Nigeria scans NCDC digital health QR codes at all ports of entry

International travelers arriving in Nigeria must complete a mandatory digital health declaration and clear port-of-entry medical screening under border-health protocols enforced by federal authorities.

Pre-boarding submission rules and required data

Nigeria's digital health intake system requires every arriving international passenger to submit travel and medical information through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) online portal. The measures took effect on June 2, 2026, when the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare activated border surveillance protocols for viral haemorrhagic fevers, the ministry confirmed.

Submissions are free of charge. The portal collects standard personal and contact data alongside trip-specific details:

• Passport and travel routing, including origin countries, transit stops, flight or vessel numbers and destination addresses inside Nigeria.

• Health and symptom screening, covering fever, unexplained bleeding and other indicators of viral illness over the preceding 21 days.

• Immunization records, including vaccination status and international Yellow Fever card numbers where applicable.

Completing the form triggers an automated confirmation email containing a PDF document with a QR code. Port Health officials scan this code during immigration checks. While travelers can technically fill out the digital declaration upon arrival at a designated port, the agency recommends submitting details at least 24 hours before departure to avoid gate delays.

Screening procedures at points of entry

Arrival processing involves physical health checks alongside document verification. Port Health staff monitor incoming passenger streams using fixed thermal scanners and handheld thermometers to detect elevated body temperatures, the health ministry announced.

Visual symptom assessments and travel-history reviews accompany the temperature checks. Travelers who report symptoms or arrive with recent travel history in active viral outbreak zones face secondary medical screening. If examiners suspect a viral haemorrhagic fever, personnel transfer the passenger to designated isolation units for diagnostic evaluation, health officials confirmed.

The policy doesn't impose blanket entry bans, universal quarantine periods or mandatory on-arrival testing for asymptomatic travelers. Nigerian health authorities verified that the country had recorded zero confirmed Ebola cases when deploying the border measures.

Coverage and unresolved transit rules

The health declaration rule applies across all international arrivals regardless of visa status, nationality or planned length of stay. The mandate encompasses foreign vacationers, business visitors, returning Nigerian citizens and long-term expatriates, per the NCDC portal. Those settling in Nigeria or returning on temporary remote-work stays must submit a fresh form for each separate international entry.

Several administrative gaps remain in published border directives. Official notices haven't clarified whether purely airside international transit passengers who don't cross Nigerian immigration must submit the declaration.

Guidelines also leave crew exemptions, diplomatic waivers and paper-form availability across smaller maritime and land crossings unaddressed. Independent carrier advisories noted that airlines carry paper fallback forms for passengers unable to access the web portal before takeoff. The health ministry hasn't published a definitive list of ports equipped with physical backup forms. Financial responsibility for transport, testing and accommodation during an enforced secondary isolation referral remains unspecified in official circulars.

Practical border steps for travelers

Relying on airport Wi-Fi to submit the form at Nigerian immigration desks creates severe arrival bottlenecks. Travelers should complete the digital filing the day before departure and save an offline screenshot of the generated QR code on a mobile device alongside a printed physical copy.

Border authorities check health documentation independently from immigration paperwork. A valid health QR code doesn't replace standard entry visas, passport validity criteria or the mandatory physical Yellow Fever vaccination certificate required for entry. Passengers traveling with minors should verify that each dependent has a distinct digital confirmation code tied to their travel documents prior to check-in.