Have you wondered where you can get your birth certificate in Nigeria? Generally, Nigeria Population Commission (NPC) birth certificates are given/issued shortly after childbirth but it can still be given to anyone at the age of 18yrs and younger.
It is important for every Nigerian to know how to get a birth certificate from the NPC as the issuance happens at any of the centers across Nigeria.
Before we move on, you should know that the National Population Commission (NPC) is an organization whose is responsible for the collecting, collating, analyzing, and publishing of data about the Nigerian people and economy.
And so, a birth certificate is an official document given by the NPC to every person born in Nigeria.
The National Population Commission (NPC) has over 700 branches across Nigeria, which also includes hospitals and health centers.
Today, it is quite easy to get a birth certificate from the National Population Commission (NPC) and it only takes a few steps.
Now, let us talk about how to get the National Population Commission birth certificate in Nigeria.
How to Get a Birth Certificate for a Baby Born in a Hospital or Any Health Center in Nigeria
Shortly after a child is born, the health institution will give the parent(s) a certificate report as proof of birth of the child, and then the parents are obligated to present that certificate report to the registration center of the NPC, either at the hospital or local government headquarters.
When you have presented your birth report, a registration certificate will then be given to you, after which you will be issued a birth certificate.
You should keep in mind that this entire process is done for free if it has not been more than sixty days (approximately two months) since the birth of the child.
In a case where childbirth happens outside of medical facilities, that is; if a child is born at home, church or any other place that is outside a hospital, health center or medical establishment, the parent(s) are obligated to follow the steps below to obtain the child’s birth certificate:
Visit the Local Government Authority (LGA) where the child was born and get an affidavit. This will act as proof of birth.
Take the affidavit to the NPC.
The NPC will review the affidavit, fill in the required information and issue the child’s birth certificate.
It is possible to get a birth certificate for a person older than a newborn and below 18 years, and so if, for any reason, you do not own a birth certificate or have never been issued one, you can get it from the NPC.
This opportunity also applies to people who have undergone a name change and it is now necessary for their documents to show their new names.
To get the new certificate with your new name on it, you have to follow the following process:
- Visit an NPC office in your local government area.
- Fill in your personal details on the National Population Commission birth certificate form you will be given.
- You will then be asked to obtain an age declaration affidavit from a court of law.
- Present the affidavit to the NPC for the processing of your document.
Note that since the applicant is still a minor (a person below the legal age of adult responsibilities and accountabilities), their parent’s presence is required for the affidavit to be issued.
How to Get an NPC Birth Certificate For 18 years and Above
There are steps to obtaining your birth certificate once you are at the age 18 years and above.
To be able to get this certificate, you need to get a letter of attestation and in order to get this, you should follow the steps below:
- Go to your local government secretariat and ask to visit the NPC department.
- Get the special form issued for a price of N100 and keep in mind that the final document that will be given to you will be charged at the price (N2,500).
- Submit the form to the NPC once you have filled it.
- You will be asked to get an age declaration affidavit from a court of law.
- Once you get the affidavit from the court, present it to the NPC and the NPC will issue you with an attestation letter that serves as evidence of your age.
Getting An NPC Birth Certificate From Abroad
That is, if you are abroad and want to obtain a birth certificate in Nigeria, the process for getting this certificate or attestation letter is basically the same, the only difference is that you will have to appoint a person you trust to obtain, forward, and collect all the necessary documents for you.
Majority of the time, the trusted person is the applicant’s father, mother, or sibling.
How Much Is A Birth Certificate In Nigeria?
As mentioned before, the birth certificate process and issuance is done for free if the child is two months old (60 days). If the child is 6 months to adolescent, you will have to pay about N1,000 or more.
If the individual is older than 18 years of age, the person is charged N500 to get the application forms and N3,000 to N5,000 to get the attestation document.
Typically, getting or having a National Population Commission birth certificate is necessary for every Nigerian.
The document can be gotten easily at birth, mostly for free or at a price if the child is an adult. Thankfully, obtaining this document has been made easy by the Nigerian government.