NewStats: 3,263,788 , 8,181,398 topics. Date: Saturday, 07 June 2025 at 10:08 PM 3v6xs

brutal:

Normally it should be issued in ur maiden name;but i don't know any country where d b.cert. is not required b4 d approval of d marriage.i am also from delta state(ibusa).

My husband and I got married in the UK and the Home Office inspected my port (containing my date of birth) before granting a certificate of approval for marriage (which also bore my DOB).

I guess that the UK Home Office had no reason to doubt that my DOB was anything other than what was reflected in my port. However, the Swiss embassy are more wary (and rightly so!) preferring to inspect the original document before ing foreign spouses in the Swiss family .

So, just to clarify for the last time! - the birth certificate should bear my maiden name ONLY.

Many thanks.

No guys, what i'm saying is that i am married and have adopted my husband's name.

So, should the age declaration (from the courts in Lagos) and the NPC birth certificate be issued in my maiden name OR my married name?

My husband seems to think that the documents should be issued in my maiden name as that's what I was called at birth!

Any comments?

One last thing:

If a family member were to handle this process on my behalf, would the age declaration & NPC birth certificate be done in my maiden name or my married name? I assume it would be my maiden name. Which means a copy of my marriage certificate would be needed (as all my identifying documents are in my married name)?

Thanks

modupay:

i really want to do it please house advise me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

You really want to do what">

If you're referring to the NPC birth certificate (which I assume you are), then by reading the posts you'll find some useful information. At least I did!

Thanks for your input Uzwu.

So I take it that while getting the affidavit is quite easy, the NPC birth certificate can take anything up to two weeks if the right people are not tipped! Where as, on the NPC website it says that the birth certificate is issued immediately and is absolutely free!

Anyways, i'll see what can be done by proxy. As my family is back in Nigeria I would need to send them photocopies of my port, port pictures and (may be) my marriage certificate as well? Due to the name change.

Once again, I thank everyone for contributing. You've all been of immense help.

Cheers!

brutal:

This's a very simple thing.u don't have 2 go back home(unheard of).ur family and friends back home can handle it.it'll be documented.i think 100 pounds will be ok at least.

It's becoming apparent that we may not need to travel to Nigeria strictly for this purpose. I will give it much thought and decide on what to do.

Thanks everyone!

uzwu:

It is not mandatory you do it in the state or local Govt area that you were born. I did mine in Lagos, Ikeja High court previsely. My mum swore to the affidavit. both the age declaration and Npc at Surulere in Lagos

How long did it take your mum to get everything done?

Thanks for posting Tats.

Tats:

I travelled to Abuja and took both the affidavit and the attestation of Birth to the Ministry of Foreign affairs. You need to get there as early as 8am as they have limited spaces for the day. You will a queue and be given a form to fill after they have seen both documents. You will need 2 port photographs. Then you will be taken to another place where your documents will be checked again. After that, you will pay for each document to be certified. it costs N300 per copy. Following this, you will go right outside the ministry to photocopy the receipt and buy a transparent file. Then you will go back to a counter beside the first place you queued to queue again for them to collect the documents. Both queues have sits under a canopy. You will be exhausted by the time they collect your documents after about 4 hours and in the heat. Then they will ask you to come on a Friday to pick it up if you submitted on a Wednesday. I think they only accept documents on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Just pray that the person g the seal on your document is around else it may take more than 2 days. any attempt to get it earlier than the day you were given will mean that you will part with between N5,000 to N10,000. The Affidavit and the NPC document will also cost you some money if you need it pretty fast.

This sounds like stress we would rather avoid (if we can)! I will find out from the Swiss embassy if this authentication is absolutely necessary. Part of the process is that once the NPC birth certificate is obtained and submitted to the relevant Swiss consulate, a lawyer/private eye would investigate the origin and authenticity of the document before it is accepted. So I will make double sure that this can be substituted for Min. of Foreign Affairs' seal.

You will then need to book an appointment at the Embassy that you are legalizing the document for. I am not sure how it works for the Swiss embassy but you need to book an appointment for this in most European Embassies. You will be lucky to get an early date, depending on the number of people doing same thing as you.

The Swiss are efficient to a fault, plus as it is a family matter, we should be given a 'priority' booking (I hope!). If the submission can be done at the consulate here in London, then it would be a walk-in affair.

You can do all the above through a very close relative with same surname.

I have adopted my husband's name so I guess this only frustrates the possibility of 3rd party help. To be honest, i'd rather do it myself as it all sounds very haphazard.

