Do I Need a Visa to Visit Nigeria – Are you a foreigner looking to come to Nigeria on a business trip? Are you looking for information on the list of countries that it citizens can visit Nigeria without a Visa? Looking for Visa on arrival countries? And you have been searching the Internet moving from one blog to another but yet to get Accurate information?
Worry no more as Fastlagos is here to provide with all information you need to know concerning this, We are not here to brag but trust us we are here to provide you with all you need to know about Countries that can visit Nigeria without a visa and other queries that might be attached to it.
Do I Need a Visa to Visit Nigeria?
I can’t give you a direct answer to that.
Why?
The reason is that we have countries that can visit Nigeria without a visa, Countries that can visit Nigeria with arrival options, and those that need to have their visa with them before departing from their country of residence.
In other to make things easier to comprehend, below is a list of Countries that can visit Nigeria without a Visa.
In total we have 17 countries that can visit Nigeria with no Visa:
- Burkina Faso
- Chad
- Benin
- Guinea
- Togo
- Senegal
- Liberia
- Cameroon
- Cote’ d’ Voire
- The Gambia
- Guinea – Bissau
- Cape Verde
- Mali
- Seychelles
- Niger
- Sierra Leone
- Ghana
From the list above, we can deduce that countries that fall into the category of countries that can visit Nigeria without a visa are West African countries. It is so because of the agreement signed in the year 1990 by the Presidents and Head of State of West Africa countries. This was done in other to foster the relationship and ease of movement among member states.
So if your country of citizenship belongs to any of the countries listed here, FastLagos says congrats to you.
To keep the long story short, Visitors coming to Nigeria for any purpose whatsoever need a visa unless they are from one of the visa-exempt countries.
Don’t give up yet you can easily get a Nigerian Visa for yourself by following the steps below.
How to Get a Visa to visit Nigeria in 2023
Here I will provide you with all you need to know on the application for Nigeria Visa from anywhere in the world.
Before then you need to know the type of Visa so you can know what to choose.
Types of Nigeria Visa
1. Tourist or Visitor Visa
Nigeria Tourist visa is valid for a maximum of three months(90 days). To apply for a tourist Visa below are materials you will need:
- Your country of citizenship passport must be valid for a minimum of six months from the scheduled expiring date of the visa.
- A completed visa application form
- Two recent passports must not be more than three months.
- A letter of invitation from a company/ individual in Nigeria accepting your Immigration.
- Proof of sufficient funds that can cover your expenses during your stay in Nigeria.
- A receipt showing proof of payment of Nigeria Immigration service fee and Visa Acknowledgement receipt.
- Confirmed return ticket.
Notice: Individuals applying for Tourist Visa need evidence of a hotel reservation while individuals applying for seeking visiting family evidence of the address of the host/hotel reservation.
2. Business Visa
This type of visa is for those attending meetings, business activities, or conferences in Nigeria. The conditions of the Tourist visa are the same as that of a Business Visa, the only difference is that a Business visa needs no letter of Invitation, but an applicant applying for a business visa shows evidence of funds that can cover his/her expenses.
3. Temporary Work Permit
Are you applying for a temporary work permit in Nigeria? If yes below are a list of what you will need:
- A passport with a maximum of six years validity
- Two recent passport photographs
- A copy of the Letter of approval from the CG, Nigeria Immigration Service.
- A printed copy of the completed application form
4. Diplomatic Visa
Diplomatic visa is for VIPs like Head of State and their families, Top Government officials and families, A diplomats and Holders of United Nations passport.
Who are the people that are eligible for this type of visa
From the above: Head of state and families, High ranking officials, and Holders of United Nations diplomatic passport.
Steps on applying for Nigeria Visa Online
Doing almost everything online is now coming to fruition and the authorities that are in charge of granting visas in Nigeria are not lagging as well. Follow the steps below to apply for your Visa from the fours corners of your room and office.
This section will be categories as listed below:
- How to apply for Nigeria Tourist Visa
- Guides on an application for Nigeria Business Visa
- Tips on Application for Nigeria Transit Visa
- How to apply for a temporary work permit (TWP) in Nigeria
How to apply for Nigeria Tourist Visa
- Visit the link here to complete online Visa registration and print the completed form.
- Click here to pay your fees
- Affix your passport photographs to the printed form from step 1 and submit through any of the options below:
- Via post to the embassy of Nigeria where the applicant is a resident.
- At a designated Application place if applicable.
- In-person to the embassy of Nigeria/consulate where the applicant is a citizen.
Note that you might be invited for an interview if need be.
How to Apply for Business Visa in Nigeria
- Follow the procedures as indicated in How to apply for a Nigeria tourist Visa.
Who are those eligible for this Visa?
Visa that falls into this category is for foreigners visiting Nigeria for Marketing, sales, Job Interviews, Researchers, Crew members, Staff of NGOs, Trade Fairs, and Seminars.
So the next thing on the list is How long does it cost to get Nigeria Visa?
How long does it take to get a Nigeria Visa?
The timeline for each Visa verification varies. So what are they?
- Temporary Work Permit – Maximum of 48 hours from the time of application.
- Transit Visa – It will take 2-3 working days from the day you applied for the visa.
