Key Points

• NIS passport disruptions are slowing online processing.

• Technical teams are working to resolve NIS passport disruptions.

• Applicants are urged to remain patient during the disruptions.

The Nigeria Immigration Service will temporarily stop offering services on its Passport Digital Platform while it does scheduled system maintenance to make it faster, more reliable, and easier to use. The shutdown, which starts at 12:00 a.m. on December 12 and ends at 6:00 a.m. on December 14, is likely to make it hard for thousands of people in Nigeria and other countries to apply.

Maintenance will stop passport services

The Immigration Service put up a public notice on Friday on X saying that users should expect slow responses, occasional access, or complete downtime during the maintenance period. The Service’s spokesman, ACI AS Akinlabi, signed the announcement, which stressed that the intervention is needed to make the digital passport ecosystem safer and more efficient. The agency also asked people to be patient and said that the two-day event is part of ongoing efforts to make passport and identity services more efficient.

The Service says that technical teams will be working around the clock during the window to make sure that full functionality is restored on time. The agency also said that it is still working to fix the problems that keep causing delays in processing passports and making sure that applicants can get services without any problems.

During an outage, support channels stay open

NIS told users who have problems during the maintenance period to email support@immigration.gov.ng or use its official social media channels, which will still be available during the outage.

The agency also said that it would set up temporary complaint-response channels after its main support accounts on social media were taken down. @InquireAtNaija, @nigimmigration, and @InquireAtNaija_ on X, as well as its Instagram page, will be temporary ways for applicants to get in touch with the agency if they are having trouble with their visa or passport.

Temporary complaint accounts are now available because of growing concerns

The Service said that the temporary channels were set up so that communication with the public could continue without interruption while work continued to fix its main digital support infrastructure. The NIS says that the scheduled maintenance is meant to fix problems with the current platform that have caused users to complain about delays, access failures, and long response times.

The Immigration Service has promised to update its systems more often to keep up with the growing number of people who want to use them as Nigeria continues to push for digital identity and e-passport reforms. The agency said that the most recent maintenance is one of many steps being taken to make the platform better for the millions of Nigerians who use it to get international travel documents.