Turkey denies visa ban on Nigerians
In response to rumors of a visa ban on Nigerian travellers, the Turkish Embassy in Nigeria has come forward to clarify the situation.
Earlier this week, there were reports circulating that Nigeria passport holders were facing restrictions on travel privileges in countries like Ethiopia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
These restrictions allegedly included the revocation of visa-on-arrival, e-visa services, and even passport issuances.
Specifically, it was reported that Turkey had stopped offering e-visas to Nigerian passport holders, causing concern among many travelers.
However, Wunmi Evelyn, the personal secretary to the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, addressed the media to reassure that there was no official visa ban on Nigerian passport holders by Turkey.
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“As it is well-known, if there will be any update regarding rules and procedures of the policies and practices of any country, these updates are officially notified to the respective foreign ministries, and statements/announcements are issued by the embassies,” she said.
“Visa applications are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, the secretary explained, addressing specific instances where applicants faced rejections.
“While every application has been considered as case by case, for an applicant who has previously been denied a visa, (if there is not any fraud or forged documents detected) he/she should correct the mistakes that have been made in his/her initial application and try to improve the quality of his/her application.
“Besides, he/she should update the documentation and refrain from supplying old versions of required supporting documents,” she added.
This comes following the ranking of Nigeria’s passport among the world’s least powerful, according to the Henley Passport Index.
In 2023, Nigeria was ranked 90th globally, allowing visa-free admission to only 46 out of 227 destinations.
Nigeria’s passport is the fifth-worst in Africa, tied with South Sudan, and only ahead of Congo, Eritrea, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia.