The Federal Government has reviewed the visa processes for foreigners
who wish to visit Nigeria for business and tourism purposes, with a view
to removing bureaucratic bottleneck and encouraging business travellers
and tourists, thus giving a boost to the economy.In a statement
issued in Lagos today, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji
Lai Mohammed, said the measures were part of the action plan for the
ease of doing business as well as efforts to boost tourism, within the
overall context of the Administration's economic diversification agenda.
''The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has reviewed the requirements for Nigerian visas to make them more customer friendly, and details of this review are available on the NIS official website, www.immigration.gov.ng.Types of visas currently reviewed include Visa on Arrival (VoA) processes, Business Visas, Tourist Visas and Transit Visas,'' he said.
Lai Mohammed explained that Business
Visas are available for foreign travellers who wish to travel to
Nigeria for Meetings, Conferences, Seminars, Contract Negotiation,
Marketing, Sales, Purchase and distribution of Nigerian Goods, Trade
Fairs, Job Interviews, Training of Nigerians, Emergency/Relief work,
Crew members, Staff of NGOs, Staff of INGOs, Researchers and Musical
Concerts.
He said Tourist Visas are also
available to foreign travelers who wish to visit Nigeria for the purpose
of tourism or to visit family and friends while Nigeria Visa on Arrival
is a class of short visit visa issued at the port of entry, and it is
available to frequently-travelled High-Net-Worth Investors and intending
visitors
who may not be able to obtain visa at the Nigerian Missions/Embassies in their countries of residence due to the absence of a Nigerian mission in those countries or exigencies of urgent business travels.
who may not be able to obtain visa at the Nigerian Missions/Embassies in their countries of residence due to the absence of a Nigerian mission in those countries or exigencies of urgent business travels.
The Minister said other actions that
have been taken by the NIS for the ease of doing business and
facilitation of travelling for Nigerians and foreigners alike include
the harmonization of multiplicity of Airport Arrival and Departure
Form/Cards into a single form for all agencies of government to save
foreign visitors from the current frustrating practice of filling 3
different forms or more and the decentralization of Immigration services
to the State Commands
''Re-issuance of passports for change of names due to marital reasons or lost cases have been decentralized to all State Commands and Foreign Missions to save passport holders from additional costs and inconvenience of travelling to the Service Headquarters in Abuja, while additional 28 offices have been opened for issuance of Residence Permits in Nigeria, bringing the issuance of Combined Expatriate Residence Permit And Aliens Cards (CERPAC) closer to the doorstep of employers of expatriates at all 36 states and FCT,'' he said.
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