Nigeria Adopts Single-Entry Passport for Emergency Travel

Nigeria is preparing to launch a new Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP), a temporary document that will allow stranded citizens abroad to return home. The initiative was unveiled by Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nanna Nandap, at an international migration forum jointly hosted by Nigeria and France.

The STEP will replace the current Emergency Travel Certificate and will be issued only at authorised Nigerian embassies and consulates. According to NIS spokesman ACI Akinsola Akinlabi, the passport will be valid for one entry into Nigeria, helping to strengthen identity verification and streamline emergency travel procedures.

The announcement formed part of wider conversations at the meeting, which brought together agencies such as NCFRMI, NAPTIP, ECOWAS, AU, and EU representatives to address challenges linked to irregular migration, trafficking, and border security across Africa and Europe.

Nandap stated that the Service is deepening reforms that enhance border governance, expand capacity building, and reinforce cooperation with global partners. She added that Nigeria will continue to align with international standards to promote safer and more orderly migration.