Missing a passport appointment feels worse than it usually is. Your payment is not automatically lost, but it is not automatically fixed either.
Here is what actually happens, and what NIS's own refund policy does and doesn't cover.
There is no reschedule button
NIS's system doesn't offer a one-click "reschedule" option tied to your original booking. Instead, you go back to appointments.immigration.gov.ng/availability and book a fresh slot, the same way you did the first time.
Your original application and payment stay attached to your file. You are not starting the whole renewal over, only picking a new date and centre.
What the refund policy actually covers
This is where people get caught out. Only for a double payment or where no appointment has been booked.
That wording is narrower than most applicants expect. It does not cover a missed appointment, a change of mind about the booklet type, or an application that gets queried after the fact.
Switching booklet types after paying
If you paid for a 32-page booklet and now want the 64-page one, or the other way round, don't expect a refund on the difference. NIS's policy specifically excludes switching between the two as a refundable event.
Think through the booklet choice before you pay, using our breakdown of 2026 booklet fees, rather than after.
Your acknowledgement slip has a shelf life too
A missed appointment sitting unresolved for too long runs into a separate limit. One year from submission, so don't let an old, unbooked application drift for months before returning to it.
When a refund genuinely applies
Refunds are realistic in narrower cases, such as paying twice by mistake, or paying without ever booking an appointment at all. If that's your situation, 21 days from the payment date, with your application ID, payment reference and proof of debit ready.
Approved refunds then take about six weeks to land, according to NIS's own policy.
What to do right now if you missed your slot
Go back to the availability portal, check what dates are open at your centre or a nearby one, and rebook as soon as you can. Bring the same document checklist you would have brought the first time.
If a vetted partner firm is handling your paperwork through passport renewal on Docufy, let them know a slot was missed so the booking side can be picked up again quickly. The visit itself still needs you there.
Common mistakes after a missed appointment
- Assuming a refund is available for a simple missed slot.
- Leaving the application unbooked for so long the acknowledgement slip lapses.
- Paying again from scratch instead of checking whether the original payment still stands.
Our passport hub links the rest of the process, from booking through to collection.