Guides to living in Lagos
Plain answers to the things nobody tells you, in the order you are likely to need them — arrive, get legal, get housed, sort the money, earn, then enjoy the city.
- 20 guides
- 8 subjects
- Updated
Start here
- Move to Lagos Your NIN, a bank account, and your first month
- Find a place to live Agents, the rent advance and the Tenancy Law
- Money and tax Income tax, the LIRS, your pension
- Get around Danfo, keke, BRT, the rail lines and driving
- Government paperwork The NIN, and what it unlocks
- Power and water Your DisCo, your band, your meter
New and updated
- New · Driver's licence Getting a Nigerian driver's licence in Lagos - the learner's permit, driving school, the test and capture - and how long a foreign licence is good for.
- New · Emergency numbers Who to call in an emergency in Lagos, what to say, how long help really takes, and what to set up before you ever need it.
- New · Employee rights What the Labour Act guarantees and who it actually covers - leave, notice, maternity, redundancy - and where to go when an employer breaks the rules.
- New · Health insurance Health insurance is mandatory for Lagos residents. How Ilera Eko works, what an employer's HMO plan covers, and what to check before you need it.
- New · Nigerian passport Applying for or renewing a Nigerian passport - the NIN it depends on, the documents, the fees, booking a capture, and what to do if one is lost.
- New · Opening a bank account What a Nigerian bank asks for, how the BVN and the account tiers work, what changes if you are not Nigerian, and how money actually moves in Lagos.
Every guide, by subject
Moving to Lagos 5 guides
Guides for the first weeks - a NIN, a bank account, a phone number that works and somewhere to sleep.
Moving to Lagos, the overview ➞Housing 3 guides
What a Lagos landlord will ask for, what the Tenancy Law actually allows, and what moving in really costs.
Housing, the overview ➞Money and tax 3 guides
Your bank account, personal income tax under the new Act, your pension, and who you actually pay.
Money and tax, the overview ➞Work and business 2 guides
What the Labour Act gives you and who it leaves out, and how to register a business of your own.
Work and business, the overview ➞Identity and paperwork 2 guides
The NIN, and the documents that depend on it - which is nearly all of them.
Identity and paperwork, the overview ➞Health 1 guides
Health insurance, which is compulsory in Lagos, and what to do in an emergency.
Health, the overview ➞Getting around 2 guides
Danfo, keke, BRT, the Blue Line, and why the answer is usually "leave earlier".
Getting around, the overview ➞Power, water and the calendar 2 guides
Your DisCo, your band, your meter, the generator you will end up buying, and the days the city closes.
Power, water and the calendar, the overview ➞No guide's title or summary mentions that. Search the text of every guide ➞