How Do You Get A Visa To Nigeria?
Intro
Around the world, there are few countries where getting a visa is a bit of a challenge. In my experience, the visa to Nigeria is the second hardest visa to get out of all the countries in Africa. Thankfully, I had a friend who had a friend who had a friend in immigration who managed to sort everything out for me, but it wasn't cheap... Let me explain more...
How I Got A Visa
Due to my late application for a Nigerian visa, I asked my friend if he could set it up. A couple of days later, I received a WhatsApp message from a man explaining that he could have a visa for me by the next day but for a cost. The traditional fee for a Nigerian visa is 160.00 USD, but I ended up paying 400.00 USD for a "business visa." It wasn't cheap, but I had no other choice since I had plans made around that flight to Lagos already.
With that being said, a day later, this was sent to me (for reasons I am not sharing the whole document):
Basically, this document gave me permission to board the plane and get access to the visa upon arrival. Otherwise, I would have either had to go through the online website or, worse, go to the embassy in the USA.
How Do You Get A Visa?
Well, if you don't know anyone in Nigeria and would like to visit, just be aware that getting a visa can be a tedious process. Firstly, there are to different ways to get a visa to Nigeria. For both, you will need:
passport 6+ months validity
2 passport photos
completed application (you will need to print this and sign and date it)
payment acknowledgment
letter of invitation (a hotel should suffice)
inviters passport copy
bank statement of at least $500 ending balance
2 USPS priority express pre-stamped envelopes
The first option is to use the online E-Visa website which you can find here at this link. However, the website is tedious and everything has to be done meticulously and submitted in exactly the right format. For some odd reason, it wouldn't accept my passport photos in anyway, shape of form. I emailed the embassy for help, but no answer (6 months later).
The second option is heading to a Nigerian Embassy in the country where you are located. You must set up an appointment online and proceed to the nearest embassy to have your biometrics taken, as well as the interview done. Be aware that reports in 2024 indicate a turnaround time of around 3 weeks from the time you first visit the embassy. The total cost, including documents and such, comes out to 295$, which is absurdly expensive.
Final Thoughts
If you happen to be planning a trip to Nigeria, make sure you are prepared to go through the tedious visa process. I would try to pull some strings to see if you know anybody in Nigeria, as they can make this process a whole lot easier by doing it on their side. However, if you do not know anyone, try getting a visa through the website, and if that doesn't work, you will have to go to an embassy.
Thankfully, I had someone on the ground in Lagos, where I was able to get a next-day E-Visa on Arrival. For an extra 100$, I am not complaining one bit.
Commenti