Following our earlier communication on the decision of the Federal Ministry of Interior ("FMI" or "the Ministry") to automate the application processes for Business Permit/Expatriate Quota and Place of Worship, the Ministry has now communicated 3 September 2018 as the commencement date for the full online automation.

In addition, the Ministry released dates for some key migration activities that would precede the full automation process as outlined below:

S/N Activity Date
1 Migration to the online portal 23 July 2018 – 31 August 2018
2 Commissioning of the automation call centre 6 August 2018
3 Deadline for submission of hard copy applications 31 August 2018
4 Commencement of full online automation 3 September 2018

The migration phase above applies to all companies and places of worship that possess and have obtained valid approvals from the Ministry in the past. Such companies and places of worship are required to upload all necessary documents, such as copies of existing approval from the FMI and Certificate of Incorporation/Registration on the portal through the designated website.

Furthermore, all pending applications for fresh approvals or renewals would be processed manually up until 31 August 2018. We therefore implore companies with pending applications to follow up and ensure completion ahead of the automation live date.

The automation process is expected to improve efficiency, reduce processing timelines for applications, provide a centralised database for the Ministry, and further improve the ease of doing business in Nigeria.

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