Why we increase passport fee by 45% – Minister Tunji-Ojo

Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has clarified that the 45% increase in international passport fees is a result of the exchange rate between the Naira and the US Dollar.

Speaking during a media briefing in Abuja on Friday, Tunji-Ojo emphasized that the Nigerian government cannot afford to subsidize passport fees for its citizens.

He also noted that the fee hike does not apply to Nigerians living abroad.

Tunji-Ojo said, “The increase in passport fees is a matter of cost-benefit analysis, especially when you consider the exchange rate between the dollar and the naira. If the government were to subsidize anything, I don’t think it should be passports.

“The increase is just from N35,000 to N50,000 — only about 45 percent. There has been no increase in Nigerians abroad.”

His clarification comes as the Nigerian Immigration Service in August 2024 announced an upward review of the Nigerian Standard Passport fees.

According to fee new review, a 32-page passport booklet with five-year validity, previously charged at N35,000, now costs N50,000, while a 64-page passport booklet with 10-year validity, which was N70,000, now costs N100,000.