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Citizenship Hub

Nigeria

Citizenship guide · NG

Citizenship by descent is available; naturalisation requires 15 years; dual citizenship is generally not permitted.

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Eligibility is often wider than people expect a free check takes under a minute.

Capital
Abuja
Mobility rank
№ 190 of 199
By descent
Yes
Naturalisation
15 years
Dual citizenship
Restricted
Application fee
Varies

Who can visit Nigeria?

198 of 199 passports can enter Nigeria visa-free, visa on arrival, by ETA, or with an e-visa.

e-Visa 180

0 passports require a visa to visit Nigeria.

Am I eligible for Nigeria citizenship?

Tap the option closest to your situation for an instant steer.

Why Nigeria?

The Nigeria passport offers visa-free, visa-on-arrival, ETA, or e-visa access to 89 destinations, ranking it #190 globally.

Dual only for Nigerian citizens by birth.

Citizenship by descent

Nigeria applies jus sanguinis citizenship can be acquired by descent from a citizen parent.

Naturalisation

Naturalisation typically requires 15 years of residence.

Dual citizenship

Nigeria generally does not permit dual citizenship naturalising usually requires renouncing your existing nationality.

Fees & timeline

There is no standard published application fee costs vary, so check with official sources.

Tax considerations

  • Top personal income tax rate: 24%
  • Corporate income tax rate: 30%
  • Standard VAT/GST rate: 7.5%
  • Taxation basis: worldwide (residents are generally taxed on worldwide income)

Compiled from the Citizenship Hub law dataset (approximate). Verify with official government sources before relying on this information.

Documents checklist

The documents you'll typically need for each citizenship route in Nigeria. Tick items off as you gather them your progress is saved on this device.

Citizenship by descent

Proving your lineage to a citizen parent or ancestor.

7 items

Country data

Overview, citizenship routes, economy, freedom, and tax at a glance.

Overview

Capital
Abuja
Region
Africa
Area
923,768 km²
Population
200,963,599
Demonym
Nigerian
Languages
English
Currency
Nigerian naira (₦)

Citizenship routes

Citizenship by descent
Yes
Descent depth
Parents only
Naturalisation period
15 years
Dual citizenship
Restricted
Official application fee
Varies

Economics & development

GDP per capita
$1,224 2025
Total GDP
$448.1B 2019
Inflation
23.0% 2025
Life expectancy
54.6 years 2024
GDP growth
4.0% 2025
Human Development Index
0.548 #161
Income group
Lower middle income
Development status
Emerging region: G20

Freedom & quality of life

Corruption Perceptions Index
26 / 100 2024 · #130
Freedom in the World
44 / 100 Partly Free · 2024
Human Rights Index
0.67 / 1 2025 · #93
Liberal Democracy Index
0.31 / 1 2025 · #87
Life satisfaction
4.79 / 10 2025 · #107

Tax considerations

Personal income tax
24% top rate
Corporate tax
30%
VAT / GST
7.5%
Tax basis
Worldwide

Relocation & living

Internet penetration
41.2% 2024
Driving side
Right-hand
Climate
Tropical
Time zone
Africa/Lagos

Where the Nigeria passport can travel

Each dot is a destination colours show what you need to enter.

  • Visa-free
  • Visa on arrival
  • ETA
  • e-Visa
  • Visa required

Europe

2 e-visa · 43 required

Americas

3 visa-free · 1 ETA · 8 e-visa · 23 required

Asia

5 on arrival · 19 e-visa · 27 required

Africa

19 visa-free · 6 on arrival · 17 e-visa · 11 required

Oceania

4 visa-free · 3 on arrival · 2 e-visa · 5 required
  • Visa-free
  • Visa on arrival
  • ETA
  • e-Visa
  • Visa required
  • No admission

Alternative paths to Nigeria citizenship

Beyond standard naturalisation, these routes may apply to you.

Residency → naturalisation

Most applicants naturalise through 15 years of lawful residence. An advisor can confirm your fastest route.

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Liberia

Citizenship by descent is available; naturalisation requires 5 years; dual citizenship is generally not permitted.

