Nigeria Civil Documents · Updated May 2026
Nigerian Birth Certificate for U.S. Immigration: the NPC Certificate, LGA Attestation, and Declaration of Age
Get the National Population Commission document the U.S. Consulate in Lagos actually accepts, know whether you need the certificate or the attestation, and skip the steps you do not need.
Summary
Order an original NPC Certificate of Birth from the National Population Commission. If the birth was never registered (common for adults born before 1992, especially before 1979), you instead get an NPC Attestation of Birth, which requires a sworn Declaration of Age from a Nigerian High Court first. Nigerian documents are in English, so no translation is needed, and Nigeria is not a Hague Apostille country, so no apostille is needed for the U.S. filing. Hospital slips and church certificates are not accepted as the primary record. All processing runs through the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos.
At a glance
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| What U.S. immigration needs | An original National Population Commission (NPC) Certificate of Birth. If the birth was never registered (common for adults born before 1992, especially pre-1979), you instead get an NPC Attestation of Birth, which first requires a sworn Declaration of Age from a Nigerian High Court. |
| Issuing authority | The National Population Commission (NPC). Its offices sit inside Local Government Area (LGA) secretariats and designated Primary Health Care Centers. The NPC is the only body whose birth document the U.S. accepts. |
| Which document by birth year | Born 1992 or later: the NPC Certificate of Birth (registration is nationwide and compulsory since Decree 69 of 1992). Born before 1992 with no registration: the NPC Attestation of Birth plus a High Court Declaration of Age. Born 1979 to 1992 in Anambra, Oyo, Plateau, or Kaduna: a Local Government Certificate of Registration of Birth may also apply. |
| Translation | None needed. Nigerian civil documents are issued in English, so there is no translation requirement for the U.S. filing. |
| Apostille / legalization | Not needed for the U.S. filing. Nigeria is not a Hague Apostille country, so no apostille exists, and USCIS and the U.S. Consulate accept the NPC document as a certified original. Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication is for general overseas use, not a U.S. green-card requirement. |
| Cost (Nigeria side) | The NPC Certificate of Birth is free for children under 2 and roughly ₦3,000 to ₦5,000 for older applicants. The Attestation of Birth is about ₦3,000 at the NPC, plus ₦5,000 to ₦15,000 for the High Court Declaration of Age affidavit. Fees as of early 2026; verify at the office. |
| What is NOT accepted | Hospital or clinic birth slips, church or baptismal certificates, and documents from any body other than the NPC are not accepted as the primary record for births from 1992 onward. There are no certified copies of the NPC certificate; you order a fresh original. |
| Where the interview happens | The U.S. Consulate General in Lagos (2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island) handles every Nigeria immigrant visa. Lagos uses a two-step process: an in-person document review first, then a follow-up interview two to four weeks later. |
Document rules verified May 2026 against the U.S. Department of State Nigeria reciprocity page. Naira fees change often; verify directly before paying.
How to get it: the order of operations
The path splits on one question: was your birth registered? Births from 1992 onward are registered and use the NPC Certificate of Birth. Unregistered older births use the NPC Attestation of Birth, which starts at a High Court. Follow this sequence.
Step 1: Figure out which document you need first
Use the birth year. If you were born in 1992 or later, you order the NPC Certificate of Birth (registration has been nationwide and compulsory since Decree 69 of 1992). If you were born before 1992 and your birth was never registered, you cannot get a standard certificate, so you take the Attestation of Birth route in steps 4 to 5. Settle this before you pay for anything.
Step 2: Apply for the NPC Certificate of Birth
Apply at any NPC office (inside an LGA secretariat or a designated Primary Health Care Center) or through the NPC self-service portal at birthreg-selfservice.nationalpopulation.gov.ng. You will be asked for the National Identification Number (NIN), the hospital birth notification if you have it, and the parents' IDs. In many cases the registration and certificate are issued the same day; allow up to two weeks for older applicants.
Step 3: Collect the original and check the four required facts
The certificate must show your full name, your date and place of birth, and both parents' names. There are no certified copies in Nigeria, so what you receive is the original you submit. Confirm the spelling of every name matches your passport before you leave the office, because a name mismatch is the single most common fixable problem at Lagos.
Step 4: If never registered: get the High Court Declaration of Age
For an unregistered birth (common pre-1992 and especially pre-1979), the NPC will not issue a standard certificate. Start at a Nigerian High Court: a parent or a relative at least 18 years older swears a Declaration of Age (an affidavit before a Commissioner for Oaths) stating your full name, exact birth date, place of birth, and parents' names. This affidavit is the foundation the NPC needs and costs roughly ₦5,000 to ₦15,000.
