The passports became available for collection on September 18, less than a month after the intervention exercise, which was conducted from August 11 to 21.
Of the 751 Nigerian nationals attended to during the exercise, 441 applied for five-year passports, while 310 sought the 10-year validity option.
The development marks a relatively quick turnaround for applicants who had sought to obtain new passports or resolve pending passport-related issues through the intervention programme.
Mahmood Yakubu, Nigeria’s ambassador to Qatar, said the commencement of passport distribution reflected the embassy’s efforts to improve consular services and respond more efficiently to the needs of Nigerians resident in the country.
“This is a significant milestone for our Embassy and, most importantly, for Nigerians living in Qatar. The fact that passports are now being completed and returned within about two weeks of capture demonstrates our commitment to improving service delivery and responding to the needs of our community,” the envoy told The Peninsula.
He said passports remained essential documents for Nigerians abroad, particularly because they are required for international travel, employment, residency and several official transactions.
“We recognise the importance of passports to our citizens, particularly for international travel, employment, residency and other official requirements. We will continue to work to ensure that Nigerians receive the services they need in a timely and transparent manner,” Yakubu said.
The intervention exercise was aimed at addressing passport-related needs among Nigerians in Qatar, where citizens requiring new documents, renewals or assistance with pending applications were given an opportunity to access consular services.
Passport intervention exercises are periodically organised by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), often in collaboration with Nigerian diplomatic missions abroad, to address backlogs and improve access to passport services for Nigerians living outside the country.
The latest exercise in Doha comes as Nigerian authorities continue to conduct similar interventions in other countries with sizeable Nigerian communities.
In the United Kingdom, for instance, an ongoing passport intervention exercise has enrolled more than 5,000 applicants, according to the NIS.
The interventions are intended to ease pressure arising from accumulated applications and provide Nigerians abroad with more accessible avenues for passport processing.
For Nigerians in Qatar, the commencement of distribution means applicants who completed the August exercise can now begin receiving their newly produced travel documents, subject to the embassy’s collection procedures.
The embassy said the development was part of its broader commitment to providing efficient and responsive services to the Nigerian community in Qatar.