That is the pain we have to go through as nobody trusts our documents anymore!

Truly so. However, it is justified especially where instances of fraud and falsification of documents is rife amongst the Nigerian population. No offense, I am Nigerian as well, but the fact still remains and sometimes the 'innocent' suffer for the crimes of others.
So, to recap, I have gleaned this much from all the helpful posts:

Obtain an affidavit of age declaration (chargeable), ready in under 1 hour
Apply for birth cert. from NPC (chargeable), ready in under 1 week
Authentication from MFA may be optional.

I am open to further contributions while i try to sort out the logistics for this process. So please, keep posting!

Thanks everyone. Much appreciated.

chioma24:

Plum70@ my mum did my own just last month,affidavit declaring my age and birth certificate.

What identifying documents did you have to provide in order for your mum to get this done? I assume a photocopy of your port data page, your original birth certificate, marriage certificate (in my case as I now bear my husband's name)

but u must do it in ur LGA.

Do you mean where I was born (Lagos)? Or Delta State where my father is from?

ABOUT 2000NARIA.JUST TWO DAYS.

Is this with or without bribes/compulsory tips? I have been reminded in this forum that it is still ingrained in the fabric of Nigerian civil society.

brownbonno:

Plum,u need your parent(s)to get it done in asaba.Although I am in naija but can,t help.Am sure we have meet in another forum ***boards.com.u may not need the consulate in naija if you have an affidavit along with the BC

And now more mystery is flung straight into an already confusing situation!!! Why Asaba? I was born in Lagos. My father is from Delta State and my mother Anambra State.

If it is indeed true that I (or a family member) need to travel all the way East to get this piece of paper, then we'll most likely do without it!

I hope that someone in a similar situation can offer advice from personal experience. Can a NPC birth certificate be obtained from one's (not parents') place of birth at all?

H-E-L-P!!!

Thanks for your time and help tpia

tpia:

your LGA should be the place where you were born. Your parents LGA in Delta isnt necessarily your own in this instance, since you werent born there and your enquiry isnt for census purposes. You can still get an affidavit from Delta but wont it list your place of birth as Lagos? Unless you want to change that.

No, don't want to have to travel to Delta state if I can help it! I am quite happy to obtain the birth certificate from Lagos as I was born there.

I checked the NPC website and it states a child cannot be ed outside its area of birth. This may be a recent addendum however.
http://www.population.gov.ng/FAQs-Birth%20Reg.pdf

It also states that adults canot be ed! I'm confused.

Do you have relatives in Lagos who can help you make enquiries? Sometimes the people on ground know more about navigating the system and what avenues there are.

I do. But the modalities of the process seem better handled by my husband and I instead of '3rd parties'. Nxt2u says that the process will take 2 weeks. I wonder if this is slightly exaggerated or the stark reality? Anybody?

NPC information: http://www.population.gov.ng/us.htm

I'll try the numbers and see what information I gather.

also, have you checked with the Nigerian embassy in Switzerland?

I doubt that they can be of help as my husband and I are UK residents.

Sigh! I'll follow the above leads and hope to get better clarity. But in the interim if anyone has additional comments or pointers, please share. I'm all ears!

Merci!

Ilelobola:

Are there really different types of BC in Nigeria?

Apparently for people born before the mid 80s when there wasn't a reliable/accurate birth registration and census process, the little book (mine is green) which you obtained at birth is not acceptable (by the Swiss) as it doesn't contain sufficient information about the birth parents (their DOBs, where they were born e.t.c.).

My siblings and I have similar ones which includes details of both parents and it's similar to what those born around that time 70s-80s have.

Mine contains where and when I was born, as well as my parents' full names but not their DOBs. It's a small green book with one centre data page.

We've presented it to embassies etc (though not Swiss) and never asked for anything else.

I guess it depends on what the embassies needed it for. The Swiss take data accuracy (like everything else!) very seriously and need to be absolutely certain that my personal details are correct before they are added to the family database in Switzerland.

If this is what you require, we have been able to obtain it easily at the High courts in Ikeja which I think is close to the Ikeja golf course/Police college.

What does yours look like? Don't think the high courts issue such documents. An age declaration, yes, but the actual full birth certificate would need to come from the NPC.

Have you tried finding out from the Nigeria High Commission?

I did ask, and they said that they do not concern themselves with such. Was asked to go get if from Nigeria!

P.S: Just saw this: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,4565c22514,4565c25f1df,48d223771d,0.html, so I guess I may even need to get a sworn affidavit from my LGA which is in Delta State!!! Can I not just obtain int from Lagos where I was actually born?