Step 5: If never registered: get the NPC Attestation of Birth
Take the sworn Declaration of Age to the NPC (in person, or via attestation.nationalpopulation.gov.ng) with your NIN, ID, and photographs, and request the Attestation of Birth. The current attestation is digital with an embedded QR code for verification. Bring both the Attestation and the underlying affidavit to your interview, because Lagos may ask to see the affidavit that supports the attestation.
Step 6: Bring the originals to Lagos for the two-step review
The U.S. Consulate General in Lagos reviews your original civil documents at an in-person document review, then calls you back two to four weeks later for the interview. Bring the original NPC document (and the High Court affidavit if you took the attestation route). No translation and no apostille are required for the U.S. filing.
Certificate or attestation: which one is yours
Both documents come from the National Population Commission (NPC), the only body whose birth record the U.S. accepts. The difference is whether your birth was ever registered. The Births, Deaths, etc. (Compulsory Registration) Act, Decree 69 of 1992, made registration compulsory nationwide, so anyone born in 1992 or later should have, or be able to obtain, the standard Certificate of Birth.
For births before 1992, and especially before 1979, registration was patchy or did not exist (the 1979 pilot covered only Anambra, Oyo, Plateau, and Kaduna), so many adults have no registered birth. For them the NPC issues an Attestation of Birth instead. The attestation is not a substitute for the certificate for a registered post-1992 birth: the State Department reciprocity table treats an attestation submitted in that situation as unacceptable.
NPC Certificate of Birth
The standard document for births registered in 1992 or later. Issued under Decree 69 of 1992, on Form B.2, showing full name, sex, date and place of birth, and both parents’ names. There are no certified copies, so you order a fresh original.
NPC Attestation of Birth
For adults whose births were never registered (commonly pre-1992 and especially pre-1979). It is built on a sworn High Court Declaration of Age and is now issued in a digital format with a verification QR code. Bring the attestation and the underlying affidavit to Lagos.
The Declaration of Age: the hidden first step for unregistered births
The most common surprise for older applicants: the NPC will not issue an Attestation of Birth until you bring a sworn Declaration of Age. This is an affidavit made before a Commissioner for Oaths at a Nigerian High Court, sworn by a parent or a relative at least 18 years older than you. It states your full name, exact date and place of birth, and your parents’ names, and it is the evidence the NPC relies on to issue the attestation.
Because the attestation depends on it, treat the High Court affidavit as Step 1 of the unregistered-birth route, not as a supporting extra. It costs roughly ₦5,000 to ₦15,000 depending on the court and legal fees. Bring both the Declaration of Age and the resulting Attestation of Birth to your Lagos appointment, since the consulate may ask to see the affidavit behind the attestation.
Translation and apostille: two steps you can skip
Applicants from many countries pay for a certified translation and for legalization. Nigeria lets you skip both for the U.S. green-card filing.
Translation
Not required. NPC certificates and attestations are issued in English, so there is nothing to translate. If you have separate non-English supporting records, see the translations guide for those.
Apostille / legalization
Not required. Nigeria is not a Hague Apostille country, so no apostille exists. USCIS and the U.S. Consulate accept the NPC document as a certified original. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication that some services sell is for general overseas use, not your U.S. filing.
Order the document at an NPC office (inside a Local Government Area secretariat or a designated Primary Health Care Center) or through the NPC self-service portal at birthreg-selfservice.nationalpopulation.gov.ng. Apply for the attestation at attestation.nationalpopulation.gov.ng. Confirm fees at the office before paying.
At the U.S. Consulate in Lagos: a two-step review
Every Nigeria immigrant visa is processed at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, at 2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island. Since the start of 2025, Lagos splits processing into two appointments: an in-person document review, handled largely by local staff, who confirm your paperwork is complete and current, and then a follow-up interview two to four weeks later with a consular officer. Bring your original NPC document to the document review, not only to the interview.
Lagos reviews Nigerian civil records carefully for authenticity. The way through that is to obtain a genuine NPC document through the official channels above and to make sure your name matches your passport. If your name appears differently across your records, or relationship proof comes up, see the companion Nigeria pages on name conventions, the marriage certificate, and DNA testing.
