Contactless renewal didn't launch everywhere at once. It rolled out country by country, and it still ends with a physical envelope in the post, not a fully digital finish.
Here's where it's live, what it costs, and the one paper step that remains.
Where it's rolled out, and when
The contactless route started in Canada, then reached Europe on 7 Feb 2025, with the UK as the coordinating centre.
A second phase followed in the United States, Jamaica, Mexico and Brazil. If your country isn't listed here, check the NIS MOBILE app itself, since coverage has kept expanding since launch and NIS hasn't published a schedule for further countries.
The postal step after your biometrics
The in-app part only covers your photo, fingerprints and a liveness check. Once that's done, you post your payment receipt and current passport to the Nigerian embassy in a self-addressed return envelope.
This is the part people most often forget. Finishing your biometrics in the app can feel like the whole job is done, when NIS is still waiting on your envelope.
Use a trackable postal service where you can, and keep proof of postage. A lost envelope is a genuinely awkward problem to fix from abroad.
The service fee on top
Contactless renewal adds a $100 service fee, on top of your usual booklet fee. Our passport fees abroad guide covers what the booklet itself costs.
Budget for both figures together, not just the booklet price you might already know from a previous renewal.
How many applicants have used it
NIS said over 15,000 passports had been issued through the contactless route, as of a September 2025 update addressing payment problems in the app.
That's a meaningful number of successful renewals, though it also came with a public acknowledgement that the payment gateway needed fixing. Early technical issues are worth knowing about if your own payment doesn't go through cleanly on the first attempt.
What to check before you rely on the total
NIS's stated target for this route is 21 days after successful enrolment. Treat that as NIS's own goal, not a fixed promise.
Also check your total cost in the app itself before you pay. Published figures for this route haven't always matched exactly across NIS's own pages, so let the app's payment screen be the final word.
Common mistakes
- Treating your in-app biometrics as the final step, then never posting the envelope.
- Budgeting only for the booklet fee and forgetting the service fee.
- Assuming your country has coverage without checking the current app listing.
Our contactless eligibility guide covers who can use this route at all. A vetted partner firm can help with the paperwork for a standard, embassy-booked passport application; the contactless route itself is self-serve.