Are you a business man looking to visit Nigeria on a short trip or coming to Nigeria for holiday? But you’ve been applying for Nigeria visa through the E-visa platform but you’re getting no reply or you’re getting rejected or the platform is not even loading for you to submit your application.
In this article, we’ve got you covered because we are going to explain some potential causes for delays, rejection and portal loading errors in your case. So, without much ado, let’s go straight into the primary reasons of this article.
Why are there delays in Nigeria E-visa processing
1. Processing Backlog
In a rare situation where there are high volumes of E-visa application submissions, gradual or slow processing could occurred. Like I said, “in a rare situation”. The slow processing time usually happens during peak travel seasons or when the immigration system is understaffed.
2. Verification Delays
On a norms, it usually takes 2 to 5 business days to review your E-visa application and decide on their decisions. However, Nigerian immigration authorities cannot be predicted. It may also take additional time to verify the information provided in your application. This could include checks on your personal details, supporting documents, or payment confirmation.
3. Technical Issues/Website Glitches
If the Nigeria E-visa portal/website, this can be due to technical errors causing glitches on the website. Furthermore, the glitches or errors could delay the update of application statuses. If payment or documents were not registered correctly in their system, it could halt processing.
4. Unpaid Loan or Debt Affect Visa Application
This is not only applicable to Nigeria’s Visa, other countries also implement this factor to halt repayment of all loans and debts before the individual leaves the country. So, if your E-visa applications are getting rejected, check your credit bureau platforms, it might be due to default on loans.
5. Systematic Delays for Certain Nationalities
This not about loans or technical glitches. Although Nationalities like Lithuanian passport holders are eligible for the e-Visa, but there may be internal policies or manual reviews for applications from certain regions, which could prolong the process.
6. Holidays and Administrative Closures
Nigerians working under government value their free time from work. During those periods, you can never see them attend to any work issues. So, Holidays like local holidays, weekends, or temporary office closures in Nigeria could also contribute to delays, especially if your application coincided with such a period.
What you should do
If your E-visa application is in pending state for more than two weeks, here are steps you should take:
- Check your spam folder as your visa approval or rejection might has been delivered to junks folder.
- Double-check that your payment was processed correctly and linked to your application.
- Contact the Nigeria E-visa team through the contact information provided on the immigration website.
- Be patient and monitor wisely. Sometimes applications are approved without status updates, and the e-Visa approval might arrive closer to your travel date.
- Check reviews and reports from other travelers. You can look for recent experiences shared by travelers from your country or other countries to see if delays are common at this time.
If you’re still unable to get an update after contacting them, consider escalating your inquiry or reaching out to the Nigerian embassy for further assistance.
