Births in Nigeria are registered with the NPC, the National Population Commission, under the Births, Deaths etc. (Compulsory Registration) Act 1992. The birth certificate it issues is the first document in a child’s life and the one that every later document - a NIN, a passport, a school place - asks to see.

Register early: it is free

Registration within 60 days of the birth is free. After that it is still possible, but late registration can carry a fee and asks for more evidence.

Where

  • At the hospital. Many Lagos hospitals and maternity centres have an NPC registration point, or will tell you the nearest one. Ask before you are discharged; it is the easiest moment to do it.
  • At an NPC registration centre, including the commission’s offices in each local government area.

What to bring

  • The hospital’s notification of birth or record of delivery, if the baby was born in a hospital
  • The parents’ IDs - NIN slips, passports or national ID cards
  • The parents’ details - full names, dates of birth, state of origin

If the birth was not in a hospital, the NPC will ask for a declaration from someone present at the birth.

Check every word before you leave

The names and the date of birth on the certificate will follow your child into the NIN, the passport and every certificate after that. A misspelling is far easier to correct on the day than years later. Read it slowly, at the desk.

Then get the child a NIN

Children can be enrolled for a NIN too, and increasingly need one - for a passport, for some school registrations, for health insurance.

Your NIN and NIMC

If you were never registered

Many Nigerian adults have no birth certificate, because nobody registered the birth. There are two routes:

  • Late registration, with the NPC, if your parents or someone who witnessed your birth can support it with evidence.
  • A declaration of age - a sworn affidavit, made at a court registry, stating your date and place of birth. Many offices accept it in place of a birth certificate, including for a passport.

Nigerian passport

A child born abroad

A child born outside Nigeria to a Nigerian parent is a Nigerian citizen. Register the birth with the Nigerian embassy or high commission in that country, which issues a Nigerian birth certificate, and keep the foreign birth certificate as well.

Deaths

Deaths are registered with the NPC in the same way, within 60 days. The death certificate is needed to settle a person’s estate, close their accounts and claim their pension, so register promptly even in grief.