There seems to be a rising wave of complaints by foreign travellers over Nigeria’s visa policy, following what many describe as ‘unjustifiably high fees’ and a lack of transparency in the country’s application process abroad.
This is coming against the background of Nigeria’s visa feecurrently between €250 and €300 for applicants in the Netherlands and someother European countries.
A DEVELOPMENT THAT ISBEGINNING TO ATTRACT DIPLOMATIC ATTENTION
A breakdown of the fee obtained by Vanguard’s Consular Hub,shows that travelers pay between €110 and €130 for visa application (dependingon processing class). A total of €90 for biometric enrolment and €60 to €80 inadditional ‘service charges’ paid to third-party agents or Nigerian visaoutsourcing partners.
This puts Nigeria’s visa fee as the most expensive in theWest African region, forcing travelers to seek alternatives.
It would be recalled that travelers in 2015 paid about $132 total for a Nigerian visa, a far cry from the €300 being charged now in manyEuropean locations.
TRAVELLERS ORDEAL
Meanwhile, a Dutch applicant, who spoke exclusively to Consular Hub on the condition ofanonymity, expressed frustration at the total cost.
She said: “I was shocked. Three hundred euros just to visitNigeria? No breakdown, no clarity, just payments and more payments.”
Also, 32-year-old Marieke van Dijk, a Dutch national with alove for African music and spicy foods, outlined her straightforward travelplan, saying that she would simply fly into Lagos for a cultural tour, visit afriend in Abuja, and hop across to Accra and Lomé before heading back toEurope. But her excitement turned into frustration the moment she began thevisa process.
In her words, “Three hundred euros? Just for one entry intoNigeria? That’s more than what I paid for my flight!”
“I had to pay €110 for the visa, then another €90 for biometrics, plus €100 for processing,” Marieke said. “In total, it came to just under €300. And that’s not even express service.”
LOSING GROUND TOGHANA, TOGO
While Nigeria grapples with a complicated visa system, its regional neighbors are quietly improving theirs, and reaping the benefits. For instance, Consular Hub gathered that in Ghana, travelers can obtain a visa on arrival for $150, with pre-approval handled online. While not perfect, the process is morestraightforward and faster than in Nigeria.
In Togo, a country of just over eight million people, thevisa system is almost seamless.
A 7-day e-visa costs €38, while a 30-day multi-entry costs €68. Both can beapplied for entirely online, with visas typically issued within 3 to 5 workingdays.
A Nigerian travel consultant based in Rotterdam, LucasAdetunji, lamented that it is ironic.
He said, “We say we want tourists and investors, but we makethem suffer at the gate. Meanwhile, Ghana and Togo are making it easy.”
THIRD PARTYGATEKEEPERS AND UNCLEAR CHANNELS
Consular hub findings show thatthe most frequent criticism from applicants is the outsourcing of visa servicesto private firms with unclear mandates and inflated costs.
In The Hague, for instance, applicants are required to payseparate fees to an external visa center handling biometric data, a step thathas reportedly added delays and confusion.
An Italian NGO worker who applied in Amsterdam, Lewis Sofia,in a chat with Consular hub said, “Inever entered the Nigerian embassy itself.
“Everything was through a third-party office that lookedlike a travel agency. They asked me to pay €93 in cash. No receipts, noexplanations.”
MINISTRY AWARE OFCOST
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is yet to issue a statementconcerning this development. But a source in the ministry confirmed that thesystem has grown increasingly outdated, burdened by bureaucracy, securityparanoia, and a lack of digital reform.
One senior official, speaking anonymously told Consular hub that, “The visa structureis overdue for review. We are losing goodwill and business. But there’sresistance internally to streamlining things.”
EXPERTS CALL FOR VISA REFORM
With Nigeria seeking to attract foreign investment and grow its tourismsector, stakeholders have raised an alarm over the development, stating that itis time the visa policy matched its ambitions.
A Lagos-based travel consultant, Mrs. Ireti Odu, in a chatsaid, “Our visa system needs a full audit.
“We are shooting ourselves in the foot. If someone has to pay €300 and wait two weeks to visit Nigeria, while they can enter Ghana or Togo faster and cheaper, guess where they’ll go?” Indeed, in an era where global mobility and perception matter, visa policy has become more than a security issue. It is now a tool of economic diplomacy.
