Nigeria’s inbound and outbound passengers are in for an additional tax regime, with a $11.5 security levy effective December 1, 2025. This new tax, also known as the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), increases Nigeria’s security levy to $31.50 per flight ticket and is estimated to generate a cumulative sum of $46 million for the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) yearly.

On the other hand, the development will further increase the cost of international travel borne by Nigerian travellers. The apex regulatory body, NCAA, in a notice to airlines, stated that the levy aimed to create a “single window” approach for all agencies at the airport, and the collection is expected to last for 20 years.

According to the agency, the system would help to track passenger movements, improve border control, and provide airlines with a cost-recovery mechanism for the system’s maintenance.

The regulatory agency also stated that the $11.5 levy would streamline passenger clearance at Nigerian airports by collecting and processing passenger data before arrival. This initiative is in partnership with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

According to the NCAA’s memo to the airlines: “The APIS charge will be collected as a point of sale and will be levied on all tickets issued from December 1, 2025, for each passenger departing from or arriving in Nigeria. The lifting airline is responsible for remitting the APIS charge to the NCAA.

“Therefore, all airlines (including Nigerian carriers) operating international flights into and out of Nigeria are required to take immediate steps to update ticketing and reservation systems to reflect the new APIS charge, as invoicing for the charge will commence from 1st December 2025 for tickets issued to passengers from 01DEC2025 for travel to and from Nigeria.”

Capt. Chris Najomo-led NCAA insists that the levy aligns with international best practices and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.

However, the levy is different from the extant $20 security levy introduced in 2010 by the former Director-General of NCAA, Dr Harold Demuren, in the wake of the Umar Abdulmutallab suicide bomber crisis of December 25, 2009, which was expected to last for 20 years.

The $20 levy was also intended to enhance security infrastructure at Nigerian airports and implement advanced passenger information systems, though industry experts noted that there has been no appreciable improvement in infrastructure 15 years later.

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