UK to switch visa stickers with eVisas for Nigerians from Feb 25
The UK has introduced a serious shift in its immigration course of for Nigerian travellers, confirming that it’s going to discontinue the issuance of bodily visa stickers and substitute them totally with digital eVisas from February 25, 2026.
The coverage change, disclosed in Abuja by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), signifies that all new UK Go to visas issued to Nigerian nationals will now exist solely in digital type.
The transfer is a part of the UK authorities’s broader transition to a completely digital border and immigration administration system.
Below the brand new framework, profitable candidates will not obtain a visa vignette pasted into their passports. As an alternative, their immigration standing will probably be saved on-line and accessible via a safe UKVI account, which travellers can use to view, handle, and share their visa particulars when required.
UKVI clarified that the core utility course of stays unchanged. Nigerian candidates will nonetheless full the net utility, attend a Visa Software Centre to submit biometric info, and meet all present eligibility and documentation necessities.
The one distinction is the tactic of visa issuance and verification, which can now be absolutely digital.
Importantly, the authorities harassed that Nigerians who at the moment maintain legitimate bodily visa stickers won’t be affected by the transition. Current visas will stay legitimate till their acknowledged expiry dates and won’t must be changed solely as a result of rollout of eVisas.
The February 2026 rollout builds on earlier reforms introduced by the UK authorities. As background, the British Excessive Fee had beforehand disclosed that digital eVisas can be launched for many Nigerian nationals making use of for research or work visas from July 15, 2025, changing bodily visa vignettes with safe on-line data.
With Nigerians now among the many first cohorts to transition absolutely to digital visa issuance, the reform represents a big procedural shift for enterprise travellers, college students, and frequent guests. Passport-based documentation is giving strategy to a centralized on-line immigration file, marking a brand new commonplace for UK entry clearance and border administration.
Talking on the event, the British Deputy Excessive Commissioner in Abuja, Gill Lever, described the coverage as a step towards simplifying journey whereas enhancing safety.
From a safety standpoint, British authorities highlighted that eVisas can’t be misplaced, stolen, or bodily altered like passport stickers. The system additionally allows real-time verification of immigration standing by airways and border officers, strengthening general border integrity.