Looking to Legalise Document at the Ministry of foreign affairs /Ministry of Education in Nigeria? We Can help!

Lets take you through the details of legalization of documents at the ministry of foreign affairs. However, our errand staff at any of our offices can take away the stress from you considering your busy schedules

For some reason, anyone might want to authenticate their documents and affirm legitimacy to it. Be it for the purpose of tourism, job search, furthering education, et cetera.

The Essence Of Authentication Of Documents(Why It Is Required)

Often, documents are perceived by institutions to be illegal until proven otherwise by the bearer. This is because many institutions have been swindled by fraudsters who do not go through the right process of authentication of documents. And so it is not out of place for institutions to now charge applicants to go through the right process of authentication of documents in order to arrest the spread of forged documents. Documents that are often legalized in Nigeria include marriage certificates, O’ Level Result, National Diploma Result, Bachelor of Science (BSc) Result, Adoption Papers, Birth Certificates, School Transcripts, Patent Applications, Divorce Decrees, Death Certificates, Contracts, National Diploma Result (ND), and many others.

If you have been demanded by anybody to present an apostille in Nigeria, it simply means bearing a worthy Witness who attests to the legitimacy of your documents.

Usually what the institution or Embassy needs you to do is to attest that the document in which you bear is genuine or valid and is not a counterfeit. But many persons don’t know the processes involved in legalizing their documents or having them apostilled in Nigeria. This brings us to the purpose of this article.

How To Process Apostille In Nigeria

Usually, there is no such thing as processing apostille in Nigeria, this is because Nigeria is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention. Only the member states of this Union apostille documents for their citizens. And since Nigeria is not one, there is no way to apostille in Nigeria. However, a similar stamp called the “document authentication seal and signature” is issued by the Department Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, and that is equivalent to an apostille in Nigeria.

How To Notarize Documents In Nigeria

Many Nigerians have wondered how to notarize documents in Nigeria. Truthfully, you will have to contact a qualified Notary Public if you are interested in how to notarize documents in Nigeria. It is usually the first step before authenticating or legalizing your documents at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Abuja. Notarization of document is usually carried out by Lawyers, and you will need to find a genuine and qualified one to inquire further about the necessary steps. Obviously, the charges for how to notarize documents in Nigeria with Lawyers is not fixed, as it is dependent on your bargaining power and the experience of your Lawyer.

Processes Involved In Authentication Of Documents In Nigeria

For the purpose of this title, we are going to interchangeably use legalize, attest, and authenticate. For they all mean one thing as far as the purpose of document legalization is concerned.

Authentication of documents at the Department Of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, is a little bit cumbersome.

• First of all, if you want to notarize your documents for travel purpose, then you would need a Notary Public to notarize your document, especially when it is demanded by the embassy of your target country. We have already discussed the steps for that one in the above title “How To Notarize Your Document In Nigeria”.
• After bringing your document to the Department Of Foreign Affairs, Abuja. You will be required to complete the authentication papers at the Legal Services Department of the Ministry.
• Procure the correct cost quote for the documents you seek to validate. Thereafter, visit an affiliated bank to make the demanded amount of deposit into the Government’s bank account.
• When the bank deposit is completed, you will go back to the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Legal Services Department in Abuja and submit the teller of your bank deposit. You will be issued a receipt; approval of the deposit you had made.
• Then, forward your document that you want to be validated, to the proper desk of the Legal Services Department. You would be informed the date to return for your legalized/authenticated document.

There is usually no assurance that on the issued date for collection of your authenticated document, that you would come and obtain the document. Chances are that, the staff at desk may have left your file on the drawer to gather dust, or that there may be too many applicants’ documents to process, so it will be in your interest to frequently return to that desk to keep on reminding the Staff to finish up the validation of your document.

Now, since there are different documents that can be legalized and they all have unique steps in getting them authenticated. We are going to outline the procedures for getting each of them legalized here in Nigeria. Some of them will be grouped together because they have a similar procedure.

• Birth certificate or attestation of birth
• Marriage certificate, divorce certificate, single status affidavit
• Police Character certificate
• Nigeria International Passport
• School Results and Academic Documents ( Degree Certificates, Transcript, WAEC, NECO, et cetera )

How To Legalize Or Authenticate Birth Certificate Or Attestation Of Birth

It is always best to first obtain a birth certificate from Nigeria’s National Population Commission ( NPC ). On how to do that; given that some Missions might approve the submission of baptismal card from churches or birth affidavits from competent Courts of Law instead of a birth certificate from National Population Commission, many first-class nations of the world will instead prefer a legalized National Population Commission’s birth certificate. I don’t know where it is you want to go. But I’m here to help some certain would-be immigrants.

For those who might not be privileged to have a birth certificate, you would have to go to swear an affidavit at the closest magistrate court then proceed with the sworn affidavit to the National Population Commission in your state of residence in order to obtain your birth certificate.

After collecting your official birth certificate from National Population Commission, please refer to the sub-title “HOW TO NOTARIZE DOCUMENTS IN NIGERIA” and continue reading from the second bullet; where you take the document you intend to authenticate or legalize to the Legal Services Department of Foreign Affairs, Abuja.

