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The short answer
The NIS does not publish a service that issues a history or record of your previous passports, so there is no official form to request one. The practical routes are your old booklets themselves, certified copies of their data pages, a mission letter certifying a passport (Ottawa lists one at C$70) and, if all else fails, a written request to NIS support quoting whatever details you have.
Why forms ask for old passport details
Naturalisation, settlement and long-stay visa forms in many countries ask for every passport you have held, with numbers, issue and expiry dates and sometimes copies. Ireland's short-stay visa guidance, for example, asks for copies of previous passports alongside the current one. The aim is to link your travel history across documents, so an unexplained gap or a passport you cannot account for can prompt questions.
For Nigerians this is awkward. Booklets were often surrendered at renewal, lost in a move, or kept by relatives at home. The question is what you can produce when the booklet is gone.
What the NIS offers, and what it does not
The NIS passports page sets out fresh applications, renewals, corrections and lost passports, and lists its portals for applications, payments, tracking and appointments. It does not describe a service for issuing a statement of the passports a person has held. We found no NIS page, form or fee for such a record in October 2026.
The NIS tracking portal shows the status of an application you have made with its reference, which helps only for recent applications. For anything else, the NIS published support contacts in September 2025, including support@immigration.gov.ng and a contact centre. A written request quoting your full name, date of birth, NIN and any old passport number or approximate dates is the most a reader can do directly; we cannot say whether NIS will answer or what it will provide.
Routes that work in practice
| Route | What you get | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Your old booklet | The original record, with number and dates | Missions take the old booklet at renewal; Ottawa asks you to leave it in the envelope after biometrics |
| Certified copies of old data pages | A copy certified by a solicitor, notary or other listed professional | Only if you still have the booklet or a clear copy |
| Mission letter of certification | Ottawa lists a letter of certification of passport at C$70 | Certifies a passport the mission can see; ask whether it can cover an older one |
| Embassy passport authentication | Washington authenticates data-page copies for $50, in about 7 working days | Applies to the passport you present |
| Your own files | Old visas, residence permits, photocopies, email confirmations, airline bookings | Supporting evidence, not an official record |
Before you hand in a booklet
At your next renewal, photograph and scan every page of the old booklet, including visa pages, before you post or hand it in. The missions we read require the old booklet with a renewal and do not promise to return it. A scan you made yourself is not official, but it lets you complete forms accurately and get a certified copy if a body asks.
Getting copies certified
If an authority wants a certified copy, GOV.UK's guidance shows the usual form: take the original and the copy to a professional such as a solicitor, notary, bank official or teacher, who writes "Certified to be a true copy of the original seen by me", signs, dates and adds their details. Other countries use similar rules; follow the receiving body's own list. Our guide to certified copies of a Nigerian passport abroad covers the mission routes.
When the booklet is gone
- Search your own records first: old visa application confirmations, residence permits, employer or university files and scanned copies often carry the passport number.
- Ask the foreign authority that issued an old visa. Visa records usually hold the passport number used.
- Write to NIS support with your details and ask what record it can provide, keeping a copy of your request.
- On the form, give what you know, mark what you do not, and attach a short signed statement explaining the gap.
- If the booklet was lost rather than surrendered, check whether you ever reported it. A police report from the time is also evidence of the number.
Ask the requesting body what it accepts
Before spending money on letters, ask the authority that wants the record what will satisfy it. Some may accept a signed explanation plus whatever partial evidence you have; others may want a certified copy of a specific booklet or a statement from the issuing country. Their own guidance or caseworker is the only reliable answer. A short written answer from them also protects you if a caseworker later queries the gap.
If you are renewing now and your last passport was lost, the mission treats it as a lost case; see the police report for a lost passport abroad.
Where Pryme fits
Pryme is a money app, not a records office, so it cannot retrieve passport history. It can help with the paperwork trail around fees: you can generate a regular or a verifiable receipt or statement for a payment you make, and anyone can check a verifiable one is genuine and unaltered, through our partnership with VerifyDoc.ai. See receipts and statements.
Questions people ask
Can NIS give me a list of all my previous passports?
We found no NIS service that issues one. You can write to NIS support quoting your details, but there is no published form, fee or timeline.
Do Nigerian missions return the old passport after renewal?
The missions we read take the old booklet as part of the application and do not promise to return it. Scan every page before you submit it.
What do I write on a citizenship form if I cannot remember my old passport number?
Give the details you know, state clearly which you cannot find and why, and attach supporting evidence. Do not guess numbers or dates.
Can the embassy certify my old expired Nigerian passport?
Ottawa lists a letter of certification of passport and Washington authenticates data-page copies of a passport you present. Ask the mission whether it will do this for an expired booklet.
Sources
- Nigeria Immigration Service: Passports · accessed Oct 2026
- NIS: statement on contactless passport application system (29 Sep 2025) · accessed Oct 2026
- Nigeria High Commission Ottawa: passport services · accessed Oct 2026
- Embassy of Nigeria Washington DC: passport authentication · accessed Oct 2026
- GOV.UK: Certifying a document · accessed Oct 2026
- Irish Immigration Service: how to apply for a short stay C visa · accessed Oct 2026
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