NIS Sets to Replace Emergency Travel Certificate with Single Travel Emergency Passport

NIS Sets to Replace Emergency Travel Certificate with Single Travel Emergency Passport

By: Michael Mike

The Nigeria Immigration Service is set to introduce a Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) to replace the existing Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC).

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

Nandap, while making the announcement at the meeting, disclosed that the initiative forms part of the Service’s ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening Identity Management and Border Governance frameworks in line with global best practices.

A statement on Wednesday by the spokesman of NIS, Akinsola Akinlabi said the high-level meeting convened critical stakeholders in migration management in Nigeria and abroad including National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internal Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and other Related Matters (NAPTIP), Representatives from ECOWAS, AU, EU, 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 are expired, lost, or 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 valid only for 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.

NIS Sets to Replace Emergency Travel Certificate with Single Travel Emergency Passport