Nigeria Visa from India

What do we know about Nigeria? Is it just another African country? Well, Nigeria is known for its huge population and the way business can thrive in the country. Nigeria Visa is the base of it. If you need to travel to the country for whatever reason, you will need a visa for Nigeria. The policy is the same in the case of Indian citizens as India is not one of the visa-exempt countries for Nigeria. In this article, you can find out about a Nigeria Visa Guide for Indians in detail.

Why Visa for Nigeria?

Before understanding why do we need this permit, it is essential to understand what it means and what are the benefits. Issuing a Nigeria visa for Indians is a mandatory endorsement. It is issued to the ones willing to travel to the country for a particular reason. It could be for a short term purpose like tourism, a business visit, or visiting friends and family members in the country. It could also be issued for long term purposes such as education, investment or employment.

Types of Nigeria Visa for Indians

There are different kinds of visa for Nigeria that are classified based on certain factors. These can be differentiated as per the purpose of the visit, the duration of stay, validity of the permit, the number of entries permitted and a few others. Some of the common types of short term Nigeria visa are listed as follows:

• Tourist visa: A tourist visa is issued at the time when the traveller is willing to visit the country for tourism. The tourist visa spans for about 3 months and can be extended by paying the renewal fees.
• Business visa: When a business person is travelling to Nigeria for carrying out business-related transactions or making business deals, a business visa is needed for the same. The span for the business visa depends on your purpose of visit.
• Transit visa: A transit visa is a temporary visa that is issued at the time when you are going to have to make a transit stop in the country and travel to another country later.

Nigeria Visa Requirements

The requirements for issuing a Nigeria visa from India will differ as per the type of the permit and the purpose. Although, there are a few requirements that are common for all kinds of permit. They are listed as follows: 

• Original Passport 

• Valid for at least 6 months ahead of the intended date of travel.
• With 2 blank pages for the application of visa stamp.

• Recent photographs as per the specifications 

• 2 in quantity
• Dimensions: 35mm X 45mm
• Coloured copies
• Head - centrally positioned
• Captured within the last 3 months
• White background
• 80% face coverage
• Neutral facial expression
• Glasses - not permitted
• Headgears - only for religious reasons 

• Flight tickets 

• Must be confirmed
• Booked for to and fro journey for short term permit 

• Proof of sufficient funds 

• Bank statement from the past 6 months
• Any other evidence of sufficient funds 

• Proof of accommodation 

• Hotel Reservation
• Invitation letter from the acquaintance/company 

• Certificate of Polio Vaccination (Original)

• Certificate of Yellow Fever Vaccination (Original) 

Applying for Nigeria Visa from India

The process of application to get a visa for Nigeria is mainly offline except for the initial application. Although, before moving on to the application process, you need to ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria. These criteria will differ depending on the type of permit. The application process is given as follows:

1. You can start by visiting the Nigerian embassy website.
2. Fill out the Nigeria visa online application form.
3. Fulfil the online requirements.
4. Pay visa fees online.
5. Cover letter and receipt will be received on your registered email.
6. Submit the visa application form as per the security regulation notices.
7. Submit the signed application form along with the required documents.
8. When the documents are submitted, the candidate has to visit nearby OIS centre for the biometrics when the application form and the documents are being verified by the embassy at the same time.

After the process is complete, the Embassy will process the documents and you will receive your visa for Nigeria within a week. At times, it may take longer even depending on a few parameters which include the workload at the embassy, availability of the staff, type of permit, and others. 

Precautions to be taken at the time of filling out the application form

At the time of filling out the application form, there are a few things that you need to note. Some of the pointers are given as follows:

• Make sure the details in the application form are correct and verifiable.
• The details must match with information in the travel documents.
• Any kind of false or incorrect information may lead to visa rejection.
• Visa rejection can affect future applications to any visa for Nigeria or for any other country.
• Consider acquiring professional assistance from a trusted visa agency.

There is much more to a Nigeria visa for Indians. Even though the article is through, there are a few other things that are important to note when it comes to acquiring a visa for Nigeria. There are various visa agencies in India that can help assist in the process with you having to do the bare minimum. Anyway, Nigeria sure is a place worth the visit. Hope you have a safe and happy journey.