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Nigeria residence and citizenship

No residence route by investment with a stated minimum is on file for Nigeria. Ordinary naturalisation in Nigeria needs 15 years of legal residence.

Last updated: 10 November 2026

Partly checked — So far the automated review covers R2A expatriate employee and CERPAC only (sources read 10 November 2026). Everything else on this page is provisional.

Residence routes in Nigeria

No investment, own-income or remote-work route is on file for Nigeria yet; the work, family and other routes on file are below.

"Minimum" is a cited investment threshold in its stated currency. A USD figure appears only when a supported conversion is on file; "—" means no supported amount is on file, not that it is free. "To citizenship" counts the years of residence before a naturalisation application. A zero-year entry states no residence wait; citizenship still needs a separate decision.

Work, family, study and other routes (1)
RouteKindMinimumProcessingTo citizenship
R2A expatriate employment visa plus CERPACWork———

* Provisional — not yet verified by the automated source check. Years to naturalisation: from Moroom Africa Legal Consults (via Legal 500), read 10 November 2026 (a summary, not the official text). Constitution s. 27: 15 continuous years, or 12 months before applying plus 15 years in total in the 20 years before that. Dual citizenship: from Moroom Africa Legal Consults (via Legal 500), read 10 November 2026 (a summary, not the official text). Naturalised and registered citizens must renounce other citizenships, except one held by birth. Citizenship by investment: from Moroom Africa Legal Consults (via Legal 500), read 10 November 2026 (a summary, not the official text). No citizenship-by-investment programme; naturalisation requires long residence.

Each route's conditions and sources

R2A expatriate employment visa plus CERPAC

R2A entry visa and the later residence/work card are separate approvals. Work is limited to the sponsoring employer.

Sources: Expatriate employment R2A visa (Nigeria Immigration Service), e-CERPAC residence and work registration (Nigeria Immigration Service, e-CERPAC)

Citizenship in Nigeria

  • Years of residence before naturalisation: 15 years*
  • Years before permanent residence: not stated
  • Dual citizenship allowed: Only in some cases*
  • Citizenship by investment: No programme*

What is the cheapest residence visa in Nigeria?

No residence route by investment with a stated minimum is on file for Nigeria. The routes on file are listed below.

How many years to citizenship in Nigeria?

Ordinary naturalisation in Nigeria needs 15 years of legal residence. Provisional — from Moroom Africa Legal Consults (via Legal 500), read 10 November 2026; not yet verified. Constitution s. 27: 15 continuous years, or 12 months before applying plus 15 years in total in the 20 years before that.

Does Nigeria allow dual citizenship?

Only in some cases: Nigeria allows dual citizenship for some people and not for others. Provisional — from Moroom Africa Legal Consults (via Legal 500), read 10 November 2026; not yet verified. Naturalised and registered citizens must renounce other citizenships, except one held by birth.

Can you get citizenship by investment in Nigeria?

No. Nigeria has no citizenship-by-investment programme on file; residence by investment, where it exists, leads to citizenship only through the ordinary residence years. Provisional — from Moroom Africa Legal Consults (via Legal 500), read 10 November 2026; not yet verified. No citizenship-by-investment programme; naturalisation requires long residence.

Tax and residence days

A residence permit and tax residence are different tests. See the Nigeria tax rates, count your days with the Nigeria day test and see what changed in the data, day by day.

Sources

The Nigeria profile cites 2 sources, 2 of them from a government or a statute. Data as of 2026-Q4.

Rules, fees and minimums change, and many routes have conditions not shown here. Did you find an error? Tell us, with the source.

Other countries in Africa: Rwanda, Senegal, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa. See every country.

This page is general information. It is not legal, immigration, tax or investment advice. Check the official source and ask a qualified immigration lawyer before you apply or invest.