The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Nigeria Immigration Service, has announced a passport intervention exercise for Nigerians in the United Kingdom, with teams scheduled to provide services in London, Manchester, Aberdeen and Cardiff from September 7 to 26, 2026.

The intervention follows a directive from Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and consultations involving the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigerian High Commission and representatives of Nigerian communities in the UK.

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The initiative is intended to bring passport services closer to Nigerians who may otherwise have to travel considerable distances to access assistance.

Under the published schedule, London and Manchester will host the intervention from September 7 to 19, while the team will move to Aberdeen and Cardiff from September 21 to 26.

In London, the exercise will take place at Layali Lounge, Trent Park, Bramley Road, London N14 4UW.

In Manchester, applicants will be attended to at Nigerian House, 23 Platt Lane, Manchester M14 5NE.

The Aberdeen exercise will be held at Hilton Convention Centre, 13 Smithfield Road, Aberdeen AB24 4NR, while the Cardiff exercise will take place at Sophia Gardens, Sophia Walk, Cardiff CF11 9XR.

The Nigeria Immigration Service said the exercise is open to eligible Nigerians seeking new passports, renewing existing passports or resolving pending applications.

Applicants have been advised to complete their applications and make the required payment through the official NIS passport application portal before attending their chosen venue.

Applicants are expected to arrive with their completed application forms, payment slips, appointment slips and a self-addressed return envelope. Nigerians seeking renewal must also bring their current passports.

The Service has issued a particularly important warning for applicants preparing to attend the exercise: cash payments will not be accepted at the venues.

“Applicants who come with cash will not be attended to,” the NIS said in its public announcement.

The requirement is part of the Service’s broader effort to keep passport processing structured around its established online application and payment channels rather than informal or on-site cash transactions.

The intervention is also being positioned as an extension of wider reforms in Nigeria’s passport administration.

The NIS has continued to expand digital services for Nigerians at home and abroad, including its Contactless Biometric Passport Application System.

The Service previously reported that its contactless system had processed and issued more than 15,000 passports to Nigerians abroad, while acknowledging that technical difficulties had affected some users during the system’s rollout.

For Nigerians living in the UK, the physical intervention therefore provides an additional route for dealing with passport matters, particularly for applicants whose cases remain unresolved or who need access to enrolment and renewal services.

The latest announcement builds on an earlier decision by the NIS to deploy a dedicated Passport Intervention Team from its headquarters in Abuja to the UK.

According to reporting on the deployment, the team was intended to process pending applications, enrol new applicants and handle renewals for Nigerians in the diaspora.

The intervention also comes against the backdrop of the NIS’s continuing efforts to increase passport production and reduce delays.

In 2025, the Service announced the opening of an upgraded passport production facility capable of increasing daily production capacity substantially, with the Federal Government describing the investment as part of efforts to eliminate backlogs and improve delivery times.

Passport fees for Nigerians applying from outside the country have also remained distinct from domestic charges.

The NIS announced in August 2025 that diaspora applicants would continue to pay $150 for a 32-page passport with five-year validity and $230 for a 64-page passport with 10-year validity, despite an increase in domestic passport fees.

The Service’s 2026 service-level documentation similarly states that Nigerians in the diaspora are expected to submit applications through the nearest Nigerian embassy, high commission or consulate and appear with their passport booklet where biometric capture is required.

For Nigerians planning to attend the September exercise, the practical message from the authorities is straightforward: complete the application process online, pay through the approved channel, secure an appointment and attend the designated venue with the required documents.

The intervention will run for almost three weeks across the four locations, potentially giving applicants outside London a more accessible opportunity to address passport-related issues without making a separate journey to the capital.

The NIS has also encouraged applicants to cooperate with its officials to ensure that the exercise runs smoothly and orderly.

Its digital passport channels remain available alongside the physical intervention.

For enquiries relating specifically to the London exercise, the Service provided passport.london@immigration.gov.ng and a WhatsApp-only contact number, +234 916 087 8000, in its August 31 announcement.

The Nigeria UK passport intervention ultimately reflects a broader shift towards making consular and immigration services more accessible to Nigerians living abroad.

Rather than concentrating the exercise in London, the decision to include Manchester, Aberdeen and Cardiff gives applicants in different parts of the UK a more practical opportunity to access government services.

With the first sessions scheduled for September 7, Nigerians who intend to use the intervention will need to complete the required online steps before arriving at their selected venue.