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The Nigeria Immigration Service clarified that married women are not required to submit their husband's passport page for passport renewal, debunking recent complaints. The NIS outlined document requirements for name changes due to marriage or divorce and reassured Nigerians of a seamless passport acquisition process.

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has responded to recent complaints from married Nigerian women who claimed they were required to submit their husband's passport page to renew their own. The NIS clarified that there is no such requirement for a married woman to provide her husband's passport page for passport renewal. The agency stressed that the process for renewing an individual’s passport is based on their identity documents, and claims to the contrary are incorrect.

However, the NIS outlined specific scenarios where a married woman may need to submit her husband's passport data page. For example, if a woman changes her name due to marriage and wants to update her passport, she will need several documents, including her marriage certificate, the husband's passport data page or National Identification Number (NIN) slip, and a newspaper publication of the name change. Similarly, a divorced woman seeking to revert to her maiden name must submit documents like the Decree Absolute, a newspaper publication, and her husband’s passport data page.

For parents applying for passports for their children, they must provide their passport data pages and a consent letter. However, if a married woman is not changing her name, the only required documents are her expired passport data page, NIN slip, local government certificate of origin, and birth certificate.

The NIS has reassured Nigerians that all passport applications have clear requirements, and it encourages individuals to verify information through official channels to avoid confusion. The service remains committed to ensuring a seamless passport acquisition process and quality service delivery.