The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has introduced an upgraded passport tracking feature in response to growing public criticism over prolonged delays in passport issuance and collection.
In a statement posted on its official X handle on Thursday, the Service announced the addition of a new status on its tracking platform to improve clarity for applicants.
The update comes amid widespread complaints from Nigerians who reported waiting several months after completing payments and biometric capture.
According to the NIS, the revised system now includes a status labelled “Produced (Passport Produced, Ready for Collection),” aimed at helping applicants clearly determine when their passports are available for physical pickup or courier delivery.
The Service explained that it had observed a significant number of passports already produced but left uncollected, a situation it said contributed to confusion and public dissatisfaction.
The new feature, it noted, would help distinguish between genuine production delays and cases where passports are ready but yet to be retrieved.
The development followed weeks of intense criticism on social media, with applicants alleging systemic bottlenecks and inefficiencies.
Some users reported delays stretching into several months, prompting calls for urgent reforms.
One of the most notable complaints came from investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo, who publicly lamented waiting over six months for his passport renewal after completing all required procedures in July 2025.
His comments drew widespread attention and renewed scrutiny of the passport issuance process.
Responding to the claims, the NIS stated that Soyombo’s passport had already been produced and was ready for delivery, adding that delays can sometimes result from incomplete applications or technical issues on the platform.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of recent increases in passport fees.
The NIS had cited the need to enhance efficiency and document quality when it raised the cost of a 32-page, five-year passport to N100,000, while a 64-page, 10-year passport now costs N200,000.
The Service expressed optimism that the updated tracking system would improve transparency, manage expectations and reduce frustration among passport applicants nationwide.
