Nigeria: The procedure for obtaining a passport of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) from within Canada (2012-August 2013)
1. ECOWAS Passport
The website of the Consulate General of Nigeria in New York states that the ECOWAS passport, also known as the "E-passport," is the new standard Nigerian passport (n.d.a). According to Keesing Reference Systems, "Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)" is written on the cover of the Nigerian national passport (n.d.). That source also indicates that the first ECOWAS passport was issued in December 2007 (Keesing n.d.). The ECOWAS passport is valid for five years (ibid.; Nigeria n.d.a). According to the website of the Consulate General of Nigeria in New York, the old version of the Nigerian passport can no longer be renewed, but people who have an old passport that is still valid may use it to travel to Nigeria (ibid.). However, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) requires all Nigerians travelling out of Nigeria to have the new passport (ibid.).
2. Procedure for Obtaining the e-Passport from Within Canada
The website of the Nigeria High Commission in Ottawa states that, to apply for an electronic passport, applicants must complete and print the application form, which is available from the NIS website (Nigeria 14 May 2012). The guidelines on the NIS website state that, after the form is completed, applicants must submit payment online (ibid. n.d.b). The system then generates an interview date, and applicants may print the receipt or an "Acknowledgement Slip," which must be submitted at the interview (ibid.).
According to the website of the Nigeria High Commission in Ottawa, e-passport applicants must show up at the High Commission at the time of the interview with the following documents:
- Duly completed application form and supporting document such as, old Machine Readable Passport (MRP) passport, photocopy of passport data page and one recent Passport-sized Photograph
- Evidence of On-line payment of US$65.00, payment and acknowledgement slip [from the NIS website]
- Self- addressed return envelope (Priority or Express post) for the passport to be mailed within two working days
- Administrative Charge of CAD $30.00 Money Order payable to the Nigeria High Commission. (Nigeria 14 May 2012)
Applicants who are unable to present their old machine-readable passport must also pay a levy of 250 USD, payable to the Nigeria High Commission in Ottawa (ibid.).
For minors under the age of 16 or for infants born in Canada or outside Nigeria, the following documents are also required: a birth certificate, a letter of consent from the parents and a photocopy of the parents' data page (ibid.). Single parents who apply for a child must also submit a notarized letter of sole custody (ibid.).
To replace an e-passport, applicants must send a letter of request to the Minister, along with an "acknowledgement slip" [from the NIS website], two passport photographs, proof of an online payment of 65 USD, and a telephone number where the applicant can be reached during the day (ibid.). In addition, according to the website of the Nigeria High Commission in Ottawa, to replace a lost passport, the applicant must also submit a police report indicating the number of the lost passport and a photocopy of the data page of the passport (ibid.).
For more information on Nigerian e-passports and the procedure for obtaining one from within Canada, please consult the Response to Information Request NGA103976.
3. Incident on 22 August 2013
An article published on the CBC website reports that, on 22 August 2013, a number of people went to the Nigeria High Commission in Ottawa for their scheduled appointments only to discover that the High Commission had closed for the week without notifying them (CBC 22 Aug. 2013). The article states that some of the people had travelled from Calgary and Saskatoon to pick up their passport that day, after receiving instructions to that effect (ibid.). The High Commission subsequently informed the applicants that it would begin to process their applications that day, but that the passports would be sent in the mail later, as the only employees in the office that day did not know how to make the passports (ibid.). An article in the newspaper Nigerian Tribune dated 27 August 2013 reports that an NIS employee apologized to the Nigerians in Canada for the problems with renewing their travel documents.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). 22 August 2013. "Nigeria Commission Working to Resolve Disputes." <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2013/08/22/ottawa-nigerian-high-commission-passports-visas-closed-angry-embassy-rcmp.html> [Accessed 23 Aug. 2013]
Keesing Reference Systems. N.d. "Nigeria: National Passport (ECOWAS)."
Nigeria. 14 May 2012. Nigeria High Commission in Ottawa. "E-Passport." <http://www.nigeriahcottawa.ca/nhc2/index.php/en/consular-section/passport-section/e-passport> [Accessed 13 Aug. 2013]
_____. N.d.a. Consulate General of Nigeria in New York. How to Apply for a Nigerian Passport. <http://www.nigeriahouse.com/documents/NewPassport2012.pdf> [Accessed 26 Aug. 2013]
_____. N.d.b. Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). "Passport Application Guideline(s)." <http://portal.immigration.gov.ng/pages/passportguidelines> [Accessed 13 Aug. 2013]
Nigerian Tribune. 27 August 2013. "Comptroller-General of NIS Apologises to Nigerians in Canada Over Passport." <http://www.tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/news/ item/20126-comptroller-general-of-nis-apologises-to-nigerians-in-canada-over-passport.html> [Accessed 27 Aug. 2013]
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: Attempts to contact representatives at the Nigeria High Commission in Ottawa were unsuccessful. Representatives at the Consulate General of Nigeria in New York were unable to provide information within the time constraints of this Response.
Internet sites, including: Afrik.com; Afrol News; Agence de presse africaine; All Africa; BioLink Solutions; ecoi.net; Economic Community of West African States; The Guardian Nigeria; Jeune Afrique; News Agency of Nigeria; Nigeria – Embassy of the Federal Republic in Washington, Embassy of Nigeria in Berlin, Embassy of Nigeria in Brussels, Embassy of Nigeria in Hungary, Embassy of Nigeria in Rome, Embassy of Nigeria in Spain, Embassy of Nigeria in Sweden, Embassy of Nigeria in Vienna, Nigeria High Commission in London, Nigeria Immigration Service; Proshare Nigeria; United Nations – High Commission for Refugees, Refworld; United States – Department of State.