In Nigeria, birth certificates and attestations are essential documents for various legal and administrative purposes. The National Population Commission (NPC) is the primary authority responsible for issuing these documents. This article provides a detailed overview of the requirements and procedures for obtaining a birth attestation certificate in Nigeria, particularly for individuals aged 17 and above.
Issuance and Validity
The NPC-issued certificates are the only official documents that can be accepted by any authority in Nigeria to prove births or deaths. According to the existing National Population Commission policy, the official birth certificates can only be issued to individuals below the age of 18 years. On the other hand, if you are 18 years and above, then the NPC will issue you an equivalent document previously known as the ‘Attestation of Birth Letter’ but now simply known as ‘Attestation Certificate’. Note that this birth attestation certificate is completely equal to a birth certificate and carries the same legal weight both domestically in Nigeria and when using it overseas (provided it has been duly authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
Thus, all birth certificates purportedly issued by religious bodies or hospitals are not valid or recognized as official birth certificates. It is pertinent to know that the only valid and official form of birth certificate or attestation of birth certificate is the one issued by the NPC.
Requirements for Obtaining a Birth Attestation Certificate
To get this attestation of birth letter from the NPC, you must fulfill certain requirements and provide necessary documentation:
- Age Limit: Attestation is only for adults (17+).
- National Identification Number (NIN): According to the NPC, the National Identification Number, unique to every citizen, is required to make the process faster.
- Sworn Affidavit: An affidavit must be submitted to the NPC. This Affidavit must contain:
- The details of the place of birth and date of birth of the applicant.
- The details of the parents of the applicant and their place of origin.
- The address of the applicant.
- Parental or Sibling Declaration: you must first obtain and present a court affidavit attesting to your date of birth and other personal details, and the affidavit must have a declarant who will be either of your parents (father or mother) or a significantly older sibling.
NPC now allows the applicant to initiate the application online if they have the required complete documentation. After that, the details of the applicant's parents will be uploaded, after which all the filled details will be cross-checked and submitted.
Read also: Obtaining a Birth Certificate in Ethiopia
How to Apply for a Birth Certificate, Attestation & Authentication in Nigeria | Step-by-Step Guide
Authentication Process
If you need to authenticate a birth certificate in Nigeria at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then you should bear in mind that it is necessary to have the official birth certificate or birth attestation certificate issued by the National Population Commission (NPC). This is because most embassies and foreign immigration authorities typically accept only the authenticated NPC-issued birth certificate or attestation of birth.
After you have received the birth certificate, you can then proceed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja to start the authentication process. The procedure for authentication of birth certificate in Nigeria is the same for other documents (such as marriage certificate, academic results, etc.), which we comprehensively explained in a previous cornerstone article on how to authenticate documents in Nigeria.
Important Considerations for Authentication:
- Before taking the birth certificate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for authentication, you need to find out from the embassy of your destination country or the institution you intend to submit the document to whether you are required to authenticate the original birth certificate itself or whether it is okay to make a photocopy of the birth certificate and then authenticate the photocopy.
- For example, most embassies including the UAE Embassy, Netherlands Embassy, Finland, France, Germany, Italy and Qatar Embassy in Nigeria among others usually insist on authentication of the original birth certificate, whereas the South Africa Embassy and a few others may accept authenticated photocopies or printed copies rather than the original.
- There is no clear time-frame for getting the authentication completed.
- Again, if you intend to submit your NPC-issued attestation of birth certificate to the Embassy of Belgium, there is a special requirement which you must fulfill - which is to first authenticate the birth attestation certificate at the National Population Commission, which is a process they call ‘confirmation of birth’, before proceeding for authentication at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and subsequently submitting the document to the Embassy of Belgium.
- Note that you will be required to also submit a copy of the REMITA payment receipt issued for the confirmation done by the NPC.
- If you intend to use your NPC Birth Attestation Certificate abroad for immigration purposes, you may sometimes be required to submit the birth certificate (Attestation Certificate) along with the age declaration affidavit.
Summary of Key Points
Here's a table summarizing the key points regarding birth attestation in Nigeria:
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Issuing Authority | National Population Commission (NPC) |
| Document for Adults (18+) | Birth Attestation Certificate |
| Age Limit | 17+ |
| Required Documents | NIN, Sworn Affidavit, Parental or Sibling Declaration |
| Authentication | Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Special Requirement (Belgium Embassy) | Confirmation of birth at NPC before authentication |
For assistance with attestation or authentication of birth certificate and other documents you intend to use abroad, you are welcome to get in touch with relevant consulting firms, as they can help you get this done quickly and efficiently.
Read also: Birth Certificate Guide - Ghana
Read also: Behind the Scenes with Chad Michael Murray
Popular articles:
tags: #Nigeria