- Business Visa – It will take 2-3 working days from the day of application before you could be granted a visa.
- Tourist Visa – Granting of tourist visas will take 2-3 working days.
- Diplomatic Visa – Granting of a diplomatic visa will take 2-3 working days.
So what is next?
The next section will be on Can I get a Nigeria visa on arrival and How much does it cost to get a Nigeria Visa?
How much does it cost to get Nigeria Visa?
Cost of getting a Nigeria visa for countries differs. For example, the cost of getting a Nigeria visa as a resident of Andorra is different from that of Australia.
So if you are looking for more information on the fee for Nigeria visa application, kindly visit here.
Can I get Nigeria Visa on arrival?
In short Visa on arrival mean that you will need to stand at the counter to apply and pay for a visa, which will be pasted on your passport at the point of entry before you can be allowed to proceed to immigration.
If your country is not of the countries that need no visa before they can visit Nigeria, this is another option for you.
To clarify your curiosity “Yes” you can and Travelguidea will show you how to go about it. That is to say, we are always here for you on topics related to traveling, Resort, and many more.
Nigeria Entry visa on Arrival Process
Here we have two processes when it comes to applying for Visa on arrival
Option 1.
Applying through a Visa agent in Nigeria.
This is the best option that we will advise you to go for. All you need to do before departing from your country of residence is to send all the necessary documentation to the agent and they will handle the rest for you. If you are considering making use of an agent below is a list of information that will be needed to apply on your behalf.
-
- Full Name
- Nationality
- Scanned copy of your biodata section of your International Passport
- Your purpose of visit
- The proposed date of departure
- Which of the Nigeria international Airport will you be landing
- Hotel Reservation
- Email address of the applicant
- The proposed airline, that is if you know it
The agent that will be filling for the visa on your behalf will be attaching the following papers to support your claim.
- Details of the Hotels made on your behalf
- Scanned copy of your International passport biodata page
- Copy of Return ticket
We strongly recommend that you make use of option #1 as it will save you from stress.
At Arrival in Nigeria
You have to contact your agent to do the difficult part of a deal for you, the rest is meant to be done by you. At your arrival at the airport you need to provide the following in hard copy:
-
- Letter of Visa approval
- Confirmed return flight ticket
- 2 recent passport photograph
- Valid international passports which must be valid for 5-6 months
How to Pay for Nigeria Visa on Arrival
In addition to all, you have read here. Payment for Nigeria visa on arrival can be done using American Express, Visa, and Master Cards.
Option 2
Applying through Mail
We are in the digital age you can easily write an application letter to the CG of Immigration with the following details:
- Name of applicant
- Country of citizenship
- Proposes airport of landing
- Hotel Reservation details
To not waste our time forward the same details as indicated in Step #1 to the CG of immigration.
How to Pay for Nigeria Visa on Arrival
Below are instructions on how to make an online payment
- Go to the official website of Nigeria Immigration Service or click this link https://portal.immigration.gov.ng/visa/freshVisa
- On the next page where you will be taken to, you will need to indicate the country you are traveling from to Nigeria. After that, you are expected to click on the Start Application button.
- Now all you need to do is fill in the right information into those boxed and make sure you follow all instructions given to you.
- Then click on Proceed to payment button.
Note: That you pay for the visa does not mean you will be given a visa automatically, your application will go through scrutiny then they make a decision.
Does my Baby need a Visa to travel to Nigeria
Does the infant need a visa to visit Nigeria?
Yes, an infant needs a visa before they can travel to Nigeria. With the increase in Child trafficking around the world getting a visa for an infant is challenging and you also need to deal with deciding whether you should go for a flight package for the whole family.
Here you will learn more about Nigerian visas for infants and how you can get them. Most of the process can be done online and the presence of you and your child will be needed.
Below are what you will need to get a Nigeria newborn visa
- You will need to get and sign the original passport for your baby. The passport should be valid for at least 5-6 months or beyond the period you will be staying in Nigeria. Also, ensure that the passport has one blank page since that is where the official Nigeria visa stamp will be pasted.
- Two copies of your child visa application form. You can apply for the visa online and also note that you will need two printed copies if you applied online.
- Letter of consent signed by the two parents of the infants, which must tally with the parents’ signatures on the passports and the birth certificates. If in case the child is in hands of a single parent, a legal document asserting this must be provided.
- Furthermore, the embassy will need you to provide them with the birth certificate of the infant. This can be presented to them physically or submitted through the online portal.
Other things you should know when applying for a Nigeria child visa
- You must have chosen a consulate where the application form will be sent to. This is a place you must have selected when applying for the child visa.
- If you are making use of an online payment method in applying for the visa, make sure to attach the payment receipt on your application form.
- You will need to provide a letter of invitation to Nigeria. The letter needs to indicate the duration of the infant stay in Nigeria and address or Hotel reservations as the case may be.
- You will need to present soft copies of your flight documents along with the baby air ticket.
- Two recent passport-sized photographs.
In addition, you need to have your internal certificate of vaccination against yellow fever. It will take a maximum of ten days before the visa can be approved.
Do you have anything you call our attention to or any complaint on Do I Need a Visa to Visit Nigeria? Make use of the comment box.