The Federal Government of Nigeria has issued a final warning to all foreigners residing in the country with expired visas, granting a three-month grace period—effective from May 1 to August 1, 2025—to voluntarily exit the country and avoid harsh penalties.
In an official statement released in Abuja on Friday, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) spokesperson ACI Akinsola Akinlabi announced, “The Nigeria Immigration Service wishes to further inform the general public that a window period of three months…shall be granted to allow foreigners residing in Nigeria with expired visas to return to their home country voluntarily without penalty.”
From August 2, 2025, stricter penalties will apply, including a permanent entry ban for foreigners who overstay their visas by more than one year. This update replaces the previously announced 10-year ban for the same offense.
As part of Nigeria’s updated Visa Policy 2025, the government outlines the following penalties for visa overstays (effective September 1, 2025):
•Daily overstay fine: $15 per day
•Overstay of 3 months or more: $15/day + 5-year entry ban
•Overstay of 1 year or more: $15/day + permanent blacklisting
The revised policy also includes the full rollout of the e-Visa Application System and the Automated Landing and Exit Card, effective May 1, 2025. The e-Visa replaces the Visa on Arrival scheme, which will officially end on May 30, 2025. All visa applications will now be processed entirely online within 48 hours. Thirteen visa categories under the Short Visit Visa (SVV) are available on the portal evisa.immigration.gov.ng.
Additionally, the NIS confirmed that manual immigration forms have been discontinued. All inbound non-Nigerian passengers must now complete the electronic landing card online before boarding, while all outbound passengers must fill out the exit card before departure at lecard.immigration.gov.ng. The system is linked to visa records and will automatically trigger penalties for violators.
