The Nigerian Embassy in Qatar has reduced the turnaround time for passport issuance and renewal to about two weeks following a recent intervention exercise in Doha.

The 10-day exercise, conducted between August 11 and 21, enabled the embassy to process passport applications for 751 Nigerian nationals, comprising 441 applications for five-year passports and 310 for 10-year passports.

The embassy said distribution of the completed passports began on September 18, less than a month after the biometric capture exercise ended.

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Qatar, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, described the development as a major improvement in the mission’s consular services.

He said completing and returning passports within about two weeks of biometric capture demonstrated the embassy’s commitment to improving service delivery and responding to the needs of Nigerians living in Qatar.

Yakubu noted that valid passports were particularly important to Nigerians abroad for international travel, employment, residency and other official requirements.

The embassy said the accelerated processing was introduced in response to rising demand for consular services from Nigeria’s growing expatriate community in Qatar.

It added that the intervention was specifically designed to address passport applications within a dedicated period, with production and distribution subsequently carried out within a shorter timeframe.

The development is expected to reduce waiting periods for Nigerians seeking to obtain or renew passports, particularly those whose travel, employment or residency arrangements depend on valid travel documents.

The exercise formed part of broader efforts by Nigerian diplomatic missions and the Nigeria Immigration Service to improve passport services for citizens living abroad. The NIS said similar interventions in the United States, Canada, Qatar and the United Kingdom had enrolled 8,552 Nigerians.

The embassy said the faster turnaround in Doha reflected its continued focus on making consular services more accessible, efficient and responsive to Nigerians resident in Qatar.