VISA REQUIREMENTS & GENERAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF BEFORE VISITING NIGERIA
Nigeria offers visitors an array of amazing sites to visit, from lush forests and magical waterfalls and warm springs in the west to the majestic mountains to the east. The country also has festivals and historical sites that should not be missed. There are no shortages of places to see in the West African country.
All visitors require a visa to enter Nigeria, and there are a number of different visa options depending on the nature of your visit. If you are travelling to Nigeria, you can apply online for a Nigerian visa.
This information piece tells you everything you need to know about visa requirements for visiting Nigeria.
It is important that you familiarise yourself with these legal requirements of entry before your visit, in particular if you are travelling with minors.
Visa requirements are governed by the Nigerian Immigration Act and are subject to change without prior notice. Rather check the country’s official website or enquire from a reputable travelling agency or tour operator like MoAfrika Tours what the latest updates or changes to the requirements for a visa application may be.
WHAT IS A VISA?
A visa is issued to international travellers visiting Nigeria for a short stay on a temporary basis for tourism, business, study or medical reasons.
Visas are normally issued for a maximum 30 or 90 days, depending on your country of residence. A valid visa allows you to enter the country through a port of entry and stay in the country for the period specified in your visa.
Note that you are restricted to the activity or reason stated in your application, for example, if you applied for a visa for a holiday or family visit, you are not allowed to work in the country during your stay.
VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR VISITING NIGERIA
To apply for a visa to Nigeria, you must have a passport valid for at least six months. You must complete a visa application form either online or from the nearest embassy for Nigeria. You must have two extra recent passport size photographs, and a letter of Invitation from a company/host in Nigeria accepting immigration responsibility
You are also required to show evidence of sufficient funds for your trip. Then you must get a Nigeria Immigration Service Visa Payment Receipt and Visa Acknowledgement Receipt.
A visa is authorised and issued upon application by a representative of a country’s embassy, mission or consulate after it has been determined that you are eligible to enter the country for a specific purpose.
Visitors holding passports from countries that are classified as ‘exempt’ do not need to apply for a visa prior to arriving in Nigeria. Instead, they are issued with a short-stay visa at the point of entry for a period of time relevant to the status of the visitor’s country.
COUNTRIES EXEMPTED AND COUNTRIES THAT NEED VISAS
Lest you are a citizen from one of the Economic Community of West African States, you will be required to apply for a Nigerian visa to visit the country for tourism or business purposes.
Residents of the following 17 countries can visit Nigeria without a visa:
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone and Togo.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF VISAS
Nigerian Tourist Visa
The Nigerian tourist visa is issued with a validity of three months and is intentional only for you wishing to visit the country for the purposes of tourism or visiting friends and relatives. You must leave upon the visa’s expiry and must not participate in any form of employment while on your visit.
To be eligible for a tourist visa, you need to show the purpose of your visit, as well as an intention to return to your country of residence. This can be shown through evidence of a holiday booking and a valid return or onward travel ticket.
You must be able to supply evidence of an invitation from your hosts, in the case that you are travelling to visit friends and relatives in Nigeria.
Nigerian Business Visa
A Nigerian business visa can be given to foreign nationals wishing to travel to Nigeria on a temporary basis in order to attend meetings, conferences and engage in other business activities. However, under no circumstances may you engage in any form of Nigerian employment.
The Nigerian business visa is issued at a standard length of 90 days. It can be extended, if necessary. The eligibility requirements of this visa are the same to that of the Nigerian tourist visa, with the added requirement of a letter of invitation from an accredited Nigerian company.
Business visas are usually harder to get, since you will need an official business letter of invitation from your foreign business partner or from a professional organisation.
Business visas are in general also more expensive to obtain.
HOW AND WHERE TO APPLY FOR VISAS WHEN VISITING NIGERIA
When applying for a Nigerian visa, processing time and fees are very reliant on on the visa class, as well as what nationality you are and the time of year. Yet, the general processing time for a Nigerian visa is three to five working days.
