Fees and steps checked on
Nigerian birth certificate attestation is the step that lets a parent in the UAE sponsor a child born in Nigeria, enrol them in school, and complete the Emirates ID. The certificate must come from the National Population Commission (NPC). It is authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, then attested by the UAE Embassy in Abuja together with MOFA attestation, in one digital step.
We are a private document service in Dubai, not MOFA, an embassy or a government office. We pick up and deliver documents free of charge anywhere in Dubai.
Price: there is no fixed price for Nigeria. Send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts.
The NPC rule
In Nigeria, births are registered by the National Population Commission. Foreign governments that legalise Nigerian papers, such as the Netherlands, say only the original NPC certificate is accepted. Many families hold something else: a hospital birth card, a baptismal certificate, or a local government paper. None of those replace the NPC certificate for attestation. If that is what you have, the first job is getting the NPC document, and we tell you which one fits your case.
Older births and attestation of birth
Two situations come up often with Nigerian parents and older children:
- Births before December 1992, or never registered. The NPC does not issue a back-dated birth certificate. It issues an attestation of birth, sometimes supported by an age declaration sworn at a High Court.
- Births between December 1992 and January 1995. Some foreign authorities ask for a certified copy of the local government registration record for this period.
For a young child this rarely applies. For an adult, for example a parent who needs a birth record for a UAE personal status matter, it often does.
Which documents you need
- The original NPC birth certificate for each child, or an NPC attestation of birth for an older birth.
- A copy of the child's passport.
- Copies of both parents' passports.
- For a child visa, the attested marriage certificate of the parents is usually asked for as well.
Step list for a Nigerian birth certificate
- Check the document. Send a photo. We confirm it is an NPC certificate and that the names match the passport.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja. Authentication of the NPC document. This takes the place of an apostille, because Nigeria is not in the Apostille Convention.
- MOFA portal application. The UAE application is filed online with UAE PASS.
- UAE Embassy in Abuja and MOFA. The original is collected, both offices attest it digitally, and the result is emailed. The original comes back by courier.
- Use in the UAE. The attested certificate goes into the child's residence visa file or school file.
Where the UAE asks for it
Child residence visa. A resident sponsoring a child is asked for the attested birth certificate. We can prepare the full family file: see family visa services in Dubai.
School admission. Schools across the emirates commonly ask for an attested birth certificate for children arriving from abroad. See attestation for school admission.
Common problems with Nigerian birth certificates
- Hospital or church certificate instead of NPC. Refused at the foreign ministry. Get the NPC certificate first.
- Surname different from the father's passport. The visa office compares the child's certificate, the parents' passports and the marriage certificate. A mismatch may need a sworn affidavit before filing.
- Handwritten corrections. A certificate with overwritten names or dates is likely to be questioned. Ask the NPC for a clean replacement before starting.
Do the family file together
Parents sponsoring a child usually need the marriage certificate attested too. See Nigerian marriage certificate attestation. If a parent needs a degree for work, see Nigerian degree attestation. For birth certificates from other countries, see birth certificate attestation, and for every Nigerian document, see Nigeria certificate attestation.
