlabi said further information on the extended dates, participating locations and appointment procedures would be communicated through the official channels of the NIS and the Nigeria High Commission.
Global Mirror News reports that the refund is expected to address concerns raised by applicants over the additional administrative charge and provide some relief to Nigerians who had already paid the £70 fee.
The development also highlights the importance of applicants relying on official communication from the Nigeria Immigration Service and Nigeria High Commission for information on passport fees and appointment procedures.