I, a Nigerian national and my husband (Swiss) reside in the UK. We have tried ing our marriage at the Swiss embassy in London for almost 2 years now but have been told that I need to obtain my FULL birth certificate from the NPC in Nigeria before any registration can be documented in Switzerland (apparently my abridged cert. is not acceptable). As you may understand, my husband is quite upset that while our marriage is recognized in the UK (where our union took place) and my country of origin, in Switzerland we are not even considered married!

1. As I am originally from Delta state but was born in Lagos, do we go to the NPC in Lagos?
2. We have been advised that I would need to go to court to swear to an affidavit declaring my age. Is this a fairly straightforward process?
3. Is it realistic to expect to wrap up this whole process in 1 day i.e. getting both the affidavit and birth certificate?
4. As the B.C is required for out of country/external purposes, would we need to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja to have it certified before submitting to the Swiss embassy in London?
5. What is the cost, on average, for the entire istrative formality?

I would like to hear from those who have personally gone through this process.

Cheers and many thanks in advance.

JustGood:

Perhaps you are hard of understanding. . .
ILR is not the same as citizenship. AGAIN, Nigeria has a right to decide what law to enact without copying any other Nation!

Pas du tout Chouette! It's more your literacy I question! Please reread my text (if you can) - I simply said that the residential waiver available to foreign spouses of Brits who have been married for over 4 years while residing outside the UK FACILITATES integration and naturalisation. In other words it encourages such people to settle and naturalise in the UK without having to jump through (IMHO) unrealistic hoops.

Good. Go and change laws in your country, wherever that may be and let us babble in nigeria.

Now i'm more convinced that you can't read! I am Nigerian you dim wit!

Is the 4-yr requirement in the UK not too much?

'out' of the UK not 'in', Geez!

who decides what length of time is realistic.

Ever heard of public consultations? Referenda?

Abeg no be by force to become Nigerian

No arguments here! 

Is it not a shame that there is no such route to citizenship in the UK as well? You have to be resident in the UK in order to be granted citizenship!

Even within UK immigration law there is a provision for couples (where one is British) who have been married for 4 years or more (having lived outside the UK for thistime) to apply for Indefinite Leave to Enter straight away, foregoing any residential requirements. This makes sense for genuine marriages and encourages facilitated integration and naturalisation in my opinion.

I dont understand what the problem is with most of those criticising Nigeria for having her own laws as a sovereign nation.

I am merely voicing my opinion. No crime in that!

the same people are the ones that would tell you they want to be proud to be Nigerias; but they want Nigeria to do everything they see wherever they go. Nigeria has a right to make laws to suit her own purpose and if such a law requires residency before citizenship for foreigners, what is your problem with that?

Pure babble ignored.

You are always quick to kill Nigeria for being different habaaaaaaaaa

Again babble ignored.  I am not 'killing' Nigeria as you so aptly put it. However, I feel that the residential requirements (15 years) set out in the Nigerian Constitution for foreign spouses of Nigerian nationals wishing to naturalise via marriage is in some ways unrealistic. Suppose my professional commitments require that I am domiciled/resident in another country or another continent for protracted periods? Should the law then work against me/my spouse or should certain concessions not be put in place to accommodate (to a reasonable degree) the varying circumstances of multinational couples?

I certainly feel that the blanket-type requirements are indirectly meant to ensure that most foreigners do not attain Nigerian nationality legally. The illegal route is a whole different ball game which I will not spend my precious time debating!

The fact remains that my husband feels more and more connected to Nigeria with or without a Nigerian port. This will have to do for now.

I wished to quote a previous poster's comment (July 2008) about citizenship requiring a residence qualifying period in the country (in this case Nigeria). This is not strictly the case.

My husband is Swiss and we both live in the United Kingdom. By virtue of our marriage alone I am able to acquire Swiss citizenship through facilitated naturalisation after 6 years, as we reside in a foreign county (5 years if we resided in Switzerland). Of course I would need to be able to converse in one of the national languages and show close ties to Switzerland (no problem!). Still, there is no prerequisite to have resided in Switzerland prior to an application for naturalisation.

Same for the French, Italians

It's a shame though that there isn't such a process for the acquisition of Nigerian citizenship via marriage. My husband loves Nigeria, the culture, linguistic diversity and history and would have loved to become Nigerian at some point in the future. It is not about what he stands to gain by being Nigerian, it's more a sense of identity because I am Nigerian. Sadly this may never happen.

mafiaguy:

My advise is that u forward the problem to the immigration office to ensure ur port is alright, Maybe u could also check the immigration website to be able to enter your port or pin to validate it, Act fast.

