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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:
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:
To have a business visa issued to you, you will need the following documents:
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
DRCÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 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:
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.
Copyright © MoAfrika Tours 2024
MoAfrika tours and the Kruger Safari Co. are destination management companies (DMC) and are not entities of the South African National Parks Board (SANparks).