Nigerian Naturalization
Nigeria
Citizenship
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See if you're a match →Nigerian naturalization is for long-term residents who meet Section 27 of the Constitution. The residence requirement is normally 15 years, either continuous immediately before applying or a 12-month continuous period plus 15 years in aggregate within the preceding 20 years.
- Type
- Citizenship after long residence
- Residence fit
- Usually 15 years in Nigeria
- Core requirements
- Good character, domicile intention, local acceptance, assimilation, contribution, and oath
- What to know
- This is a long-residence citizenship route, not a first-step visa
Summary
Nigerian citizenship by naturalization is a long-residence route under Section 27 of the Constitution. The headline residence requirement is 15 years, but the Constitution recognizes two ways to satisfy it: 15 continuous years immediately before applying, or 12 continuous months immediately before applying plus 15 years in aggregate during the preceding 20 years.
Who qualifies
The strongest cases usually involve an applicant who can show:
- Full age and capacity
- Good character
- Clear intention to be domiciled in Nigeria
- Local-community acceptance and assimilation into the way of life in the relevant part of Nigeria
- Ability to make a useful contribution to Nigeria
- Willingness to take the oath of allegiance
- The required residence period
Residence requirement
The constitutional residence test is met if, immediately before applying, the applicant has either:
- Resided in Nigeria continuously for 15 years, or
- Resided in Nigeria continuously for 12 months and, during the 20 years immediately before that 12-month period, resided in Nigeria for periods adding up to at least 15 years.
What to know
This is not a first-step immigration route. It is a citizenship application for people who have already built a deep residence and community record in Nigeria.