Note: It is always advisable to confirm from the Mission of the country it is that you want to travel to, or the institution that demands for an authenticated document; if it is a legalized photocopy that they are interested in or a legalized original. In order for you to avoid legalizing the wrong document and end up wasting your time and resources.

This should be done before marching to the Department of Foreign Affairs to process document authentication.

Legalization Of Marriage Certificate In Nigeria, Divorce Certificate And Single Status Affidavits.

Legalization of marriage certificate in Nigeria is processed at the Department Of Foreign Affairs, Abuja. Usually, the Staff there will like to ascertain if the presented marriage certificate is real and awarded by a competent marriage registry here in Nigeria.

Here are the guiding procedures for the legalization of marriage certificate in Nigeria;

• Obtain two photocopies of the original marriage certificate.
• Carry all three documents now, to the Legal Services Division of Department of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.
• Revisit, “HOW TO NOTARIZE DOCUMENTS IN NIGERIA” , and continue from bullet number three.

After successfully running checks on your certificate, the Department will legalize the photocopy documents but not the original copy . They will return one original copy and one photocopy back to you after your next visit, then keep one of the photocopies for reference purpose.  This one is particular for Marriage Certificate authentication.

Note: Legalization of marriage certificate in Nigeria are only done on Tuesday, Wednesdays, and Thursday of every week.

As for the legalization of divorce certificate by the Department of Foreign Affairs, they will have to first ascertain whether the presented document was legitimate; rightly awarded by a competent court of law to separate a marriage binded by the law.

In the case of single status affidavits, they are also legalized by the same Department of Foreign Affairs, Abuja. They will cross-check if you rightfully declared a legitimate affidavit that attests you are truly single and also not involved in any marriage binded by a competent court of law in the country.

And that is all for the legalization of marriage certificate in Nigeria.

How To Legalize Police Character Certificate in Nigeria

Police Character Certificate is known as Certificate of Good Standing in other countries. So do not misunderstand the two names for they mean same thing; that you have a good content of character and have no criminal records with men of the Armed Forces.

First, learn to obtain your certificate of good character from the Nigerian Police Force via this link , after you have done that, take the document to Department of Foreign Affairs, Abuja for legalization and authentication of the first page, as well as the thumb prints and passports on the second page.

How To Legalize Or Authenticate the Nigeria International Passport, in Nigeria.

The Department of Foreign Affairs will determine if your passport number is in concord with your legitimate Nigerian passport. After that they will analyse your passport data page to verify you in concordance with the Mission/Embassy’s demands.

Authentication Of Result By Federal Ministry Of Education

Authentication of the result by Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, precedes the authentication of academic results or certificates at the Department Of Foreign Affairs, Abuja. Authentication of result by the Federal Ministry of Education will require you to go to the Ministry of Education, Abuja to verify your academic documents. It is in their place to confirm if the academic document is illegitimate or otherwise. When authentication of the result by the federal ministry of education is complete; and your documents are legitimate, you can then proceed to take them to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Abuja for legalization.

And that is all for authentication of result by federal ministry of education.

For every other document outside of these ones, the applicant will still end up visiting the Department of Foreign Affairs, Abuja and go through a somewhat rigorous process that will involve the verification of the document in question, before the next step which is the main legalization or authentication.

Authentication Of Result In Nigeria

Note: It is always wise to ascertain from the Embassy of the country you wish to migrate to, or the institution that needs your legalized document; if there are any extra requirements that need to be met in addition to the authentication of result in Nigeria.

The processes of authentication of results in Nigeria especially as mandated by some foreign missions are peculiar. For instance is the Embassy of Italy, in Nigeria. Visitors to their country are mandated to obtain “authentication of result in Nigeria” receipts given by the Nigeria Department of Foreign Affairs, Abuja. Finally, the authentication receipt will have to be added to the authenticated document while submitting to the Italian Embassy in Nigeria.

Nations such as India, Poland, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Malaysia, Czech Republic, et cetera will demand from prospective international students, a “Letter of Eligibility” alongside the legalized academic documents. The so-called “Letter of Eligibility” is usually awarded by the Ministry of Education when applied for. Then, all documents including the “Letter of Eligibility”, and your academic credentials can be forwarded to the Department of Foreign Affairs for authentication.

And that is all for authentication of result in Nigeria.

Cost Of Document Attestation From Ministry Of Foreign Affairs, Abuja Nigeria.

In Nigeria’s Department of Foreign Affairs, the price for legalization of documents depends on the number of pages the document contains and the type of document in question. In that case, if you are submitting six pages worth of document for legalization at the Department, the price for that type of document will be multiplied by a power of five, and the net price will be the price for legalizing that document.

Usually, the cost of document attestation from Ministry Of Foreign Affairs is low, but expenses spent commuting to the address for the purpose of hastening the process will take its toll on your pocket, especially for a city like Abuja where transport fares are rocket-high.

So, save up before starting this “cumbersome” process.