If you are like many Nigerians, you nurture the ambition to travel out of the country. You may find yourself asking how can I apply for a visa in Nigeria? Which is the cheapest country to travel to from Nigeria? And (if by any luck) which European country is visa free to Nigeria? This article answers all the questions that trouble you on how apply for a visa in Nigeria.
Today, majority of the Nigerian population would like to travel out of the country. There is a strong desire to travel abroad for tourism, business, and study. Even more people wish to travel abroad for work or relocate permanently. Do you fit into any of these categories? Read on for tips on how to go about your journey to get a visa and travel out of Nigeria.
#Step 1: Decide country and visa type
First, choose a country to visit and decide what to do there. Choice of country often depends on ease of communication and other social factors. While purpose of visit depends on ambition or where you currently are in life.
There are people whose present stage in life demands the need for more education and capacity to earn more. And there are a few Nigerians who only desire to travel abroad for leisure. They just want to spend a couple of days visiting tourist attractions.
For quick overview, here are the things you can travel abroad for:
- Study: apply for a student visa
- Business: apply for a business/conference visa
- Tourism: apply for a tourist visa
- Work: apply for a work permit
- Childbirth: apply for a tourist visa
- Medical treatment: apply for a tourist visa
Once you decide, take a step further by researching the steps to apply for the visa. Travukwik shares insightful blog posts on how to apply for different visas in Nigeria. We also give visa tips on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms. Ensure you follow us on these platforms for these tips.
#Step 2: Gather your supporting documents
Regardless of the country you wish to visit and the purpose of visit, you must have the visa requirements. These requirements are also the supporting documents. Check out the common supporting documents to apply for a visa in Nigeria, including requirements to travel from Nigeria to USA:
- International passport
- Bank statement of account (three to six months)
- Passport of photographs
- Sponsorship letter/affidavit (if someone will sponsor your trip)
- Completed visa application form
- Appointment confirmation
- Visa fee payment
- Employment letter
- Leave letter
- Hotel booking confirmation from a hotel in the country you plan to visit
- Flight reservation
- Invitation letter from a host or business partner (if applicable)
- Study admission letter (if applying for a student visa)
- Previous academic results and certificates (if applying for student visa)
- Academic transcripts (if applying for student visa)
- Travel insurance
- Proof of social ties (marriage certificate and children’s birth certificate – if applicable)
#Step 3: Book a visa appointment
Many countries (including the US and the UK) demand a visa appointment for visa application. You can book an appointment by visiting the country’s dedicated appointment booking platform for Nigerians online.
In other cases, you may need to book an appointment by sending an email (as it is with Hungary visa application). Other times, you have to make a telephone call (currently applies to Poland visa application).
You can quickly search online (for example, Poland embassy appointment booking for Nigerians) to confirm what you have to do to book an appointment for visa.
If you need any help with this, contact our help line on 090 512 1909.
#Step 4: Attend interview/submit application
There are countries whose visa application excludes visa interviews. You only have to submit your documents to get a visa. Some of them include: South Africa, France, Italy, Spain, and Ireland.
And there are those whose present visa interview process includes visa interview. These include: The US, Germany, and Poland.
Confirm ahead if the country you wish to visit demand interview before granting a visa. This is important, especially when interviews make you uncomfortable.
#Step 5: Wait for embassy decision
On average, a visa application takes 15 working days or one month. A large part of this period is a waiting time when the embassy processes your application.
The embassy staffs run background checks on your supporting documents. They email the bank to confirm originality of account statement. They confirm if you don’t have any incriminating travel records and so on.
Some naïve applicants think that this moment is when they can simply cruise through. But this is not the case. Embassies sometime call applicants during this period to reconfirm the claims of the applicant. For example, an embassy may call to ask what airlines flight reservation you submitted or where you work and what you do. Some embassies may send an email instead and demand additional documents within a specific period.
So while you wait for embassy decision, ensure that your telephone is available and that you check your email inbox as often as possible. In addition, you can track your application online. Your ability to track an application depends on the country you apply to and the visa type.
#Step 6: Track application online
Embassies partner with tech and logistic companies for easy visa applications for applicants across the world. In Nigeria, some companies that have partnered with different embassies are BLS, TLS Contact, and VFS Global. Through these companies, you may track the phase of your visa application online.
This is possible if you apply for visa to UK, France, Italy, South Africa, Spain, and so on.
#Step 7: Retrieve your international passport and supporting documents
After the embassy decides, you can either get your passport by visiting the embassy during their working hours or through a courier services. Either ways, this process is the easiest part of the visa application process.
Additional information to getting a visa to travel out of Nigeria
While the tips above apply to the majority of visas you can get from Nigeria, there are a few exceptions to the rules. For example, when applying for a Kenya E-visa you only need to process this online.