Thanks for your reply. I am resident in London and apart from the Nigerian Consulate I doubt that there is such an immigration service here. Nonetheless, I will give the Consulate a call tomorrow and see what advice they can offer.

Cheers

olawill:

I recently got a Schegen visa for 1 month , is it possible that when i get to any of the schegen countries that i can extend my stay ? and can anyone give me hints on how i can legalised my stay easily .

You CANNOT extend your stay from within the schengen territory as you are not a resident of any of the schengen states. Schengen category C visas (like most other short stays) can only be applied for from one's country of residence (this does not include visitors) at the time. Therefore, if you wanted to spend a longer time in or another schengen state, you will have to return to Nigeria and reapply.

When you say "legalize your stay", what do you mean? I assume you applied to enter as a tourist and so you are legally in as one. I hope you are not toying with the idea of overstaying your welcome there? Dangerous territory my friend

vimani:

I live in the uk and i am a nigerian. i applied for an e-port and i paid. So now how and when do i get an interview date? Also this guarantor form business is very confusing, where on earth am i going to find a magistrate court to swear at in the UK?

Vimani, see my post above. I am a Nigerian UK resident and when I applied for my e-port from the Nigeria Consulate in London I was not asked for a guarantor's form. However this may be conditional and based on: e.g., one already holding a valid Machine Readable port with valid UK permit; applicants above a certain age/non dependent).
If in doubt, call the consulate for some advice.

As for your interview date, if you paid for your online port application via credit/debit card then keep checking your gmail . Google checkout will inform you as soon as your card has been charged and payment completed. In turn, this will automatically trigger the allocation of an interview date via your NIS online .

Hope this helps.

I need some advice from anyone with 1st hand experience or expertise on the matter:

I recently applied for a schengen visa to with my e-port. Upon receiving the visa today I noticed that some numb skull had stapled a ticket slip to the back cover (top part) that houses the electronic chip! Having done some personal online research, I have found that this could be detrimental to the chip or it's antennae, and may result in its malfunctioning. Considering the time and trouble i've gone through getting my new port and the residence permits affixed therein, I would be infuriated to know that my e-port cannot be read or accepted due to an avoidable error!!! Surely consular/visa officials must know and understand the sensitivity of such documents and the necessary care to be accorded to them?

Has anyone experienced this OR does anyone know if I am able to double-check the activity of the chip (by way of a port reader) prior to future trips? I am also considering carefully removing the staple pin and putting a note on the back cover to advise that under no circumstances should anything be stapled to it.

Your necessary comments or advice please.

My experience is different: I obtained my e-port in the Nigerian High Commission in London and I thought the quality of the picture was good. I was just not satisfied with my signature as it appeared minute (but that was my fault!). I quite like the new design of the port pages too as they are etched with pics of the country's heritage. I don't know about the cover being too soft or fading. I'll have to wait and see.

What ever the case I do not think a not-so-perfect product is enough to deem Nigeria 'a shame'. A tad extremist in my opinion.

This report does sound very preposterous and I think it would be naive to swallow it hook, line and sinker.

Firstly, if one is singled out for a search by law enforcement officers (at least in countries where the law is upheld), be it in a public/private space), you have a right to question who the official is, why you are being searched and who has authorised the search. I find it very hard to believe that these women were unwilling victims of such indecent physical probing.
Secondly, the aforementioned protocol should be followed and technological advancement means that your outer and inner physiology is clearly visible without an efficacious officer shoving their fist up one's reproductive system.

I may be wrong but seriously doubt it!

Also do not staple anything to the e-port as this may damage the microchip stored in the back page.

It's all relative I think. I have travelled within Europe with my Nigerian port and have had little or no troubles. I feel that one's demeanor and style of communication helps to ease the immigration clearance process. I usually look the Immigration Officer square in the eyes, speak in a very confident, clear tone and am always dressed casually (just a personal preference). I also think with the new Nigerian biometric port, the international community would begin to trust in the credibility of the Nigerian port as a dependable identifying document.

Plum70:

Only online applications in the UK. Why do you appear reluctant to apply electronically?

joefit4gur:

Hey All,

I juss paid for my eport yesterday, my interview date is on the 15th of August. Buh i have a problem, with some of theire requirements,

Where do I get a Guarantor? I understand from a post that I can use anybody,

What with the PARTICULARS OF ASSET (Cash Available, Names and Addresses of Bankers,Houses, Other Assets)

Please I need someone's help before the interview date.

