Free and independent · Updated 12 November 2026

Everything nobody tells you about living in Lagos

Free, independent guides to Nigerian bureaucracy, housing, money and daily life. Written for anyone making Lagos home — people arriving from abroad, people arriving from other states, and Lagosians who have simply never had a reason to read the Tenancy Law before.

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Lagos State, by local government area. Choose one to open it on the map.

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Things to play with, not just read.

Everything to explore ➞

Start here

The things that block everything else. Until these are done, you cannot open a bank account, sign a lease or get paid properly.

Your first weeks In this order: each one unlocks the next.

  1. Get your NIN The one number that unlocks a SIM, a bank account and a passport.
  2. Open a bank account The NIN, then a SIM in your name, then the BVN and the account - in that order.
  3. Find a place to live Agents, viewings, and the two years up front that eat your savings.
  4. Learn to move Danfo, keke, BRT, the Blue Line, and planning around the bridges.

Once you are settled When you have a minute, in any order.

  1. Know the Tenancy Law What a landlord may lawfully ask for, and what they will ask for.
  2. Check your payslip The new tax bands, what rent relief is worth, and who you actually pay.
  3. Sort out power Your DisCo, your band, a prepaid meter, and what the generator costs.
  4. Get health insurance It is compulsory in Lagos. Ilera Eko, your employer's HMO, and what to check.

Coming up in Lagos

All dates ➞

Public holidays Banks, offices and most schools shut

  • Christmas Day

    Public holiday

    Nationwide

  • Boxing Day

    Public holiday

    Nationwide

  • New Year's Day

    Public holiday

    Nationwide

  • Eid al-Fitr (estimated)

    Public holiday

    Nationwide

Eid and Maulud are declared by the Sultan of Sokoto on sighting the moon, so the dates shown for them can be a day out.

Work it out

All 14 calculators ➞

The same figures as the guides, worked out on your own device. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.

The numbers, today

How that works ➞

Every figure on this site comes from one file, with its source, the date of that source, and the day it must be checked again by.

Browse everything

All 134 guides ➞

Every guide, by subject, in the order you are likely to need them.

Moving to Lagos 49 guides

Guides for the first weeks - a NIN, a bank account, a phone number that works and somewhere to sleep.

  1. How to move to Lagos
    1. Visas and arriving
    2. Residence permit
    3. Your first week checklist
    4. Short-lets and hotels
    5. Registering with LASRRA
    6. Hosting visitors
    7. Leaving Lagos
    8. SIM cards and internet
    9. Buying a phone
    10. Weather and seasons
  2. Lagos neighbourhoods
    1. How Lagos grew
    2. The Lekki-Epe corridor
    3. Religion in Lagos
    4. Ramadan in Lagos
  3. Yoruba and Pidgin
    1. Everyday etiquette
    2. Learning Yoruba
    3. Making friends
  4. Food in Lagos
    1. Street food and bukas
    2. Breakfast in Lagos
  5. Visiting Lagos
  6. Things to do in Lagos
    1. Lagos markets
    2. Beaches
    3. Day trips from Lagos
    4. Festivals
    5. Christmas in Lagos
    6. Live music
    7. Museums and galleries
    8. Cinema and theatre
    9. Nightlife
    10. Dating safely
    11. A walk through Lagos Island
    12. Weekends with children
    13. Children's birthday parties
    14. Libraries and bookshops
    15. Running and fitness
    16. Cycling in Lagos
    17. Going to an owambe
    18. Tailors, hair and barbers
  7. Which Lagos agency does what
  8. Scams in Lagos
  9. Dealing with the police
  10. Domestic and sexual violence
  11. Emergency numbers
  12. Pets and vets
All 49 ➞

Housing 13 guides

What a Lagos landlord will ask for, what the Tenancy Law actually allows, and what moving in really costs.

