The Federal Government has announced plans to discontinue the visa-on-arrival policy, citing the need for enhanced security and a more structured immigration process.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made this disclosure in Abuja on Friday, February 21, during the closing ceremony of a capacity-building training for officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). The training focused on advanced passenger information and passenger name record (API/PNR) data for national security and law enforcement purposes.
Tunji-Ojo emphasized that the existing visa-on-arrival system, introduced in 2020, was ineffective and left gaps in national security. Instead, the government will implement landing and exit cards, which visitors must complete before arriving in Nigeria.
“We believe that immigration decisions should be based on objectivity rather than subjectivity,” the minister stated. “Security is not a sector where you can afford to be 99.9 percent correct you have to be 100 percent. That is why we are taking steps to cancel the visa-on-arrival process. We cannot allow individuals to enter our country without prior knowledge of their arrival.”
Explaining the new approach, Tunji-Ojo noted that travelers would be required to fill out landing cards integrated with visa solutions, passport records, and international background-checking systems before entering Nigeria.
He stressed that modern technology would be leveraged to ensure seamless and efficient data collection, eliminating the outdated manual processes currently in use.
“This is 2025, not 1825,” he remarked. “We must embrace technology to strengthen our immigration system. With the new system, we will have real-time access to international security databases, including Interpol and criminal records systems, ensuring no individual can enter the country without thorough screening.”
The minister further expressed concern over the lack of accurate data tracking on foreign entries into Nigeria, vowing that the new reforms would end such irregularities.
“A situation where NIS cannot instantly provide data on the number of foreigners entering Nigeria is unacceptable,” he declared. “A situation where individuals come in, disappear, and become untraceable is unacceptable. We must put an end to the abuse of our immigration policies.”
Tunji-Ojo also criticized the current system that allows foreigners to stay for six months while regularizing their residency, stating that such leniency does not exist in other parts of the world.
“These reforms are not just for Nigeria’s benefit but also to uphold our responsibility in global security and international peace,” he added.
The minister revealed that the implementation of these reforms would commence between March 1 and April 1, marking a significant shift in Nigeria’s immigration policies aimed at enhancing national security and streamlining entry processes.
