The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is introducing a Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP), a new biometric document to replace the ETC, for Nigerians whose passports are expired, lost, or stolen.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced plans to launch a Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP), a new biometric document to replace the current Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC). This move is part of the NIS’s ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening identity management and border governance.
According to PUNCH reporting, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nanna Nandap, disclosed this during the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Khartoum, Rabat, and Niamey Processes held in Abuja.
“The STEP will serve as a temporary travel document for Nigerians abroad whose passports are expired, lost, or stolen, enabling them to return home in a secure and verifiable manner,” Nandap explained.
The STEP is designed to help Nigerians whose passports are expired, lost, or stolen return home securely and verifiably.
She noted that “the travel document will be issued at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad and valid only for single entry, reinforcing the Service’s commitment to efficient service delivery and robust identity protection.”
The meeting, co-hosted by Nigeria and France, focused on strengthening collaboration to combat migrant smuggling and human trafficking. Nandap reaffirmed that the NIS “will continue to align its policies and operations with international standards to ensure safe, orderly, and regular migration across borders.”