  1. The rent advance
    1. How to find a place in Lagos
    2. Lagos neighbourhoods
    3. Furnishing a flat
    4. Home security
    5. Flooding
    6. Estate and street life
    7. Pest control
    8. Tenancy agreements
  2. Finding a tradesperson
  3. Hiring help at home
  4. Buying land in Lagos
  5. Being a landlord
All 13 ➞

Money and tax 10 guides

Your bank account, personal income tax under the new Act, your pension, and who you actually pay.

  1. Opening a bank account
    1. Cash, POS and transfers
  2. Income tax and the LIRS
    1. Your pension and your RSA
    2. Tax clearance certificate
  3. VAT in Nigeria
  4. Sending money abroad
  5. The naira and inflation
  6. Consumer rights
  7. Insurance
All 10 ➞

Work and business 10 guides

Finding a job, the NYSC year, what the Labour Act gives you and who it leaves out, and how to register a business of your own.

  1. Finding a job in Lagos
    1. NYSC
  2. Your rights as an employee
  3. Workplace culture
  4. Registering a business
  5. Freelancing, and the tax on it
  6. Working remotely from Lagos
  7. The Lagos tech scene
  8. Learning a trade
  9. Running a small shop
All 10 ➞

Identity and paperwork 13 guides

The NIN, and the documents that depend on it - which is nearly all of them.

  1. Your NIN and NIMC
    1. Nigerian passport
    2. Police character certificate
  2. Nigerian citizenship
  3. Birth certificate
  4. Swearing an affidavit
    1. Change of name
    2. Replacing lost documents
    3. Getting documents accepted abroad
  5. Your data and privacy
  6. Voting
  7. Registering a death
    1. Funerals in Lagos
All 13 ➞

Family and school 11 guides

Getting married, having a baby, registering the birth, and choosing a school - and why the kind of marriage you choose matters later.

  1. Getting married
    1. Planning a wedding
    2. Change of name
  2. Having a baby
    1. Birth certificate
  3. Schools in Lagos
    1. Universities
    2. Studying abroad
    3. Lesson teachers and tutoring
  4. Childcare
  5. Caring for ageing parents
All 11 ➞

Health 9 guides

Doctors, hospitals and pharmacies, malaria, health insurance - which is compulsory in Lagos - and what to do in an emergency.

  1. Seeing a doctor in Lagos
    1. Malaria
    2. Pharmacies and medicines
  2. Health insurance and Ilera Eko
  3. Mental health
  4. Dentists and eye care
  5. Coping with the heat
  6. Air quality
  7. Disability and accessibility
All 9 ➞

Getting around 10 guides

Danfo, keke, BRT, the Blue Line, and why the answer is usually "leave earlier".

  1. Getting around Lagos
    1. Driver's licence
    2. Importing a car
    3. Buying a used car
    4. Car servicing and mechanics
    5. Ride-hailing apps
    6. Driving in Lagos
    7. Ferries and boats
  2. Domestic flights
  3. Travelling around Nigeria
All 10 ➞

Power, water and the calendar 12 guides

Your DisCo, your band, the generator you will end up buying, where your water really comes from, and the days the city closes.

  1. Electricity in Lagos
    1. Solar and inverters
    2. Generators
    3. Gas cylinder safety
    4. Fire safety at home
  2. Water in Lagos
  3. Waste and recycling
  4. Online shopping and delivery
  5. Supermarkets and groceries
  6. Volunteering and giving
  7. Sending parcels
  8. Public holidays
All 12 ➞

Calculators 14 guides

Take-home pay, tax and the true cost of a loan, worked out with the same figures the guides use. Everything runs in your browser.

  1. Salary calculator
  2. Rent advance calculator
  3. Cost of living calculator
  4. Pension calculator
  5. VAT calculator
  6. Withholding tax calculator
  7. Loan repayment calculator
  8. Import duty calculator
  9. Vehicle import duty calculator
  10. University admission checker
  11. Rate checker
  12. Paperwork planner
  13. Bank account finder
  14. Insurance checker
All 14 ➞

Letters and templates 3 guides

A rent receipt, a resignation letter and a contract checklist you can copy and adapt.

  1. Rent receipt
  2. Resignation letter
  3. Contract checklist
All 3 ➞