Nigeria e-Visa: classes, documents, fees and processing

The NIS Service Level Agreement places the following Short Visit Visa classes on the e-Visa: Transit F3B, Business single entry F4A, Business multiple entry F4B, Tourism F5A, Visiting single entry F6A, Sports F7E, Creative Arts F7F, Study Tour F7G, Academic Exchange Programme F7H, International Cultural Exchange F7I, Emergency or Relief Work F7K, and the F9A and F9B classes for Nigerians by birth travelling on a foreign passport and their accompanied minors.

Classes such as Medical Tourism F7C, Visiting multiple entry F6B, Journalist F7A, Cleric F7B, Religious Tourism F7D and the NGO and humanitarian visas are not on the e-Visa; they are filed on the regular visa portal and completed at an embassy. Every Temporary and Permanent Residence Visa also goes through the embassy route.

For the Tourism Visa, NIS states that citizens of all countries can apply except ECOWAS member states and countries that have a visa abolition or waiver agreement with Nigeria, because those travellers do not need it. The NIS FAQ adds that some nationalities may still be asked to apply in person under bilateral or reciprocity arrangements.

Your passport must be valid for at least six months. The e-Visa is meant strictly for short visits. NIS states that you cannot switch to a long-term visa or work permit after entering on an e-Visa; if you plan to work or stay longer, the correct residence or STR visa has to be obtained before arrival.

Requirements depend on the class. NIS lists as common items a passport with at least six months’ validity and blank pages, a passport photograph, a return or onward ticket, a hotel reservation or the address of your host, and proof of funds. The bank statement period varies: 30 days for transit, 180 days for tourism and family visits.

Business travellers add an invitation letter from the Nigerian company and its Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) certificate. Family visitors add the host’s letter accepting immigration responsibility and a copy of the host’s Nigerian passport or residence permit. Children under 18 travelling with an adult need a birth certificate and a parental consent letter.

The fee is set per nationality in Appendix I of the NIS Service Level Agreement, with separate columns for single-entry, multiple-entry, TWP and STR visas. For the United Kingdom the table shows USD 193 single entry; for the United States USD 160. A few nationalities are listed as gratis.

Payment is made online by credit or debit card at the end of the application. NIS warns against third-party websites that promise faster approval for an extra charge; the official portal is evisa.immigration.gov.ng, and questions can be sent to cis-evisa@immigration.gov.ng.

The Service Level Agreement commits NIS to a 48-hour turnaround for e-Visa classes when no local objection is raised. Status updates come by email, and the visa status can also be checked on the NIS website. If approved, you receive an e-Visa approval letter with a QR code and a reference number.

Print the letter and carry it with your passport. At the port of entry an immigration officer verifies the details and endorses or stamps the passport. NIS also runs an online Landing and Exit Card service at lecard.immigration.gov.ng.

NIS states that no e-Visa class can be extended beyond its stated duration. Most classes allow 30 days in a single entry within 90 days of issue, so plan the trip inside that window. Overstaying is a breach of the immigration rules; NIS has run time-limited regularisation exercises for expired visa holders, but these are not a substitute for leaving on time.