What applicants report
Aggregated from the U.S. Department of State Nigeria reciprocity table, the U.S. Embassy Nigeria immigrant-visa pages, Nigerian document-service guides, and U.S. immigration-attorney write-ups on Lagos (2024 to 2026). The NPC birth document draws limited public forum chatter, so we lead with the patterns that repeat across sources. Use as context, not legal advice; your case may differ.
Tips from the community
Born 1992 or later? You almost certainly need the Certificate, not the Attestation
Law-firm guides tracking the State Department reciprocity table are consistent: for births from 1992 onward, only the NPC Certificate of Birth is the primary document, and an NPC Attestation or a Local Government Certificate of Registration is not accepted in its place. Applicants who submitted an attestation for a post-1992 birth reported being told to come back with the certificate.
Fickey Martinez Law and legalisation.ng birth-year guides, 2024 to 2026
The Attestation has a hidden first step: the court affidavit comes before the NPC
People taking the unregistered-birth route are repeatedly surprised that the NPC will not issue an Attestation of Birth until they bring a sworn Declaration of Age from a High Court, sworn by a parent or older relative. Build the court affidavit into your timeline first; the NPC step depends on it.
legalisation.ng 2026 guide and Nigerian document-service providers, 2024 to 2026
Lagos runs two appointments, not one: bring originals to both
Since the start of 2025, the U.S. Consulate in Lagos splits processing into an in-person document review handled largely by local staff, then a follow-up interview two to four weeks later with a consular officer. Attorneys note this adds weeks. Bring the original NPC document to the document review, not just to the interview.
U.S. Embassy Nigeria immigrant-visa page and JQK Law Lagos update, 2024 to 2025
Name spelling and order get scrutinized; match the passport exactly
Lagos examines Nigerian civil records carefully for authenticity, and a name that appears in a different order or spelling than the passport draws questions. Confirm the NPC document spells your name exactly as the passport does before you submit it, and see the companion pages on Nigerian name conventions and document review if your name appears differently across records.
Immigration-attorney guidance on Lagos document scrutiny, 2024 to 2025
In their words
“Applicants must first obtain sworn affidavits of age declaration from Nigerian High Courts, typically requiring statements from parents or relatives at least 18 years older, before the NPC will issue an attestation letter.”
“For births 1992 and after, only the NPC Certificate of Birth is accepted; the NPC Attestation or a Certificate of Registration of Birth is not acceptable.”
Common problems and fixes
| Issue | Fix |
|---|---|
| Submitted a hospital birth slip, baptismal certificate, or church record | These are not accepted as the primary birth record for births from 1992 onward. Order the NPC Certificate of Birth from an NPC office or the self-service portal. |
| Submitted an NPC Attestation of Birth for a birth in 1992 or later | For post-1992 births, the standard NPC Certificate of Birth is required, not the attestation. Apply for the certificate; registration has been compulsory nationwide since 1992. |
| Tried to get the Attestation of Birth without a court affidavit | The NPC issues the Attestation only after you provide a sworn Declaration of Age from a Nigerian High Court. Get the High Court affidavit first, then apply at the NPC. |
| Name on the NPC document differs from the passport | Confirm the spelling and order of names match your passport before submitting. If your name genuinely appears differently across records, address it with supporting documents; some name questions need an attorney. |
| Paid for an apostille or assumed a translation was needed | Nigeria is not a Hague Apostille country, so no apostille exists, and Nigerian documents are in English, so no translation is required for the U.S. filing. Submit the NPC document as a certified original. |
Sources
- U.S. Department of State: Nigeria Reciprocity and Civil Documents (Birth Certificate) (verified May 2026)
- U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Nigeria: Immigrant Visas Processing in Lagos (verified May 2026)
- U.S. Consulate General Lagos (2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island) (verified May 2026)
- Fickey Martinez Law: Nigerian Birth Certificate for U.S. Immigration (birth-year breakdown) (verified May 2026)
- legalisation.ng: NPC Attestation Letter vs Birth Certificate (fees, portals, Declaration of Age) (verified May 2026)
- National Population Commission self-service portals: birthreg-selfservice.nationalpopulation.gov.ng and attestation.nationalpopulation.gov.ng
- U.S. immigration-attorney guidance on the Lagos two-step process (JQK Law, 2024 to 2025)
Frequently asked questions
Which Nigerian birth document does U.S. immigration require?
