• Nigeria to replace Emergency Travel Certificate with Single-Entry Emergency Travel Passport (STEP)
• STEP aids stranded Nigerians abroad; aligns with broader immigration and border control reforms
• Reforms target visa misuse, undocumented migrants, and bolster anti-trafficking efforts
  

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is developing a Single-Entry Emergency Travel Passport (STEP) to replace the current Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC). Comptroller General Kemi Nanna Nandap announced the initiative this week during a policy meeting organized in partnership with the French government.

Nandap explained that the STEP will serve as a temporary travel document for Nigerian citizens abroad whose passports have expired, been lost, or stolen, enabling them to return home safely. The new document is part of broader immigration reforms aimed at strengthening identity management and border control in line with global standards.

Since May 2025, Nigerian authorities have been pursuing wide-ranging immigration reforms focused on expatriate management and the visa system. The measures seek to prevent misuse of expatriate quotas, encourage skills transfer, and streamline immigration procedures through digitization. The reforms also reinforce the fight against human trafficking and migrant smuggling through tighter border control and better-coordinated migration management.

In October, authorities launched nationwide inspections targeting undocumented foreign nationals, particularly those who had overstayed their visas or violated entry conditions. Offenders face sanctions such as overstay fines, deportation, and possible future entry bans. The new STEP will be issued at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad and will be valid for a single entry only.

Lydie Mobio