UK Passport Fee Backlash Forces Nigeria High Commission to Refund £50

The Nigeria High Commission in the United Kingdom has announced that it will refund £50 to passport applicants who paid a controversial £70 administrative fee during the ongoing Special Passport Intervention Exercise, reducing the charge to the approved £20 standard fee.

The decision follows days of protests and public criticism from Nigerians in the UK, who questioned the legality of the additional charge imposed during the passport renewal and reissuance exercise being conducted in London, Manchester, Cardiff and Aberdeen.

In a public notice issued on Friday, the High Commission said all applicants who had already paid the £70 administrative fee would receive a £50 refund, confirming that £20 remains the only approved administrative charge for the intervention programme.

The mission also distanced itself from reports claiming the £70 fee had received presidential approval.

“Any claim suggesting that an administrative fee of £70 received presidential approval is incorrect. The approved standard administrative charge remains £20,” the High Commission said in its official clarification. Nigeria High Commission London

The controversy began after applicants reported being asked to pay the additional fee on top of the official passport charges set by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). Videos circulating online showed long queues and frustrated applicants at the intervention centres, prompting widespread backlash from members of the Nigerian diaspora.

The Federal Government had earlier denied authorizing any extra administrative charges. The Ministry of Interior and the NIS maintained that applicants were only required to pay the official passport fees, $162 for a five-year passport and $242 for a ten-year passport, alongside applicable bank charges, insisting that no additional payment was mandatory to participate in the exercise.

Despite the rocky start, immigration authorities say the intervention has recorded strong participation. According to the NIS, 1,477 Nigerians were successfully enrolled within the first four days of the exercise, with more than half of the processed passports already produced and dispatched. The high turnout also prompted the extension of the London and Manchester exercise until October 3.

The refund is expected to restore confidence among Nigerian passport applicants abroad while reinforcing the need for transparency in the delivery of consular services. For thousands of Nigerians in the diaspora, the episode has become a reminder that public accountability remains essential, even in overseas government operations.