If you are moving to Nigeria for work, you have probably read that you must register with immigration within 90 days of landing. That sentence circulates widely, and it is worth being precise about it, because the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) does not publish a single universal 90-day registration deadline. What it publishes is narrower, and the difference decides whether you are early or late.
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Where the 90 days actually comes from
On the NIS page for the R2A Employment (Expatriate) visa, the figure of 90 days from issuance appears under Validity. That is the period in which the visa itself stays valid, which is to say the window in which you must enter Nigeria. It is not a countdown that starts when you arrive.
The deadline that does apply after arrival is stated differently. The NIS knowledge base answer to "How do I regularize my stay after arriving?" says the residence permit application must be filed "within the timeline specified (often 90 days)". Read that carefully: the binding date is the one specified for your case, on your visa and in your employer's quota approval. Ninety days is what it often is, not what it always is. If your papers say something shorter, your papers win.
Two routes, and only one has a step after you land
Which process applies to you depends on how your permit was arranged, and this is the single most useful thing to establish before you fly.
- The STR route. STR stands for Subject To Regularization. You enter Nigeria on an STR visa and then apply to the NIS for the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card, the CERPAC. The regularization happens after arrival, which is where the timeline above applies.
- The e-CERPAC route. The NIS states that the e-CERPAC is "processed and issued before the expatriate enters the country" and that it "eliminates the need for post-arrival regularization". On this route there is no post-arrival registration step to be late for.
So the honest answer to "when must I register?" begins with a question back: which of these two did your employer use? An expat on the e-CERPAC route who spends their first month hunting for an immigration office is solving a problem they do not have.
Who does what, in order
The NIS sets out the employment route as a sequence, and most of it happens before you travel. Note who acts at each stage, because the first two steps are not yours.
- Your employer applies to the Ministry of Interior for an expatriate quota. The quota is the company's permission to hire a foreign national for the role.
- The quota is approved, and the company issues a letter accepting sponsorship of the applicant.
- The STR visa application goes in at a Nigerian embassy or high commission, with the full document set.
- You enter Nigeria and regularize your status, obtaining the CERPAC.
Because the quota comes first and sits with the employer, a delay there moves every later date. If you have no confirmed quota approval, the regularization deadline is not yet your most urgent problem.
What the CERPAC costs
The NIS publishes these figures on its own CERPAC page, read on 23 October 2026, and asks that fees be paid online:
- USD 2,000 for employed foreigners
- USD 600 for students
- Gratis for foreigners married to Nigerian citizens
For other categories, including business owners, dependents and retirees, the NIS page lists no fee. Where a fee is not published, no reliable figure exists to quote, so ask the NIS or the embassy handling your application rather than budgeting from a number you found in a forum. Fees of this size also move: confirm the current amount at the point of payment, not from an article.
What the NIS asks you to bring
The CERPAC page lists the documents in general terms rather than as an exhaustive checklist:
- A valid passport carrying a Nigerian visa
- Proof of employment, business registration or student status, depending on your category
- Other supporting documents as required
You also give biometric data, fingerprints and a photograph, at a designated NIS office, and the knowledge base answer notes that medical tests may be required as part of regularization. Because the published list ends in "as required", treat it as the floor and not the ceiling, and get the specific list in writing from the office handling your file.
How long the permit lasts
The NIS describes the duration in two places and the two are not identical. The CERPAC page says the permit is for those who wish to reside in Nigeria for a period of not less than one year, and that it runs "usually One (1) year and above, subject to renewal". The knowledge base answer describes the CERPAC as "valid up to 2 years (renewable)". Both are the NIS's own wording, so rather than pick one, check which applies to your category when you collect the card, and note the expiry date from the card itself.
What expats should know
- Find out your route before you fly. STR or e-CERPAC changes whether you have a post-arrival step at all. Your employer's immigration contact knows this.
- Get the specified date in writing. "Often 90 days" is not a date. The one that counts is on your visa and your approval letter.
- Keep every receipt and confirmation. The regularization record is what you will be asked for at renewal and on later applications.
- Treat forum figures as rumour. The cost difference between what circulates and what the NIS publishes for an employed foreigner is not a rounding error.
- Diarise the renewal, not just the application. A permit that lapses is a harder problem than one applied for a week late.
Where to check
The authoritative sources are the NIS itself at immigration.gov.ng and the Nigerian embassy or high commission that issued your STR visa. Your employer's immigration adviser holds the quota approval and the specified timeline for your case. Immigration rules and fees change, and the NIS publishes changes on its own site before they reach anywhere else.
AI-Generated Content: This article was created with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important information with official sources.
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Last updated: October 2026
