A business visa is one of the categories of visas issued to foreigners by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to travelers who intend to conduct business activities or conduct business meetings that do not constitute labour or gainful employment in Nigeria. It is issued at Nigerian embassies across the world. A business visa also applies to airline and ships crew members, the staff of NGOs, INGOs, and researchers.
It is a strict compliance that all foreigners coming to Nigeria for business purposes need to have a visa for Nigeria prior to their arrival. However, it can be obtained through the Visa on Arrival (VOA) route in cases of urgent business travel and time constraints or the absence of a Nigerian Mission in the applicant's country.
Requirements for Business Visa
- A passport, valid for at least 6 months.
- Duly completed visa application form.
- Two recent passport photographs.
- A Letter of invitation from a company/host in Nigeria accepting immigration responsibility.
- Evidence of online payment for the visa fee.
- Self-sponsored businessmen may not require a letter of invitation but will be required to show evidence of sufficient funds.
- High net worth investors.
- CEO of recognized multinationals, invitees of Government.
- Introduction Letter (from applicant).
- CAC certificate of Host company or Permission for an NGO.
- Flight Itinerary.
- Return ticket.
- Evidence of sufficient funds to maintain one's self in the country.
- Evidence of Hotel Reservation/host address in Nigeria.
- An applicant may also be required to further provide proof of the Covid-19 test and vaccination.
Processing time
After the submission of the documents, the embassy or the consulate takes time to process and verify the documents to provide the business visa stamp on the passport. The processing time taken for a business visa for Nigeria is 10 to 12 business days. This time span may vary depending on the verification time required for visa documents or if there are any complications in the process.
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