Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Abuja — The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has rolled out an important update to its international passport tracking system, aimed at improving clarity for applicants and addressing growing public complaints about prolonged processing and uncollected travel documents. The announcement, made on Thursday, January 15, 2026, introduces a new tracking status that clearly indicates when a passport has been produced and is available for pickup.
The newly added status, labelled “PRODUCED (PASSPORT PRODUCED, READY FOR COLLECTION)”, has been integrated into the online tracking platform now accessible to all passport applicants. The feature is designed to inform applicants unambiguously when their passport has been successfully produced and is physically ready for collection at the issuing passport office. This enhancement aims to reduce uncertainty and repeated enquiries by users who had previously struggled to determine the actual stage of their application.
According to the NIS, the update builds on the existing tracking tool, which already provides information on earlier stages of application processing. The new status now helps differentiate between passports still in production and those that have completed production but remain uncollected. It also clarifies progress for applicants awaiting courier delivery — showing which documents have been produced but not yet dispatched.
The development comes in response to increasing complaints from Nigerians who have experienced uncertainty and long waits despite completing payments and biometric enrolment. Social media users and passport applicants have reported situations where applications appeared active in the system for months, only to discover later that their passports had already been produced but not updated as ready for collection.
The Immigration Service said that the decision to implement the new status was taken after observing that hundreds of passports produced each month were left uncollected, contributing to public frustration and pressure on passport office storage capacity. Officials emphasised that clearer communication through the tracking system should encourage prompt collection and reduce administrative bottlenecks.
In a statement accompanying the change, the NIS reiterated its broader commitment to streamlining passport services, strengthening transparency and aligning operations with international best practices. The Service stressed that the update is part of an ongoing effort to modernise passport administration in Nigeria and ensure that applicants have reliable, real-time insights into the status of their travel documents.
Passport services in Nigeria have been under intense public scrutiny in recent months, as applicants increasingly voice dissatisfaction with delays and lack of clear status updates online. In response, the NIS has been enhancing digital platforms and system infrastructure to manage rising demand and reduce processing timelines.
The introduction of the “ready for collection” tracking category aligns with other recent reforms in the sector, including centralised passport production systems capable of producing thousands of passports per day, and efforts to eliminate long backlogs that had dogged the service for years.
Applicants are encouraged to use the official NIS passport tracking portal regularly and to act promptly — either by collecting passports in person or monitoring the status of courier delivery — once the updated status appears. Immigration officials have also urged users to verify their contact information during the application process to ensure they receive timely alerts and minimise delays attributable to outdated records.
The NIS said further enhancements to its online passport system remain in development to make the overall process more efficient, user-friendly and responsive to public expectations.
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