The Federal Government (FG) has approved a three-month grace period for foreigners residing in Nigeria with expired visas to voluntarily exit the country without facing any penalties.
In a statement released by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Public Relations Officer, ACI Akinsola Akinlabi in Abuja on Friday, the Nigeria Immigration Service announced that the window period will run from May 1 to August 1, 2025, after which stricter sanctions will take effect for visa overstayers.
“The Nigeria Immigration Service wishes to further inform the general public that a window period of three months from 1st May to 1st August 2025 shall be granted to allow foreigners residing in Nigeria with expired visas to return to their home country voluntarily without penalty,” he said.
As part of its updated immigration policy, the Federal Government has now revised the penalty structure for visa violations. From August 2, 2025, foreigners who overstay their visas for more than one year will face a permanent entry ban into Nigeria.
“In addition to the introduction of the e-Visa, Nigeria Visa Policy 2025 now makes it mandatory for foreigners who overstay their visas to be liable to the following penalties,” Akinlabi stated.
“Overstay Penalties (Effective from 1st September 2025): $15 per day; 3 months and above: $15/day + 5-year entry ban; and 1 year and above: $15/day + blacklisting (permanent entry ban),” he added.
Previously, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, had hinted at the stricter regime during a meeting with the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) in Lagos, where he disclosed that expatriates who overstay their visas by six months would face a five-year ban, while those exceeding a year would face a 10-year ban, alongside a $15 daily fine from their visa exit date.
In addition to the new overstay rules, the NIS also announced the full rollout of its e-Visa application system and the automated landing and exit card, both of which took effect on May 1, 2025.
“Following the 2024 review of Nigeria’s visa policy, the updated 2025 policy introduces an e-visa system with enhanced security protocols. The e-Visa application process is strictly online from end to end,” Akinlabi explained.
“Processing time for e-Visas will be 48 hours or less. The e-Visa application system introduces 13 visa types of Short Visit Visa (SVV); details can be found on https://evisa.immigration.gov.ng.”
Akinlabi noted that the Visa on Arrival option will be officially discontinued, with already issued visas remaining valid until May 30, 2025.
Additionally, the traditional paper-based embarkation and disembarkation cards have been replaced with a digital version accessible via https://lecard.immigration.gov.ng/.
“For inbound passengers (excluding Nigerians), the landing card must be duly completed online before boarding. For outbound passengers, the exit card must be duly completed online before departure,” he said.
He stressed that the automated system is connected to the Visa Processing Centre and will apply penalties and visa bans automatically where necessary.
