The Turkish Embassy in Nigeria has addressed recent reports regarding a supposed visa ban on Nigerian passport holders, clarifying that no such ban is in place. However, the embassy noted that e-visa issuance for Nigerians has been temporarily suspended.
This statement comes amid reports of Nigeria facing various travel restrictions from countries such as Ethiopia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, which have cited issues such as expired visas and irregular migration. The Nigerian government has taken steps to address these concerns, including working with Turkey to deport 103 Nigerians in a joint effort to tackle migration-related challenges.
The Turkish Embassy in Nigeria on Saturday confirmed that there is no visa ban on Nigerian passport holders, dispelling reports that have raised concern.
Reports surfaced on Thursday suggesting that Ethiopia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates had revoked certain privileges for Nigerian passport holders, such as visa-on-arrival, e-visa, and outright passport issues.
Specifically, Turkey no longer allows Nigerian passport holders to obtain its e-visa, which was previously a seamless process.
Despite these changes, the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Hidayet Bayraktar clarified in a chat with our correspondent that, “There is no visa ban on Nigerian passport holders.
“As it is well-known, if there will be any update regarding rules and procedures of the policies and practices of any country, these updates are officially notified to the respective foreign ministries, and statements/announcements are issued by the embassies.”
Visa applications are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, the secretary explained, addressing specific instances where applicants faced rejections.
“While every application has been considered as case by case, for an applicant who has previously been denied a visa, (if there is not any fraud or forged documents detected) he/she should correct the mistakes that have been made in his/her initial application and try to improve the quality of his/her application. Besides, he/she should update the documentation and refrain from supplying old versions of required supporting documents,” Bayraktar added.
