Renewing a Nigerian passport starts on a website, not in a queue. The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) runs the whole first stage at passport.immigration.gov.ng, before you see an officer.
Choosing a booklet, checking your details and paying all happen here. The office visit comes later, and only for your photo and fingerprints.
Start at the NIS passport portal
Go to passport.immigration.gov.ng and choose "Apply for Renewal/Reissue", not a fresh application. Fresh applications ask for different documents, including a guarantor, that renewal does not need.
Have a working email address ready, plus your current passport. The form uses your data page to pre-fill some fields, so keep it beside you.
Step 1: pick your renewal reason
The portal asks why you are renewing. Yes, whether it has expired or is still valid, and the same form also covers pages that are full, a damaged booklet or a lost one.
Pick the reason that actually fits. A lost passport opens different follow-up questions, so don't choose "damaged" just because it feels close enough to your case.
Step 2: let the portal check your NIN
Next comes your National Identification Number. This step decides whether the rest of the form even opens.
Your NIMC (NIN) record, so the portal compares your name, date of birth and other details against what NIMC already holds. A mismatch here is the most common reason a renewal stalls before it properly starts.
If your NIN record carries an old error, sort that first. Our guide on why your NIN has to match covers what to do when the two records disagree.
Step 3: choose your booklet
NIS prices 32 pages with 5-year validity or 64 pages with 10-year validity. Frequent travellers who fill pages quickly tend to pick the bigger option; occasional travellers usually find the smaller one enough.
Our breakdown of 2026 booklet fees is worth reading before you decide, since the two options carry quite different prices.
Step 4: pay on the portal
Payment happens through the NIS passport portal, not in cash at passport offices. You pick a gateway and a payment mode, and the portal prints an acknowledgement slip once it clears.
Keep that slip somewhere safe. One year from submission, and an old, unused slip can quietly stop being valid.
What happens after you pay
Paying does not reserve your office visit for you. That is a separate step, done on a different part of the portal.
See how to book your NIS passport appointment next, and check what documents to bring before your visit.
Once your details are confirmed, you can also hand the paperwork side to a vetted partner firm through passport renewal on Docufy. The one required office visit for biometrics still needs you in person.
Common mistakes at this stage
- Choosing "fresh application" by mistake, which then asks for documents renewal doesn't require.
- Paying before the NIN comparison screen clears, then finding a mismatch afterwards.
- Losing the acknowledgement slip, which your appointment booking depends on.
Take the portal steps in order, and the rest of the renewal, from booking to collection, moves a lot more smoothly. Our passport hub links every stage in detail.