Immigration

VISAS FOR BUSINESS PEOPLE

There are a number of visa options for people seeking to conduct business visits, establish a business in Nigeria, manage a new or existing business, or invest in Nigeria. Nigerian visas may be obtained in the country where an applicant is domiciled, or the Nigerian Mission nearest to the applicant’s country of domicile, or on arrival in Nigeria.

TYPES OF ENTRY PERMIT FOR OVERSEAS INVESTORS AND EXPATRIATES

  • Business Visa
  • Visa on Arrival
  • Subject to Regularization (STR) Visa
  • Temporary Work Permit (TWP)

BUSINESS VISA: WHO QUALIFIES?

  • Business men and Investors coming to Nigeria for business discussions
  • Obtainable from Nigerian Missions abroad

Requirements for the issuance of Business Visa

  • Passport valid for at least 6 months.
  • Duly completed visa application form.
  • Evidence of sufficient funds
  • Letter of invitation from a company/host in Nigeria accepting immigration responsibility. Self-sponsored business men do not require letter of invitation but will be required to show evidence of sufficient funds
  • Evidence of online payment for visa fee.
  • High net-worth investors.
  • CEO of recognized multinationals, invitees of Government.

ENTRY VISA ON ARRIVAL PROGRAM GUIDELINES:

  1. Visit the Home page of Nigeria Immigration Service Portal
  2. Locate & click on the appropriate application form to start the process
  3. Fill the Application form and submit
  4. Proceed to make online payment. You will be re-directed to an approved payment platform to complete your application and make your payment in United States dollars.
  5. You will be expected to take your Visa on Arrival program payment receipts and other required documents to the Arrival Point of Entry in Nigeria on your slated interview date for further processing.
  6. Please note that you can reschedule your interview date to any next available date.

SUBJECT TO REGULARIZATION (STR) VISA: WHO QUALIFIES?

  • Expatriates employed by individuals, corporate bodies or governments (i.e. to take up employment in Nigeria).

Requirements for the issuance of STR Visa / Entry Permit

  • Valid passport with minimum of 6 months validity
  • Letter of employment
  • Expatriate quota approval
  • Credentials of the applicant
  • Duly completed formIMM 22
  • Curriculum Vitae or Resume
  • For Chief Executive Officers (C.E.O) of corporate organizations, there is need for extract of the minutes of the Board’s resolution
  • Evidence of online payment for visa fee.
  • Obtainable only Nigerian Missions in the countries where applicants are domiciled for at least six (6) months

TEMPORARY WORK PERMIT (TWP): WHO QUALIFIES?

  • Experts invited by corporate bodies to provide specialized skilled services, such as after sales installation, maintenance, repairs of machines & equipment

Requirements for the issuance of Temporary work permit (TWP)

  • Confirmed Airline Return ticket
  • Acceptance of IR(Immigration Responsibility) by inviting organizations or individual.
  • Obtainable only from the office of the Comptroller General of Immigration in the Nigeria Immigration Service Headquarters, Abuja.

*IR means acceptance of Immigration Responsibility which includes but not limited to

  • Accommodation/feeding
  • Transportation
  • and if need be the cost of repatriation or deportation

For information on visa application fees by country and further details on visa application please visit the Nigeria Immigration Service Portal.

OBTAINING BUSINESS PERMIT AND EXPATRIATE QUOTA

We can assist investors and foreign companies to obtain Business Permit and Expatriate Quota from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Nigerian Immigration Service, respectively. Expatriate personnel do not require work permits, but they remain subject to needs quota of their employer company requiring them to obtain residence permits that allow salary remittances abroad.

Foreign investors must register with the NIPC, incorporate as a limited liability company (private or public) with the Corporate Affairs Commission, procure appropriate business permits, and register with the Securities and Exchange Commission (when applicable) to conduct business in Nigeria.

Business permit is the authorization for the operation of a business with foreign capital either as a parent company or a subsidiary of a foreign company. A wholly foreign owned company must obtain business permit as well Expatriate Quota for its foreign staff.

Expatriate Quota is the authorization to a company to employ individual expatriates to specifically approved job designations, and also specifying the permissible duration of such employment. The expatriate quota is the work permits for expatriate employees to fill the expatriate quota obtained by the employer company.