The application process depends on which country’s embassy or consulate you use to submit your visa application. However, the following is a guideline:
- Contact the Nigerian embassy or consulate to set up an appointment
- Complete a Nigerian visa application form obtainable from the embassy/consulate offices
- Gather the required documents, pay the visa fee and submit the documents and application at the embassy/consulate.
- Some offices require you to submit the documents in person, whereas others also allow submissions through the mail.
The Nigeria Business eVisa on Arrival is a new application process rolled out by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) for all business visitors. With this document, travellers can proceed to get the entry Visa issued at the port of arrival.
Upon arrival at the port of entry, proceed to the desk marked ‘Visa on Arrival’ for biometric enrolment and issuance of entry Visa.
DOCUMENTS NEEDED FOR APPLICATION FOR VISA
To have a tourist visa issued to you, you will need the following documents:
- A passport that is valid for at least six months from your date of entry
- The completed visa application form
- Two recent passport size photographs
- A letter of invitation from a company or host in Nigeria accepting immigration responsibility
- You are required to show evidence of sufficient funds for the duration of your trip
- Nigeria immigration service visa payment receipt and visa acknowledgement receipt
To have a business visa issued to you, you will need the following documents:
- A passport that is valid for at least six months from your date of entry
- The completed visa application form
- Two recent passport size photographs
- A letter of invitation from a company or host in Nigeria accepting immigration responsibility
- You are required to show evidence of sufficient funds for the duration of your trip
- Nigeria immigration service visa payment receipt and visa acknowledgement receipt
- The requirement of a letter of invitation from an accredited Nigerian company.
COST OF A NIGERIAN VISA
The cost of a single entry visa depends on what country you come from. Below is a list of major countries and the amounts for a single entry Nigeria Visa.
United Kingdom USD 144
United States USD 160
Argentina USD 60
Australia USD 141
Austria USD 88
Bahamas USD 19
Belgium USD 88
Belize USD 200
Bhutan USD 68
Bolivia USD 2
Bosnia and Herzegovina USD 50
Botswana USD 114
Brazil USD 20
Brunei USD 45
Bulgaria USD 50
Burundi USD 100
Cambodia USD 68
Cameroon USD 3
Canada USD 75
Central African Republic USD 67
Chad USD 3
Chile USD 200
China USD 64
Colombia USD 3
Comoros USD 20
Congo USD 111
Costa Rica USD 20
Croatia USD 50
Cuba USD 54
Cyprus USD 30
Czech Republic USD 88
DRC USD 3
Denmark USD 88
Djibouti USD 3
Dominica USD 20
Dominican Republic USD 20
Ecuador USD 3
Egypt USD 45
El Salvador USD 3
Equatorial Guinea USD 3
Eritrea USD 2
Estonia USD 60
Ethiopia USD 2
Fiji USD 2
Finland USD 88
France USD 88
Gabon USD 2
Germany USD 88
Greece USD 88
Grenada USD 3
Guatemala USD 3
Guyana USD 3
Haiti USD 3
Honduras USD 3
Hong Kong S.A.R., China USD 64
Hungary USD 50
Iceland USD 68
India USD 253
Indonesia USD 245
Iran USD 3
Iraq USD 3
Ireland USD 170
Israel USD 169
Italy USD 88
Jamaica USD 20
Japan USD 36
Jordan USD 50
Kazakhstan USD 60
Kiribati USD 3
Kosovo USD 50
Kuwait USD 3
Kyrgyzstan USD 60
Laos USD 4
Latvia USD 60
Lebanon USD 100
Lesotho USD 64
Libya USD 26
Liechtenstein USD 68
Lithuania USD 60
Luxembourg USD 88
Madagascar USD 3
Malawi USD 39
Malaysia USD 6
Maldives USD 2
Malta USD 26
Marshall Islands USD 65
Mauritania USD 58
Mauritius USD 2
Mexico USD 32
Moldova USD 60
Monaco USD 2