Meanwhile, other some countries also demand even more unique supporting documents. A few of them may ask you to submit confirmed round-trip flight ticket. This emphasizes why you must go the extra mile to verify any update to embassy requirements before investing in a visa application.
Before you begin spending money to apply for a visa in Nigeria, speak to our visa expert on 090 512 1909. Travukwik will help you identify the requirements for your visa application. And help you through the process to successfully get your visa.
FAQs on How to apply for a visa in Nigeria and travel out
- Do you need a visa to leave Nigeria?
You need a visa to leave Nigeria, except if traveling to any of the visa-free countries to Nigerians.
- How many countries are visa free for Nigeria?
Currently, there are 58 countries that Nigerians can visit either without a visa or through E-visas or visa on arrival. This means a Nigerian can gain easy access to any of these countries. They are:
- Antigua and Barbuda (Electronic Entry Visa)
- Barbados (visa not required)
- Benin (visa not required)
- Burkina Faso (visa not required)
- Cambodia (visa on arrival or e-visa)
- Cameroon (visa not required)
- Cape Verde (visa not required)
- Chad (visa not required)
- Comoros (visa on arrival)
- Cook Islands (visa not required)
- Djibouti (e-visa)
- Dominica (visa not required)
- Ethiopia (visa on arrival or e-visa)
- Fiji (visa not required)
- Gabon (e-visa)
- Gambia (visa not required)
- Ghana (visa not required)
- Guinea (visa not required)
- Guinea-Bissau (visa not required)
- Haiti (visa not required)
- Iran (visa on arrival)
- Ivory Coast (visa not required)
- Kenya (e-visa)
- Kyrgyzstan (e-visa)
- Lesotho (e-visa)
- Liberia (visa not required)
- Madagascar (visa on arrival or e-visa)
- Maldives (visa on arrival)
- Mali (visa not required)
- Mauritania (visa on arrival)
- Mauritius (visa on arrival)
- Micronesia (visa not required)
- Montserrat (visa not required)
- Mozambique (visa on arrival)
- Namibia (visa on arrival)
- Niger (visa not required)
- Niue (visa not required)
- Pakistan (e-visa)
- Palau (visa on arrival)
- Rwanda (visa on arrival)
- Saint Kitts and Nevis (Visa not required)
- Samoa (visa on arrival)
- Sao Tome and Principe (e-visa)
- Senegal (visa not required)
- Seychelles (visa on arrival)
- Sierra Leone (visa not required)
- Somalia (Visa not required)
- South Sudan (e-visa)
- St. Helena (e-visa)
- Suriname (e-visa)
- Timor-Leste (Visa not required)
- Togo (visa not required)
- Tuvalu (Visa not required)
- Uganda (visa on arrival or e-visa)
- United Arab Emirates (e-visa)
- Vanuatu (visa not required)
- Zambia (e-visa)
- Zimbabwe (e-visa)
More FAQs on how to apply for a visa in Nigeria and travel out
- Can I travel from Nigeria to USA now 2021?
You can travel from Nigeria to the USA in 2021 as long as you have a valid USA visa.
- How much is visa from Nigeria to USA/how much is us visa fee in Nigeria today?
Visa from Nigeria to USA (USA visa fee) is NGN 67,200
- Which country gives Nigeria visa easily?
Generally, visas to African countries are easier for Nigerians to get. For example, Kenya gives Nigerians visa easily since this is basically an E-visa. And South African visa is relatively easy once you meet visa requirements. Meanwhile, UAE visa is also common to get for Nigerians.
- What are the requirements to travel from Nigeria to USA?
The requirements to travel to the USA include: international passport, bank statement, visa fee receipt, appointment confirmation page, and DS-160 confirmation page.
- How long does it take to get a visa from Nigeria to USA?
It takes between 72 hours and one week to get a visa from Nigeria to the USA. This excludes the time to takes to attend an interview after appointment booking – could take several weeks interval.
- What is the cheapest country to travel to from Nigeria?
The cheapest country to travel to from Nigeria is Benin Republic. Also, it is cheap to visit any of the countries that share borders with Nigeria – Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.
- What is the easiest country to travel to from Nigeria?
This depends largely on interest. Generally, African countries are easier to visit. Outside Africa, the UAE is faster and free to access for a Nigeria
- Which European country is visa free to Nigeria?
None
- Can I get USA visa without interview?
No you can’t get a USA visa without interview.
Finally on how to apply for a visa in Nigeria
While this article covers several aspects of how to apply for a visa in Nigeria, you may need extra support to get a visa. If it is your first time, you may need clarification on documents that apply to you. And how to get these supporting documents.
Speak to travukwik visa expert on 090 512 1909 for support to apply for a visa in Nigeria.
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