Update on the Use of the Nigeria International Travel Portal (NITP)

Friday, January 21, 2022

21 January 2022 | Abuja – Update on Use of the Nigeria International Travel Portal (NITP)

Following complaints and enquiries on the use of the Nigeria International Travel Portal (NITP), the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is making the following clarifications.

The Nigeria International Travel Portal (NITP) was launched by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 (PSC-COVID-19) formerly Presidential Task Force, with support from the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CA-COVID). Since the resumption of international flights post-COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria on 5th September 2020, the portal remains an effective means of preventing the importation of COVID-19 via air travel which reduces the risk of further spread of the virus and its variants in the country.

Since its launch, the NITP has been updated frequently overtime and more recently, there was an upgrade in October 2021, to enable a more user-friendly experience for travellers, laboratories, and other users.

The decision to make repeat tests mandatory in Nigeria was based on the review of COVID-19 test positivity data among returnees to Nigeria during the first and subsequent waves of the pandemic. This was necessary for ensuring a balance between our mandate to protect the health of Nigerians from more infections and supporting the restart of the economy including international travel. As of 16th January 2022, over 18,000 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded from inbound travellers to Nigeria. Therefore, the associated risk of disease transmission is not trivial.

We are aware of reports of travellers to Nigeria who have experienced delays at the airport for not meeting all the travel requirements as stated on the NITP. To ensure a seamless use of the travel portal, the NCDC urges the public to adhere strictly to the guidance on the travel portal as summarised below:

Registration on the travel portal prior to departure should be done immediately your negative COVID-19 test result is obtained, preferably 24 hrs before your travel date.

Card payments are recommended over bank transfers especially if registration on the portal is done less than 24 hours before departure as highlighted by the DISCLAIMER on the travel portal. PLEASE NOTE: QR codes for bank transfers are generated after 24hrs while they are immediately generated for card payments.

Travellers who do not receive their QR code despite making payment should download the Permit to Travel/QR Code using the “Get Permit to Travel” button visible on the top right corner of the portal. A link to print the Permit-To-Travel is also sent to the email address of registered travellers.

Complaints or enquiries should be sent through the following channels:

General enquiries: [email protected]

Payment related queries: [email protected]

Lagos state enquiries: [email protected]

The above are dedicated communication channels for resolving travel portal related issues.

Please take note: The NCDC’s twitter handle (@NCDCgov) is NOT a channel for handling travel portal queries.

For more information or FAQs on the travel portal, please visit - https://covid19.ncdc.gov.ng/nitpfaq.

We recognise that technical systems might have challenges from time to time and we continue to make improvements to optimise functionality of the travel portal in collaboration with Port Health Services, private laboratories, Sterling Bank and other key stakeholders.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the Federal Ministry of Health remains committed to strengthening Nigeria’s response to COVID-19 and controlling this and other outbreaks. We urge the public to remain aware of the risks of COVID-19 and to adhere to the travel protocols put in place by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19.

About the NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is the country’s national public health institute, with the mandate to lead the preparedness, detection and response to infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies. The Bill for an Act to establish NCDC was signed into law in November 2018, by President Muhammadu Buhari. The mission for the NCDC (2017-2021) is ‘To protect the health of Nigerians through evidence-based prevention, integrated disease surveillance and response activities, using a One Health approach, guided by research and led by a skilled workforce’.

Contact

NCDC Toll-free Number: 6232 | SMS: 08099555577 | Twitter: @NCDCGov | Facebook: @NCDCgov | Instagram: @NCDCgov | NCDC Media Releases

Signed:

Dr Ifedayo Adetifa

Director General

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control

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