The first round is due to end on Saturday. The second starts on Tuesday. The High Commission says £20 is the approved administrative fee.

The first round of the Nigerian passport intervention in the UK is due to end on Saturday. The second starts on Tuesday. The Nigeria High Commission in London has announced a second round from 6 to 30 October. Its notice lists four centres, London, Manchester, Cardiff and Aberdeen.

Round one ran in London and Manchester. It was extended from 19 September to 3 October after high turnout. Cardiff and Aberdeen are newly listed centres, potentially reducing travel for applicants based nearby.

Round one began unevenly. Leadership reported that technical problems disrupted the Manchester centre, and that applicants complained of delays and uncertainty over fees and procedures. The Immigration Service said the exercise was progressing smoothly despite initial challenges.

The fee was the larger problem. Reports said applicants were first charged a £70 administrative fee. On 11 September, the High Commission published a notice saying that any claim that £70 had presidential approval was incorrect, and that the approved standard charge remains £20. A separate notice said applicants who paid £70 would be refunded £50. The Nigeria Immigration Service said the same day that no additional charges were required.

Questions remain about the refund. The Journal Nigeria reported that the notice didn’t say how many people paid the £70, how refunds would be processed, or when. The official passport fees are separate and aren’t in the High Commission’s notice. The Immigration Service was reported as saying they remain $162 for a five-year passport and $242 for a ten-year passport.

For round two, the High Commission’s notice lists the following for applicants.

• The passport application form and the payment receipt for the application.
• A printout of the appointment slip. Appointments are booked through the commission’s online form.
• The old passport booklet, which the notice calls mandatory for every reissue, renewal or change of data.
• A £20 postal order payable to the High Commission, or payment through its e-payment portal.
• A £150 postal order for a lost, misplaced or damaged passport.
• A prepaid Royal Mail C4 special delivery self-addressed envelope for the return of the passport.

Applicants should check their appointment confirmation before travelling. The High Commission is closed today for Independence Day and reopens on Friday 2 October. It says applicants with biometric appointments scheduled for today can come from 2 October onwards.