Please, I do get on Yahoo IM a lot - [email protected]

Thanks y'all!

Where are you applying from?
I applied to attend my interview at the Nigerian Consulate in London and did not need a guarantor on the day. All I was asked for was:

1. A print out of online application form
2. A print out of acknowledgement slip of payment
3. Online receipt confirming payment and interview date
4. Photocopies of my Nigerian port data page, visa page (if applicable) and observation page (where renewal stamp and change of name stamp was endorsed) if applicable

That was it!
I think (but don't quote me) that the guarantor's form only applies if you have not held a Nigerian port to date/for a long period of time.
So depending on your situation, you may or may not need to go down the guarantor's root. Hope this helps

sayhi2ay:

isn't the idea of an E-port is to collect your fingerprint? if you go there and tell them you want a new E-port, your info will surely pop up when they get your fingerprint again, so don't even try that

Precisely. The observation in your e-port should do really. I had same in my MRP and was fine. The specificity of the e-port is such that once data is captured on the chip it cannot be updated until the  port outlives it's span and a new chip is loaded.

Ilelobola:

From UK but would rather fill a paper form. Appears they still do paper forms in the US.

Only online applications in the UK. Why do you appear reluctant to apply electronically?

Try these guys +234 (1) 2714449 or Email @socketworksglobal.com. That's the details they have on their FAQ. They might be able to help.

Yeap! Best start from there

And would anyone know if they still accept paper forms or does it have to be done online? What if I can't make online payments or don't have internet access etc?

Nope, it's all electronic now for the e-port. Where are you applying from?

My hubby and I have agreed to be cremated and our ashes scattered over any of nature's waters. Cost-effective, environmentally-friendly and less dramatic!

author=laralash link=topic=89378.msg2547521#msg2547521 date=1216833637]
Thanks. Just need to figure out how to get ID for her from the local govt in Nig, considering she was born here

If you have any uncertainties then give the embassy in London a call: 0207 839 1244 (ext. 211 for the port section). The officers do try to be helpful although the info they give may not be 100% accurate (as was in my case).

and how to keep a 10mth old entertained for 7 hours.

You have to be very creative, hope your baby has a wacky sense of humour and finds it all amusing! The conditions in that 'dungeon' called a waiting area are (in my opinion) appalling for what an embassy should be - Overcrowding, insufficient ventilation, disorganization and noise pollution. Their excuse? the summer rush.  (Never mind the absence of any planning/forecasting, clear communication or processing efficiency.) Hope you have a better time than I did.

Sounds better than getting it from Nig though where it allegedly takes the whole day e.g. 7am until midnight.

It sounds better because our functionally dysfunctional system makes anything abnormal seem so! Sad,  Anyway, good luck with it all and let me know how you got on

Cheers

author=laralash link=topic=89378.msg2536315#msg2536315 date=1216650428]
Hi
Plum20, can you please let me know if you also had to fill in the online forms (there are still paper forms online which I prefer) and the guarantor's form? And does the guarantor need to go to High Commission to swear it in front of a Commissioner of Oaths? I know I should be calling the HC but I have been misguided in the past by their staff and would rather hear it from someone that's actually done it.

I already hold a valid MRP (Machine Readable Nigerian port) and was due for a reissue (after 10 years). The port application & payment (using mastercard/visa credit or debit cards) can only be done online via the NIS website (at least for the UK). I was at the Nigerian embassy in London yesterday and the docs I submitted were:

My original port + photocopies of the data page, renewal page and visa page.
A copy of the duly filled and signed online e-port application form, the acknowledgment slip (gotten once the online application has been submitted) and payment receipt (once the online payment is successful)
Two standard port pictures

That was all! The most trying part was the 7 hour wait before I was called for my digital photo to be taken as well as finger prints. I'm due to collect my port next week so we'll see.

I need to apply for a port for my children. My son's got one that's damaged, washed in the washing machine (hopefully they will replace with no hassle) but my daughter never had one as she's under 5 but I understand they can now get their own. If anyone's successfully applied for their children or replaced a damaged port recently can you please let me know ,  thanks.

Your kids qualify for their own ports and you will have to do so online as well. Take your son's old port as well. If your other kids have never held a Nigerian port then you may have to get a guarantor for them as well as a letter of Identification from their LG in Nigeria and their original birth certificates. The necessary info is on the Nigeria Immigration Service Site