Mongolia USD 26
Morocco USD 89
Mozambique USD 50
Myanmar USD 2
Namibia USD 66
Nauru USD 4
Nepal USD 39
Netherlands USD 88
New Zealand USD 2
Nicaragua USD 2
North Korea USD 46
Norway USD 4
Oman USD 46
Pakistan USD 68
Palau USD 3
Palestine USD 100
Panama USD 2
Papua New Guinea USD 2
Paraguay USD 2
Peru USD 2
Philippines USD 39
Poland USD 51
Portugal USD 73
Qatar USD 4
Romania USD 100
Russia USD 84
Rwanda USD 4
Saint Lucia USD 19
Samoa USD 3
San Marino USD 3
Saudi Arabia USD 46
Serbia USD 50
Seychelles USD 4
Slovakia USD 50
Slovenia USD 50
Solomon Islands USD 2
Somalia USD 3
South Africa USD 58
South Korea USD 30
Spain USD 88
Sri Lanka USD 40
Sudan USD 2
Suriname USD 40
Swaziland USD 58
Sweden USD 78
Switzerland USD 68
Syria USD 46
Taiwan USD 50
Tajikistan USD 68
Tanzania USD 29
Thailand USD 14
Timor-Leste USD 68
Tonga USD 64
Tunisia USD 32
Turkey USD 32
Turkmenistan USD 60
Tuvalu USD 3
Uganda USD 2
Ukraine USD 52
United Arab Emirates USD 150
Uruguay USD 60
Uzbekistan USD 60
Vanuatu USD 3
Vatican USD 88
Venezuela USD 50
Vietnam USD 68
Western Sahara USD 2
Yemen USD 46
Zambia USD 6
Zimbabwe USD 50
VACCINES NEEDED WHEN VISITING NIGERIA
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is often required for a foreign visitor who is travelling from or transiting through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission.
Yellow fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by a certain type of infected mosquitoes. The disease is similar to malaria, but patients become severely jaundiced (a yellow colouring which gives the disease its name). Yellow fever is endemic in tropical areas of Africa and Central and South America.
A yellow fever certificate is valid 10 days after the vaccination is administered, making it important to get the vaccination in time before leaving for Nigeria. You may be refused entry if you leave it too late and arrive in Nigeria within the 10-day waiting period.
OTHER SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS WHEN VISITING NIGERIA
VISITING NIGERIA WITH MINORS
If you are travelling to Nigeria with a minor, you should take note that there may be the following additional documents you will need per child:
- There must be a complete certified copy of their birth certificate.
- If the child is only traveling with one parent, a letter of consent or affidavit from the other parent consenting to such travel is required.
- If the child is traveling alone then a letter of consent or affidavit from both parents consenting to such travel is required.
WHAT HAPPENS IF ONE OVERSTAYS ON A VISA IN NIGERIA
Foreign visitors who overstay on a visa are normally declared ‘undesirable persons’ and may incur a ban from Nigeria for a time period, which prevents them from applying for a visa and re-entering Nigeria for a prescribed period of time.
You may also be charged a fine for each day that you overstay on your visa. There may even be legal action taken against you, it is highly recommended that you extend your visa well in advance.
Individuals who have been affected by the overstay visa regulations of a country can usually lodge a visa overstay appeal.
Nigeria has set severe penalties for visa defaulters. Anyone who overstays for a period exceeding 180 days, but not beyond 365 days would pay USD 2000 or its equivalent and those who stay in the country without authorisation would pay a penalty of USD 4000.
ENJOY A SAFE HOLIDAY IN NIGERIA WITH A REPUTABLE TOUR OPERATOR
MoAfrika Tours is a leading tour operator in South Africa that offers an outstanding selection of tours to Nigeria. We have a close association with the most reputable tour operators in Nigeria who make safety a priority.
