BREAKING: Nigerians Using New Passport Must Now Seek NDLEA Approval To Obtain Visa

The Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Harry Purwanto, has revealed that Nigerians with new passports seeking to travel to
the country will need to present a certificate of recommendation from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), among other documents, to process their visas.

Purwanto, who made this disclosure known while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday, said the new visa policy was in line with global measures to promote safety.
According to him, the visa conditionals were reviewed in October 2016.

He, however, said it was easier for those with frequently used passports to get visas.

He explained that applicants seeking to travel to Indonesia also need to be invited or have certain recommendations to visit that country.

The envoy added that the policy had made visa application process for Nigerians “quite tough” but added that it was for the safety of all.

“We (the embassy) could authorise the issuance of visas without having to get in touch with Jakarta; but since October 2016, we have to send visa applications from here to Jakarta for approval.
“We here can make only recommendations on visa applications, especially if applicants have programmes to undertake in Indonesia, but it is at the discretion of authorities in Jakarta to approve the visas that will be issued.

He also said that about 2,000 visas were issued to Nigerians in 2016.

Purwanto also said that in 2015, the embassy issued 2,000 visas.