Capital
Monrovia
By descent
Yes
Naturalisation
5 yrs
Dual citizenship
Restricted
Read the guide
GW
Africa

Guinea-Bissau

Citizenship by descent is available; naturalisation requires 5 years; dual citizenship is permitted.

Capital
Bissau
By descent
Yes
Naturalisation
5 yrs
Dual citizenship
Allowed
Read the guide
ML
Africa

Mali

Citizenship by descent is available; naturalisation requires 5 years; dual citizenship is permitted.

Capital
Bamako
By descent
Yes
Naturalisation
5 yrs
Dual citizenship
Allowed
Read the guide
NE
Africa

Niger

Citizenship by descent is available; naturalisation requires 10 years; dual citizenship is generally not permitted.

Capital
Niamey
By descent
Yes
Naturalisation
10 yrs
Dual citizenship
Restricted
Read the guide

Latest Nigeria immigration news

Recent headlines on Nigeria immigration and citizenship, auto-fetched from Google News.

No recent headlines yet. Check back soon, or follow the official sources below.

Nigeria immigration & citizenship sources

Official government portals and reference pages for Nigeria citizenship and immigration rules.

Law

Government

Jobs

General data sources & licenses
  • Visa-requirement matrix and passport mobility scores.

    Visa data derived from passportindex.org, via imorte/passport-index-data (MIT License).

  • Country metadata: names, capitals, regions, flags, currencies, languages, calling codes, borders, tld, lat/lng, UN/independence status.

    Country metadata from mledoze/countries (MIT License).

  • Natural Earth ↗ Public domain

    Country polygon geometry plus population, GDP (total), income group, economy, and continent classifications.

    Made with Natural Earth (public domain) naturalearthdata.com.

  • Raster basemap tiles for the interactive visa-access maps.

    Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0).

  • GDP per capita (current US$) and inflation (CPI annual %).

    GDP per capita and inflation from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) data.worldbank.org.

  • Human Development Index (HDI) values and ranks.

    Human Development Index from the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

  • Our World in Data ↗ CC BY 4.0 (third-party data subject to third-party licenses)

    Intermediate distribution of the Corruption Perceptions Index, V-Dem Human Rights Index, and V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index.

    Indices sourced via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0).

    Our World in Data states that third-party datasets remain subject to the original publisher’s license see the individual sources below.

  • Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) scores.

    Corruption Perceptions Index 2024, Transparency International (CC BY-ND 4.0).

    Restrictions: No derivatives

    CPI scores are reproduced as factual data points, unmodified.

  • Human Rights Index and Liberal Democracy Index.

    Human Rights Index and Liberal Democracy Index from V-Dem (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

    Restrictions: Non-commercial · Share-alike

    ⚠ Non-commercial license: confirm commercial use is permitted before monetising the site.

  • Freedom House ↗ © Freedom House all rights reserved

    Freedom in the World scores and status.

    Freedom in the World 2024, © Freedom House (used with attribution for informational purposes).

    Review Freedom House republication terms before commercial use.

  • Tax Foundation ↗ © Tax Foundation attribution requested

    Reference for personal income and corporate tax rates.

    Tax rates cross-checked against the Tax Foundation.

  • OECD Tax Database ↗ OECD see oecd.org terms

    Reference for personal income tax, corporate tax, and VAT/GST rates.

    Tax rates cross-checked against the OECD Tax Database.

  • KPMG Tax Rates Online ↗ © KPMG attribution requested

    Reference for personal income tax, corporate tax, and indirect tax rates.

    Tax rates cross-checked against KPMG Tax Rates Online.

  • Wikipedia ↗ CC BY-SA 4.0

    Reference for citizenship-law rules (descent, naturalisation, dual citizenship, fees).

    Citizenship-law facts compiled from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Law facts are human-curated approximations; always verify with official government sources.

Citizenship Hub is an independent resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of the organisations above. Informational only not legal, immigration, tax, investment, or travel advice. Requirements, scores, fees, and tax rates change frequently; always verify with the relevant official government source before acting.

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