NIS To Replace Emergency Travel Certificate With Single Travel Emergency Passport

The Nigeria Immigration Service plans to introduce a Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) to replace the current Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC).

The announcement was made by Kemi Nandap, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, during the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Khartoum, Rabat, and Niamey Processes, which was organized and co-hosted by Nigeria in collaboration with the Government of France.

Nandap announced at the meeting that the initiative is part of the Service’s ongoing reforms to strengthen Identity Management and Border Governance frameworks, aligning with global best practices.

On Wednesday, Akinsola Akinlabi, the spokesman for the National Immigration Service (NIS), stated that a high-level meeting had been held that brought together key stakeholders in migration management, both in Nigeria and internationally.

The meeting included representatives from the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP), as well as delegates from ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), and various African and European countries.

He disclosed that the meeting seeks to reinforce coordinated prevention, protection, and prosecution responses to Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons across African and European migration routes among participating Migration Agencies, and serving as a platform for sharing best practices, aligning legal frameworks, and fostering inter-agency cooperation, the forum underscored the importance of collective and sustained action in addressing the root causes of irregular migration, dismantling transnational criminal networks, with emphasis on the protection of rights of objects migrants smuggling and victims of human trafficking

Delivering her keynote address titled “Insights on Prevention and Protection as Strategic Pillars to Effective Law Enforcement and Prosecution Responses”, the Nigeria Immigration Service Perspective, the Comptroller-General highlighted part of the Service’s comprehensive reform agenda which also focuses on combating Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking in Persons through enhanced Border Governance, improved Migration Management systems, capacity building, and strengthened international collaboration.

Building on this framework, the CGI explained that the forthcoming Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) will serve as a temporary travel document for Nigerians abroad whose passports have expired, are lost, or have been stolen, enabling them to return home in a secure and verifiable manner. She noted that the travel document will be issued at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad and will be valid only for a single entry, reinforcing the Service’s commitment to efficient service delivery and robust identity protection.

The Comptroller-General reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional and global migration dialogues, emphasizing that the Nigeria Immigration Service will continue to align its policies and operations with international standards to ensure safe, orderly, and regular migration across borders.