How To Obtain Birth Certificate In Nigeria (2024)

This article is a guide on how to obtain birth certificate in Nigeria this 2024. If you want to get a birth certificate for your new born baby or for yourself in case you never had one, the information in this post will be very useful to you. Everything you need to know concerning how to register a birth in Nigeria will be discussed in detail.

In Nigeria today, the document or certificate given to every new born baby at birth is what is called birth certificate and the government agency in charge of that is the National Population Commission (NPC). This agency is saddled with the responsibility of registering every person newly born in Nigeria. For you to be able to successfully register a birth in the country, you should visit the nearest NPC registration centre to you.

The National Population Commission has different registration centres located in different parts of the country. Majority of the NPC birth registration offices are situated at the Local Government Headquarters where you gave birth to your child, Some are also located at NPC registration posts at the hospital you gave birth to your baby, health centres and other NPC registration centers outside the locations aforementioned.

It is very important that one possesses a birth certificate because in Nigeria today, birth certificates are vital documents for official purposes; whether you are registering for admission into school, you are scheduled for a job interview, you are getting married or you are running for a political office, the importance of a birth certificate can never be overemphasized. for a lot of applications in Nigeria. Having said that, kindly note that there are different procedures involved in obtaining a birth certificate in Nigeria and this depends on your birth place and the timing.

The process of registration of a birth for a person born in a hospital or any other medical facility is different from that of a person who was born outside of a medical institution. Also, timing matters a lot because how to obtain a birth certificate after some months or years after a person’s birth is different from how to get it within two months after birth. If you want to know more about these processes or procedures, kindly read up the information below.

HOW TO OBTAIN A BIRTH CERTIFICATE FOR A CHILD BORN IN A HOSPITAL OR MEDICAL INSTITUTION IN NIGERIA 2024 

• Once a child has bern born in a hospital, the hospital will issue a certificate to the child to prove that the child was truly born in their facility
• This birth report from the hospital is to be taken to any National Population Commission (NPC) registration centre in the hospital or at the Local Government Area Headquarters.
• Once you get to the registration office, you will be required to submit the proof of childbirth issued by the hospital or health institution where the child was born, once this is done, a certificate of birth which confirms the registration of birth is issued to the child.
• Kindly take note that the birth document issued at the hospital to prove that the child was born there is not the legally accepted document that qualifies as a birth certificate. Only the certificate of registration of birth issued by the National Population Commission (NPC) is the valid birth certificate. Birth certificates are free of charge as long as they are obtained within two months of birth (that is, within 60 days).

HOW TO GET A BIRTH CERTIFICATE FOR A CHILD BORN OUTSIDE A HOSPITAL IN NIGERIA 2024 

Once a child is born outside of a hospital or health centre, the following steps should be undergone to ensure that their birth certificate is obtained:

• Approach the Local Government Area Secretariat in charge of the area where the person was born and obtain an affidavit. This effectively serves as proof of birth.
• The affidavit which now serves as a proof of the birth is then taken to the National Population Commission (NPC) registration centre at the Local Government Headquarters or a hospital or health centre or any other NPC designated office.
• On getting to the registration office, you will be required to submit the affidavit to the registration officer and a birth certificate or certificate of registration of a birth is then issued to the child.

HOW TO OBTAIN A BIRTH CERTIFICATE FOR A PERSON UNDER THE AGE OF 18 IN NIGERIA 2024 

This is for those who may not have gotten a birth certificate when they were born or those who have misplaced their birth certificates. It is also applicable to those who have undergone a change of name. The National Population Commission (NPC) issues birth certificates to people who are under the age of eighteen (18) years for the aforementioned reasons.

To get your birth certificate, visit the National Population Commission (NPC) located in your Local Government Area. While there, you will be given a form to fill for in order to get your birth certificate. This form comes at a particular cost and in most cases, you will be required to obtain an Age Declaration Affidavit from a court of law before the birth certificate can be given to you.

The presence of a parent or guardian is needed for people under the age of 18 before an Age Declaration Affidavit can be given. This Age Declaration Affidavit can be submitted at the NPC office and a birth certificate will be issued. People above the age of 18 years are only given an attestation letter and the attestation letter is a document issued to back up the sworn Age Declaration Affidavit.