Perhaps you intend to spend your next holiday touring across Nigeria. Or you wish to taste the pleasures and warmth of the famous Giant of Africa. The country and its genial people are some of the best neighbors and well-wishers you can ever have. But of course we know that your travel documents need to be up-to-date and intact – including your tourist visa. Here is a guide on how to get a tourist visa for Nigeria, before you ever embark on visiting the country.
Obtaining a visa is a necessity for every visiting foreigner (besides having your updated international passport and paying for your flight ticket). Visas are function-specific documents granted to travelers, and they are of several types (depending on your mission). Thus you need to get a tourist visa for Nigeria within at least 14 days (or more) to your date of arrival in Nigeria. That is, if you intend to visit Nigeria to satisfy your curiosity and/or go on a pleasure ride.
Requirements to Get a Tourist Visa for Nigeria
Tourist visas are sometimes referred to as visitor’s visa, temporary stay visa, or travel visa (depending on the preferred term used in each country). The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is the government outfit responsible for issuing all types of visas in Nigeria. It is now commonly done online (hence the term e-Visa application).
Generally, you can do that from the comfort of your home. However, it may work out faster if a Nigerian resident is available to assist you. Otherwise you go to the Nigerian Embassy in your country of residence to physically apply for one. You can apply for your Nigerian tourist e-Visa through THIS LINK.
In any case, your completed e-Visa application form needs to be printed out. signed and dated by the applicant (you). Thereafter, it will be necessary to print out the Visa Payment Slip along with the Acknowledgement Slip (to confirm payment). These two slips along with the completed application form, must be submitted at the Nigerian Immigration Department of the Nigerian Embassy.
In general, you are expected to tender the following documents in your application (whether you are using e-Visa or paper/physical procedure):
- Your up-to-date international passport (also issued by the NIS). For clarity, your international passport must bear a validity date of at least 6 months (beginning from your date of arrival in Nigeria).
- A valid proof of your (current) residence, along with the postal code.
- Two recent passport photographs (2X2 inches) with a white background. They must have at least 3 months validity. Your name should be written on the reverse/blank side of each photograph, and with a stamped date.
- Your return flight ticket. It must necessarily show that the date of your departure from Nigeria does not exceed the expiration date of your tourist visa.
- Proof of funds. You must show evidence of having sufficient funds to cover your traveling to and from Nigeria. This should be a photocopy of receipts for buying U.S. Dollars (and any other cash) from the bank.
- An explanation of why you wish to visit Nigeria. This is a self-typed Request Letter addressed to the Nigerian Embassy (or Nigerian High Commission as the case may be). The dates of arrival and departure must be stated therein. Take note that your visa must be purely for tourism purposes; it cannot be applied for any other use. And it can be used only ONCE.
- You may need to present an Invitation Letter written by a Nigerian passport holder (if you do not have a Nigerian passport). It serves the same purpose as the request letter, and it must be signed by you (the invitee). It must clearly state the reason for your visit, and your arrival and departure dates. Additionally, the inviter should be willing to bear the necessary costs linked to your trip into Nigeria.
- You may be required to present photocopies of Yellow Fever Vaccination certificate at the embassy
Application Fees Structure to Get a Tourist Visa for Nigeria
The stipulated application fees for obtaining a tourist visa for Nigeria will be revealed to applicants in the application form. It is a two-in-one payment package which includes:
- the cost of the tourist visa itself; and
- the cost of the processing speed. Processing speed could be any of three types. Starting from the cheapest (and slowest), it could be Standard, Rush, or Super Rush.
You are often allowed to pay the visa application fees using either your PayPal account, or your debit/credit card. But depending on which country you are applying from, you may be given other alternative payment options. If you are applying online, you should also be prepared to pay for the cost of courier services. This will ensure that the visa Approval Letter you will receive, will be delivered to your homestead directly.
Clearance at the Airport: The Visa Approval Letter
And after a successful tourist visa application, you will receive a visa Arrival Approval Letter. You would also be expected to present the Approval letter (along with all the stated documents above) when you arrive at the airport in Nigeria. This should be done at the ‘Visa on Arrival’ section of the airport – at the port of entry. Your Visa on Arrival will be issued at that point.
Take note that your tourist visa will show the ‘Date of Issuance’, which is the expiry date. This is the last day you are legally allowed to enter (or stay in) Nigeria with that same visa.
Conclusion
We implore you to have a wonderful trip touring through Nigeria and its wonders, by all means. Once you have gotten your travel documents and your tourist visa, you only need to be alert without sacrificing the pleasures of the journey. Let the fun begin.
