Nigerians applying for passports in the United Kingdom have expressed frustration over the compulsory £20 (approximately ₦40,000) postal order charge required by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) office in London.
For applicants reporting a lost passport, the fee rises to £150 (around ₦300,000) per person, in addition to the average £242 currently charged for passport processing in the UK.
According to the Royal Mail in the UK, postal order payments are designated for charity, though the NIS categorizes them as administrative fees.
Investigations by The Guardian reveal that the £20 postal order is a standard payment made to the Nigerian High Commission in the UK for passport renewals and other consular services.
Each applicant is required to purchase a postal order from the Royal Mail, payable to the High Commission, in exchange for a pre-paid voucher that can be verified by the mission.
However, a note on the voucher states that the payment is meant for charity.
A Nigerian resident in London, Henry, criticized what he described as a “rip-off” by Nigerian authorities.
Henry, who recently renewed his 10-year passport for £242 (around ₦500,000), recounted his experience.
“We were also asked to buy a special delivery envelope from the Royal Mail to receive our passports. Nobody is complaining about that because it’s for delivery purposes.
“But what I find unacceptable is the compulsory postal order fee that supposedly goes to charity. Since when did donating to charity become mandatory? I met someone who had lost his passport and was forced to pay £150 before he could even be attended to. That’s extortion. This isn’t required in Nigeria or in other countries,” he lamented.
He urged the Minister of Interior to put an end to the charge, warning that Nigerians in the UK may eventually organize protests to challenge the policy.
Another applicant, Olawale Animashaun, argued that while £20 may seem like a small amount, the accumulated revenue is significant and should be better accounted for.
“The visa processing here is entirely Nigerian—it uses booklets from Nigeria, and the embassy is technically Nigerian territory. So why are Nigerians in the UK being charged so much?
“On average, the NIS handles at least 100 applications daily. If 10 applicants have lost passports, that’s £1,500, and for the rest, £1,800. This translates to £3,300 daily, £10,800 weekly, £37,800 monthly, and £433,800 (₦867 million) annually just from administrative fees! It doesn’t make sense. The fees should be reviewed and reduced.
“If this charge is truly for administrative purposes, why is it not required in Nigeria or other parts of the world? Why is the Nigerian embassy making postal orders mandatory when even the British embassy doesn’t impose such a requirement?”
Attempts to get a response from the Ministry of Interior were unsuccessful, as inquiries sent to the minister’s aides remained unanswered at the time of reporting.
However, an official from the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) defended the £20 fee, stating that it is an administrative charge rather than a donation to charity.
He dismissed allegations that the fee was being diverted, explaining that it was approved for all Nigerian diplomatic missions to help cover operational costs.
“The goal is not revenue generation but ensuring that these centres function efficiently and provide quality services to Nigerians.”
When asked why the charge is separate from passport processing fees and is paid through a third party, the official had no response.
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