Applying for a Nigerian passport from outside Nigeria means paying in dollars, on a fee schedule that didn't move when fees inside Nigeria doubled in 2025.
Here's what NIS actually charges, and one discrepancy worth knowing about.
The two diaspora fees
Outside Nigeria, a 32-page, 5-year passport costs $150. A 64-page, 10-year passport costs $230.
Both exclude bank charges, so the amount that actually leaves your account may run slightly higher, depending on your bank and payment method.
These figures cover the booklet only. A guarantor's form, where one applies, and your birth certificate or age declaration are separate matters entirely, arranged the same way as for an application made inside Nigeria.
Why they didn't move with the Nigeria fees
Fees inside Nigeria rose sharply on 1 Sep 2025. NIS was explicit that the diaspora dollar fees stayed as they were, so if you're applying from abroad, that increase doesn't apply to you.
This is easy to miss if you read a general fee announcement aimed mostly at applicants inside Nigeria. Check which fee table actually applies to your application before you pay, and keep your payment receipt regardless, since it's part of your file at your biometric appointment.
A discrepancy worth checking on the portal
Not every published fee table agrees with NIS's own figures. At least one Nigerian mission's page has listed different amounts for the same booklets.
Where that happens, treat NIS's stated figures above as the reference point, and let the payment step on the portal confirm your exact total before you commit to it.
Paying from abroad
Payment still happens through the NIS passport portal, the same one used inside Nigeria. Choose your booklet, then pay online before you book an appointment at your nearest mission.
Nigerians who qualify for a phone-based renewal route pay through a separate app instead, with its own added service fee on top of the booklet cost. That route has its own eligibility rules, which we cover elsewhere on the blog.
Whichever route you use, the payment step comes before any appointment is booked. NIS's portal will not let you reserve a slot on an unpaid application.
What the fee doesn't cover
Like the fees charged inside Nigeria, these figures cover the booklet itself, not courier delivery or any correction you might need later. See what your renewal fee covers for the detail.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the 2025 Nigeria fee rise also applies to applications made abroad.
- Paying against a mission fee table that doesn't match NIS's own figures.
- Forgetting that bank charges sit on top of the quoted fee.
A vetted partner firm can help with the paperwork side of a passport application; payment itself still runs through NIS's own portal or app, wherever you're applying from.