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As part of a broader review of its immigration policies, the Federal Government on Friday declared its intention to phase out the visa-on-arrival system. The move, according to authorities, aligns with efforts to enhance security and streamline entry procedures for foreign visitors.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the announcement at the closing ceremony of a weeklong capacity-building program for Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) personnel. The event underscored ongoing efforts to enhance border security and streamline immigration policies.
As one of its key strategies, the Nigeria Immigration Service is leveraging capacity-building training to strengthen visitor documentation and improve border control measures.
Introduced in 2020 by the Buhari administration, Nigeria’s visa-on-arrival policy permitted travelers to secure short-stay visas at their point of entry rather than through pre-approval.
According to Tunji-Ojo, the Federal Government would introduce landing and exit cards, which prospective visitors will pre-fill before coming into the country in place of the visa-on-arrival policy.
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He emphasised the need to harmonise the immigration data centre and have integrated solutions for decisions that has to do with migration into Nigeria.
He explained that such harmonisation would make it impossible for approvals to be given without the clearance of Interpol, the criminal records system, and all background-checking agencies in real-time.
“Security is not a sector where you can afford to be 99.9 percent correct. You just have to be 100 percent. We believe that it is better for us to take decisions based on objectivity rather than subjectivity,” Tunji-Ojo said.
“And of course, that will lead to the cancellation of the visa-on-arrival process because the visa-on-arrival we understand is not a system that works, because I don’t expect you to just come into my country without me knowing that you are coming into my country.
“No, it is never done anywhere, and of course, we are also introducing what we call the landing and exit card.
“We do it now, but it is manual. We are not going to be doing that anymore. This is 2025. This is not 1825. So, technology must take its place.”
