The federal government of Nigeria has issued a new warning to foreigners living in the country urging them to leave or face fines, including visa bans and fines, for a three-month grace period.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, May 2, a spokesman for the Nigerian Immigration Agency (NIS), an assistant comptroller of immigrant Akinsola Akinlabi, announced that the window for voluntary departures without penalty will be allowed from 1 May to 1 August 2025. The statement said that Nigeria does not have an expired visa and can voluntarily return to its own country. ”
Starting from August 2, 2025, new law enforcement measures will be taken, including a permanent blacklist of foreigners with visas for more than one year. The announcement follows early comments from Home Minister Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who proposed a five-year expat outlasting visas for six months and a ten-year ban for those covered by one year and a $15 fine per day.
Akinlabi clarified that under the New Nigerian Visa Policy, effective September 1, 2025, the following overdue fines will apply: “Dollar 15 per day, $15 per day, $15 per day, five-year ban on five years and more for the five-year box office, $15 per day, $15 per day, plus a one-year or years of permanent entry ban.”
The government also announced that the fully automated E-VISA application system, which will take effect from 1 May 2025, marks a major overhaul of the country’s immigration process. “The new system allows applicants to process their visas fully online within 48 hours and covers 13 short-term visit visas (SVVs), detailing the official portal of https://evisa.immigration.gov.ng/.”
In addition, traditional manual input and exit cards have been replaced by an automatic landing and exit card system that can be accessed via https://lecard.immigration.gov.ng/. Foreign passengers are now required to complete their landing card online before boarding the inbound flight and exit card before leaving the country. “The system is integrated with the Visa Processing Center to automatically execute applicable fines.”
As of May 1, 2025, production has been officially suspended when it arrived. However, visas issued under the previous system will remain valid until May 30, 2025.
