A few months ago, I asked Mofe of Naija Nomads about their local tour plans for next year as I am a huge fan of their tour packages. I recently went for their Mangrove Tour in September and had mega fun. She explained that they were going to focus more on the Green Passport Movement.
So what is the Green Passport Movement? It is a movement to encourage Nigerians to explore the world with our Green Passport whether its to apply for visa or visa free or visa on arrival destinations.
Visa application process for Nigerian passport holders are awfully stressful. My first experience was the United States visa. After all the stress of filling and paying visa fee, then the roller coaster experience of queuing at the embassy and praying to get the visa, I was rejected. Reason – insufficient funds, even though I was earning a good salary in an indigenous oil company. The matter pained me so much. I decided to opt for Dubai, whose visa process was not stressful.
The Nigerian Passport has a bad reputation in the international space. The reason is because some Nigerians both in the country and in diaspora are into illegal activities that bring disrepute to the nation. This has so marred the Green Passport that many Nigerians opt to either seek citizenship from another country or give birth to their children abroad just to ensure their children have dual citizenship. I recently read an article on how highly the Green Passport was recognized back in the 70s and early 80s. Sadness filled me as I read it. We really need to redeem our Green Passport.
VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR NIGERIAN CITIZENS
As of 1 January 2017, Nigerian citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 44 countries and territories, ranking the Nigerian passport 91st in terms of travel freedom (tied with Burundian passport) according to the Henley visa restrictions index. However, where visa-free access is permitted, such access is not necessarily a right, and admission is at the discretion of border enforcement officers. Visitors engaging in activities other than tourism, including unpaid work, may require a visa or work permit (Culled from Wikipedia)
See below the list of the 44 countries and territories:
VISA-ON-ARRIVAL COUNTRIES FOR NIGERIAN CITIZENS
- Bangladesh – 30 days visa on arrival.
- Cambodia – 30 days visa on arrival
- Comoros – Visa on arrival
- Djibouti – Visa on arrival.
- Iran – 30 days visa on arrival
- Kenya – 3 months e-visa on arrival
- Madagascar – 90 days visa on arrival
- Maldives – 30 days visa on arrival
- Mauritania – Visa on arrival.
- Mauritius – 2 weeks visa on arrival
- Micronesia – 30 days visa on arrival
- Mozambique – 30 days visa on arrival
- Nicaragua – 30 days visa on arrival
- Palau – 30 days visa on arrival
- Rwanda – 30 days visa on arrival
- Samoa – 60 days Entry Permit on arrival
- Seychelles – 3 months Visitor’s Permit on arrival
- Somalia – Visa on arrival for 30 days, provided an invitation letter issued by the sponsor has been submitted to the Airport Immigration Department at least 2 days before arrival.
- Tanzania – Visa on arrival
- Timor-Leste – 30 days visa on arrival
- Tuvalu – 1 month visa on arrival
- Uganda – E-visa on arrival
VISA FREE COUNTRIES WITH CONDITIONS FOR NIGERIAN CITIZENS
- Barbados – 6 months visa free entry
- Republic of Benin – 90 days visa free entry
- Cameroon – 90 days visa free entry
- Chad – 3 months visa free entry
- Dominica – 6 months visa free entry
- Fiji Island – 4 months visa free entry
- Haiti – 3 months visa free entry
- Saint Kitts and Nevis – 3 months visa free entry
- Senegal – 90 days visa free entry
- Vanuatu – 30 days visa free entry
VISA FREE COUNTRIES FOR NIGERIAN CITIZENS (NO CONDITIONS)
- Burkina Faso – Visa free entry
- Cape Verde – Visa free entry
- Cote d’Ivoire – Free Visa Entry
- Gambia – Free Visa Entry
- Ghana – Free Visa Entry
- Guinea – Free Visa Entry
- Guinea Bissau – Free Visa Entry
- Liberia – Free Visa Entry
- Mali – Free Visa Entry
- Niger – Free Visa Entry
- Sierra Leone – Free Visa Entry
- Togo – Free Visa Entry
COUNTRIES NIGERIAN CITIZENS CAN VISIT WITH A VALID UNITED STATES (US) VISA
Nigerians with valid US visa can also visit about 17 countries namely:
- Albania
- Belize
- Bermuda
- Costa Rica
- Dominican Republic
- Georgia
- Guam
- Mexico
- Montenegro
- Panama
- Puerto Rico
- Serbia
- South Korea
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- US Virgin Islands
- Jamaica
- Antigua and Barbuda
You can read more details about it on My Choice Vacation.
AFRICA’S TOURISM WITHOUT BOARDERS
The African Union (AU) has been working on making Africa a “continent with seamless borders” by eliminating visa requirements “for all African citizens in all African countries by 2018,” according to the AU’s Agenda 2063. AU e-Passport holders will have visa-free access to any of the 54 AU member states. The aim is to improve intra-Africa travel, trade, and development. This is good news for African Tourists who find visas processing tedious to some African countries.
Some countries like Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola, Namibia and Botswana have partnered and established a ‘Tourism Without Boarders’ initiative to help build their tourism industry. Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) was formed “to sustainably manage the Kavango Zambezi ecosystem, its heritage and cultural resources based on best conservation and tourism models for the socio-economic well-being of the communities and other stakeholders in and around the eco-region through harmonization of policies, strategies and practices.” One of the major constraints for this project was the requirement for tourists to obtain visas specific to each of these countries. The KAZA UNIVISA Project was created to facilitate easy movement for tourists between the Partner Countries, without having to apply for an entry visa into each country. This is a great initiative. Unfortunately, Nigeria is not on the list of eligible countries ‘yet’.