FG to Replace Emergency Travel Certificate with Single Travel Emergency Passport for Nigerians Abroad
The Federal Government has unveiled plans to launch the Single Travel Emergency Passport for Nigerians abroad.
The new document will replace the Emergency Travel Certificate and allow one-time entry into Nigeria.
The Federal Government has announced plans to introduce the Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP), a new temporary travel document designed to replace the current Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) for Nigerians overseas.
Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nanna Nandap, revealed the initiative during the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Khartoum, Rabat, and Niamey Processes, co-hosted by Nigeria and France in Abuja.
According to NIS spokesperson ACI Akinsola Akinlabi, Nandap explained that the forthcoming STEP document will serve as a secure and verifiable travel option for Nigerians abroad whose passports have expired, been lost, or stolen. The document will allow holders to return to Nigeria safely and will be valid for a single entry only.
She noted that the STEP initiative forms part of the Immigration Service’s broader reform efforts to strengthen identity management and border governance in line with international best practices. The temporary passport will be issued exclusively at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates worldwide, further reinforcing the agency’s drive for efficient service delivery and enhanced security standards.
The high-level meeting brought together key migration stakeholders from Nigeria and abroad, including representatives from ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), and the European Union (EU). The discussions focused on joint strategies to prevent human trafficking and migrant smuggling across African and European migration routes.
In her keynote address titled “Insights on Prevention and Protection as Strategic Pillars to Effective Law Enforcement and Prosecution Responses: The Nigeria Immigration Service Perspective,” Nandap outlined the NIS’s ongoing reform agenda.
She emphasized that the Service remains committed to combating smuggling, trafficking, and irregular migration through improved border management, better coordination, capacity development, and international cooperation.
