Nigerian Passport Collection Process

Watch the tracking portal at track.immigration.gov.ng for your application. When the status moves to Produced, the passport has been printed and is ready for collection at your chosen centre. Missions abroad that offer postal return move the booklet from Produced to courier transit; check email and the mission's notice boards for the exact handoff.

Once Produced appears, go promptly. There is no fixed deadline, and NIS does not destroy uncollected passports, but older booklets are sometimes moved to archived storage that requires staff retrieval and adds days to the collection day. For the full set of status meanings, see how to check passport status.

You are not required to collect in person at most NIS centres inside Nigeria. A proxy can collect with three things in hand:

• A signed authorisation letter from you, naming the proxy by full name and matching the ID they will present at the centre.
• A photocopy of your government-issued ID stapled to the authorisation letter.
• The proxy's own valid ID — driver's licence, voter card, NIN slip with photo, or a current Nigerian passport.

The proxy also needs your acknowledgement or pickup slip. The centre keeps the authorisation letter for the file. A few missions abroad require the applicant to attend in person and do not accept proxies; check the mission's collection notice before sending anyone else.

Diaspora missions handle the last step differently from NIS centres inside Nigeria.

For courier-return cases, the mission moves the passport to dispatch as the final step. Tracking shifts from the NIS portal to the courier's own system at that point. Allow a few business days between Produced and the courier handoff.

NIS has confirmed publicly that uncollected passports are not destroyed. They remain the property of the Federal Government and stay available for collection at the issuing centre. As of 2022 the agency reported over 250,000 uncollected booklets nationwide; the figure has been climbing since.

That said, collection becomes harder the longer you leave it.

• Within the first few months: the passport is in the centre's active rack. Walk in with the acknowledgement slip, ID, and old passport (where applicable), and collect within an hour at most.
• After several months: the booklet may be moved to the centre's archive store. Retrieval can take a day or two and may require you to come back.
• A year or more later: the booklet is still yours, but retrieving it usually requires opening a support ticket with the centre's reception in advance of your visit. Bring proof of identity matching the original application.

There is no separate "re-collection fee" — the booklet was paid for at application. But your time cost rises, and the longer you leave it, the higher the chance a routine check finds an inconsistency that needs to be resolved before handover.

The collection step itself is short.

1. Queue at the collection desk — separate from the application and biometric queues. Most centres have signage; ask reception if not.
2. Hand over the acknowledgement slip and ID. The officer pulls your file and confirms identity against the photograph and biometric record.
3. The old passport is cancelled, where applicable. Most centres punch the data page or apply a cancelled stamp. For lost or damaged cases, this step does not apply.
4. Sign for the booklet. The officer hands you the new passport and a receipt to sign. Check the data page in front of the officer before you leave — name, date of birth, photograph, validity dates. Errors are easier to fix at the counter than after you leave.
5. Leave with both passports (new + cancelled old) where applicable. Valid visas in the old passport can be carried alongside the new one; see can I renew passport before expiry for how border officers handle this.