Mission Statement
Our mission is to promote and protect Australian interests, positions and values through friendly relations and deeper understanding with Nigeria and countries of accreditation, by:
- Forging strong and flexible partnerships that value people and demonstrate inclusiveness;
- Advocating and collaborating with partners to achieve foreign policy, trade and development outcomes;
- Delivering exemplary consular services to protect the welfare of Australians overseas;
- Sharing information about each other’s countries, cultures and economies through focused public diplomacy; and
- Promoting mutually beneficial trade and investment opportunities.
Visas
Enquiries
Visa and citizenship applications are managed by the Department of Home Affairs. High Commission staff are unable to assist with general visa or citizenship enquiries.
The Department of Home Affairs website has the most up to date and comprehensive information on applying for visas and citizenship. The website also has useful definitions and tools to help you understand the department’s requirements. Visit the website at Immigration and citizenship.
If you are having trouble locating information on the department’s website, the Home Affairs Digital Assistant may be able to help. The Digital Assistant can help you find information on Australian visas, citizenship and border entry. Visit the Immigration and citizenship website, and click the Ask a question button to get started.
Global Service Centre
If you require additional information, you may telephone the Global Service Centre on +61 2 6196 0196, Monday to Friday, from 9:00am to 5:00pm your local time.
International calls may be subject to charges imposed by your local carrier. You may wish to consider using a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider to avoid potentially high charges.
Using an interpreter
When you call the GSC, select option 6 to engage a Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) interpreter in your language. Option 6 can be selected straight after dialling the GSC number.
Alternatively, a TIS interpreter can also be engaged directly via:
- TIS website: Search | Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) or
- Home Affairs website See: Family and friends helping with your application
Consular assistance
Smartraveller information - COVID-19 updates
If you are an Australian citizen with a consular or passport inquiry, the Australian High Commission can be contacted via email at [email protected] or on +234 (0) 9460 6960 (during business hours).
For urgent consular assistance, please contact the Australian 24-hour consular emergency centre in Canberra on: +61 2 6261 3305.
Smartraveller has the latest, authoritative travel advice so you can be informed and prepared about overseas travel. Subscribe to receive travel advice updates - by simply supplying your name and email address – straight to your inbox.
You can now also subscribe to the new SMS service - by supplying your mobile number – to receive critical alerts in the event of a crisis overseas.
In a crisis, Smartraveller will activate a crisis page on its website. It will make it easier for you or someone you know to contact the Australian Government if you need help. It will supplement the consular emergency hotline.
Visit www.smartraveller.gov.au to subscribe or connect with Smartraveller on Facebook and Twitter.
Travel advice for Nigeria can be found here.
Scam Alert
It has come to the attention of the Australian government that there has been a recent spate of scams targeting citizens of West African countries offering false offers of employment and visas to Australia. These scams are run by criminal gangs and will only steal your money by fraud. There is no job and there is no visa.
No Australian Diplomat or Australian Border Force Special Agent will contact you offering jobs or visas. Legitimate Australian Government border related email addresses end with @dfat.gov.au or @border.gov.au. Anything that contains a .net or a .com or anything else is a scam.
If it doesn’t feel right, flag it anonymously with Border Watch. Border Watch is the single collection point for the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force (ABF) for allegations related to suspicious border activities and is not limited to immigration and citizenship. One small observation could help stop a much larger border crime. You can report suspicious immigration, customs and border related activity via the Border Watch Online Report.
If you believe that you are the victim of a scam, you should report it to your local police and you may also wish to report it via the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Scamwatch website.
In order to protect yourself from visa scams, you should only deal with official Australian Government channels such as the departmental website, reputable travel agents, Australian Visa Application Centres, or the Australian High Commission or Embassy in your country.
Further information on scams can be found on our Information on Scams page.
