Nigerians Spend N75bn Yearly On Visa Applications, Lose N19bn To Schengen Rejections

Nigerians spend an estimated N75 billion annually on visa application expenses, while rejected Schengen visa applications reportedly cost them about N19 billion in 2025, prompting experts to call on the federal government to negotiate fairer visa arrangements and seek refunds for unsuccessful applications.

The figures highlight the growing financial burden on Nigerians seeking to travel abroad, particularly as visa fees are generally non-refundable even when applications are rejected.

The N19 billion figure represents an estimated €11.5 million attributed to rejected Schengen visa applications in 2025, according to a report published by a Nigerian media platform on Sunday, citing a visa-cost analysis attributed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The report also indicated that only about one in four visa applications was approved during the period under review, although the figures provided did not clearly establish whether this approval rate applied to all destinations or only selected countries.

Beyond official visa fees, applicants incur additional expenses on visa application centre charges, medical insurance, hotel reservations, flight bookings and other documentation requirements.

According to the report, the total cost of an unsuccessful application could range from N350,000 to N1.2 million, depending on the destination and services required.

Countries including Canada, Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States were identified among destinations where Nigerians face significant visa application hurdles. Japan and some African countries were also cited over rising fees or stringent application requirements.

“All major embassies collect fees before approval and it is non-refundable,” the report stated.

The financial exposure has prompted calls for stronger diplomatic engagement by the federal government to address the burden on Nigerian applicants and seek more equitable treatment from foreign missions.

When LEADERSHIP contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday to verify the figures and obtain its position on the diplomatic implications, the ministry’s spokesman, Oluwafemi Adeniyi, was unavailable to respond at the time of filing this report.

However, a source within the ministry, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said Nigeria needed to renegotiate some of its visa agreements to address what he described as the exploitation of its citizens.

The source said the federal government’s response was anchored on three areas: strengthening bilateral engagement and reciprocity, expanding citizen support and pre-verification services, and advocating equitable global mobility.

On bilateral engagement, he said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued to engage partner missions on improved service delivery, processing timelines and transparency.

He added that a periodic Visa Transparency Dashboard would strengthen data-driven diplomacy and provide applicants with better information about visa application outcomes.

On citizen support, the source said the government was building on existing models, including the Petroleum Technology Development Fund sponsorship framework, while expanding advisory services in partnership with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM).

The initiative, he explained, would help applicants identify and correct documentation errors before submitting applications to visa application centres.

The third area involves advocacy for equitable global mobility through multilateral platforms, including the African Union, to push for fairer visa regimes and consideration of partial credit mechanisms for repeat applicants.

“This aligns with broader Global South calls for inclusive and balanced people-to-people exchanges,” the source said.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP on Monday, public intellectual Dr Katch Ononuju attributed the financial losses to the desperation of Nigerians seeking to leave the country amid worsening economic conditions.

He urged Nigerians to confront the challenges at home and work towards addressing the underlying problems rather than relying on migration as an escape route.

Ononuju said the losses were linked to what he described as the “deplorable economic situation in the country with almost no hope,” which he attributed to the alleged massive looting of the economy by government officials.

Although he acknowledged the hardship imposed on visa applicants, he said the federal government should explore diplomatic options to engage the countries concerned and reduce the financial burden on Nigerians.

International constitutional law expert, Livingstone Wechie, described the situation as precarious and perilous, arguing that it portrayed Nigerians and other Africans as global liabilities despite the contributions many make to the economies of their destination countries.

Wechie questioned the scale of visa refusals and the non-refundable nature of application fees, calling for substantial refunds where applications were rejected.

“Obviously, going by the visa-cost analysis, the about sixty per cent visa refusal rate is suspicious because the ‘non-refundable’ visa application fees looks like an extortion in disguise,” he said.

He argued that Nigeria should respond through diplomatic reciprocity to secure fairer treatment for its citizens applying to travel abroad.

“There must be a level of substantial refunds of fees after visa refusal. Nigeria must also reciprocate this type of diplomatic extortionism with a view to balance the treatment in reciprocity,” he added.

Wechie called for decisive government action to cushion the financial losses associated with visa applications, describing the situation as a form of diplomatic capital flight.

He cited India as an example, saying it was reportedly ranked the most expensive destination in the comparison, with a reported visa charge of $588, equivalent to approximately N819,200.

“Where does this keep Nigeria? This burden of financial duress under the guise of visa application fees imposed on Nigerians cannot continue to choke the citizens while the government looks the other way,” he said.

Wechie further described visa application costs ranging from N350,000 to N1.2 million as excessive, urging the government to strengthen domestic economic opportunities and encourage Nigerians to remain in the country.

He called for a “Stay in Nigeria and Prosper” campaign backed by policies that would improve economic opportunities and reduce the desperation to migrate.

“The desperation by Nigerians to exit the country at all costs is a show of government failure in many ways, dating down to too many defunct administrations,” he said.

The report also cited Canada’s immigration rules as a factor in some study-permit refusals, noting that decisions may involve whether applicants would leave the country after completing their studies.

The consideration is associated with Section 216(1)(b) of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, which requires study-permit applicants to satisfy an officer that they will leave Canada by the end of their authorised stay.

The experts called for greater transparency in visa decisions, stronger diplomatic engagement and fairer treatment of applicants to reduce the financial burden on Nigerians seeking international travel.