An original National Population Commission (NPC) Certificate of Birth. For births in 1992 or later, that certificate is the only accepted primary document. For an unregistered birth before 1992 (often pre-1979), you instead get an NPC Attestation of Birth, which requires a sworn Declaration of Age from a Nigerian High Court first. Documents from hospitals, churches, or any body other than the NPC are not accepted as the primary record.
What is the difference between an NPC Certificate of Birth and an Attestation of Birth?
The Certificate of Birth is issued when a birth was registered, and it is the standard document for anyone born in 1992 or later. The Attestation of Birth is for adults whose births were never registered, typically those born before 1992 and especially before 1979. The attestation is not a substitute for the certificate for a registered, post-1992 birth, so the U.S. Consulate will reject an attestation submitted in that situation.
What is the High Court Declaration of Age, and when do I need it?
It is a sworn affidavit, made before a Commissioner for Oaths at a Nigerian High Court, in which a parent or a relative at least 18 years older than you states your full name, exact date and place of birth, and your parents' names. You need it only for the Attestation of Birth route (unregistered births). The NPC will not issue an attestation until you provide this affidavit, so it is the first step, not a supporting afterthought. It costs roughly ₦5,000 to ₦15,000 depending on the court.
Do I need to translate my Nigerian birth certificate for the green card?
No. Nigerian civil documents, including the NPC Certificate of Birth and Attestation of Birth, are issued in English. There is no certified-translation requirement for the U.S. filing, which removes a step that applicants from non-English-speaking countries have to complete.
Does a Nigerian birth certificate need an apostille or legalization for U.S. immigration?
No. Nigeria is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so no apostille exists for Nigerian documents. USCIS and the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos accept the NPC document as a certified original. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication that some services sell is for general use of the document abroad, not a requirement of your U.S. green-card filing. Do not pay for legalization unless a specific U.S. agency asks for it in writing.
How much does the NPC birth certificate cost, and how long does it take?
The NPC Certificate of Birth is free for children under 2 and roughly ₦3,000 to ₦5,000 for older applicants, and it is frequently issued the same day, with up to about two weeks for older applicants. The Attestation route adds the High Court affidavit (about ₦5,000 to ₦15,000) plus the NPC attestation fee (about ₦3,000). These are early-2026 figures; confirm at the office before paying.
I was born before 1979 and my birth was never registered. What do I submit?
Take the Attestation of Birth route. First, a parent or older relative swears a Declaration of Age before a Nigerian High Court. Then you submit that affidavit to the NPC with your National Identification Number, ID, and photographs to obtain the Attestation of Birth. Bring both the Attestation and the underlying affidavit to your Lagos appointment, because the consulate may ask to see the affidavit behind the attestation.
Why does the U.S. Consulate in Lagos look so closely at my birth document?
Lagos reviews Nigerian civil records carefully for authenticity, which is why it now uses a two-step process: an in-person document review of your originals, then a follow-up interview two to four weeks later. The way to clear it is to obtain a genuine NPC document through the official channels described here and make sure your name matches your passport. We do not advise on how documents are scrutinized; we help you get an authentic, accepted one.
Key takeaways
- ✓
U.S. immigration needs an original NPC Certificate of Birth. For births in 1992 or later, that certificate is the only accepted primary document, and an attestation will not substitute for it.
- ✓
If the birth was never registered (common before 1992, especially pre-1979), take the Attestation of Birth route: a High Court Declaration of Age affidavit comes first, then the NPC issues the Attestation.
- ✓
No translation is required because Nigerian documents are in English, and no apostille exists because Nigeria is not a Hague Apostille country. Submit the NPC document as a certified original.
- ✓
Order the certificate at an NPC office (inside an LGA secretariat or Primary Health Care Center) or via the NPC self-service portal. There are no certified copies; you order a fresh original.
- ✓
Confirm every name matches your passport exactly before submitting; a name mismatch is the most common fixable problem at Lagos.
- ✓
All Nigeria immigrant visa processing happens at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos (2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island) using a two-step document review then interview. Bring originals to both.
Collecting documents for consular processing?
Green Card Genius guides you through every step of the consular processing path, including which civil documents the National Visa Center requires and in what order. See if it fits your situation.
See how it worksContinue reading
- 01Nigerian Names on U.S. Immigration Forms: Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, and Name Discrepancies
- 02Nigerian Marriage Certificate for U.S. Immigration: Statutory, Customary, and Islamic Marriage
- 03Lagos Document Review: The Pre-Interview Document Verification Visit (2026)
- 04Consular Processing Guide (2026): Marriage Green Card
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