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Nigeria Legal Information & Law Reports

REQUIREMENTS FOR WORK PERMIT IN NIGERIA

If you are a foreigner and considering starting a business in Nigeria or if you are planning to employ foreigners, you must ensure that all of your staff members possess the necessary visas and permits to reside and work in Nigeria lawfully. There is only a single type of Nigerian work permit known as the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (CERPAC). The primary way of obtaining a Nigerian work permit is through work. Other methods include marriage and study routes. For this write-up, we shall focus only on the work route.

The CERPAC is a work permit or card that permits a foreign national to live and work in Nigeria for a specified period. Under the direction of the Federal Ministry of Interior, the Comptroller General of Immigration in Nigeria has the authority to provide a Nigerian residency visa for eligible foreigners.

Steps for Obtaining CERPAC

To obtain CERPAC through a work route, the primary requirement is to secure a job offer from a company with an available expatriate quota position. A foreigner not having work from an existing company may incorporate a new company for himself and subsequently apply for an expatriate quota through the company.

Assuming the company and expatriate quotas are in place, the next step is to apply overseas for a Subject to Regularization (STR) at the Nigerian Embassy.

The following are the main requirements for an STR visa application:

  • A valid international passport for at least six months.
  • Completed the visa application in quadruplicate and four current passport photographs.
  • Incorporation documents of the requesting company
  • Copy of the Ministry of Interior’s letter approving the expatriate quota.
  • Copy of Business Permit duly issued by the Ministry of Interiors (where applicable).
  • Copies of all qualifications and curriculum vitae of the expatriate (where appropriate, certificates translated into English).
  • Copies of the employment offer letter.
  • Signed copies of the foreign worker’s letter of acceptance of employment.
  • Visa Acknowledgment and Payment Receipt from the Nigeria Immigration Service.
  • Letter of Invitation

The expatriate must submit all the above documents to the Nigerian Mission or Embassy. If all the documents are duly presented, the expatriate will successfully obtain an STR Visa accompanied by a brown envelope or packet from the Embassy. The STR Visa is usually valid for 90 days, so the expatriate must arrive in Nigeria before the expiration of the visa to obtain CERPAC.

Upon arrival in Nigeria with an STR Visa, the expatriate is automatically entitled to obtain a work permit (CERPAC).

The following documents must be attached to an application for CERPAC in Nigeria:

  • Foreign passport with an endorsement for the STR visa.
  • An accurately filled-out CERPAC statutory form.
  • A packet of STR documents obtained from the Nigerian Embassy or mission.
  • A letter of application from the employer asking for the expat’s stay to be regularised and accepting Immigration Responsibility (IR).
  • The payment of the required fees. The official fee for CERPAC is 2,000 USD, payable annually.

The ECOWAS Residence Cards 

The 1975 Lagos Treaty guarantees the unrestricted movement of citizens of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) within other member states. This implies that no citizen of a member state needs a visa from another member state to enter it. Furthermore, an ECOWAS citizen can migrate to Nigeria for work purposes.

However, any ECOWAS citizen wishing to live and work in Nigeria must have an ECOWAS Residence Card for residency purposes. The ECOWAS member states are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, and Niger.

The following conditions must be met before an ECOWAS citizen can be granted an expatriate quota:

  • Application letter asking for the ECOWAS Residence Card to be issued.
  • A six-month valid international passport or an ECOWAS travel certificate.
  • ECOWAS Travel Certificate or National Passport biodata page photocopy.
  • Two copies of the applicant’s most recent passport photo are needed.
  • Proof of payment made online.
  • A properly filled-out and signed application form.

In addition to the aforementioned, citizens seeking employment must also provide the following documents:

  • Employment letter.
  • Acceptance letter for work offer.
  • Copies of certifications from schools or professions.
  • A copy of the applicant’s resume

In conclusion, working for a Nigerian company is the major way of obtaining a work permit in Nigeria. The foreign worker’s employer must have received the expatriate quota on the worker’s behalf before the application for a residence permit can commence. A citizen of ECOWAS can also migrate to Nigeria and obtain a work permit. West African citizens face a less stringent application process and cheaper CERPAC fees, unlike expatriates from countries outside ECOWAS.

 

By Immigration Law Team at Resolution Law Firm 

Email: info@resolutionlawng.com