The exigency to present a certificate of birth at one point or the other is unavoidable. From job applicants to school children and even in visa application processes, a birth certificate is always needed at one point or the other. Since 1992, the National Population Commission (NPC) has been responsible for the registration of births in Nigeria. Prior to this time, if an individual was not born in a hospital, the parents would have to obtain a sworn affidavit from their local government, stating that the child was born in that local government area, then the sworn affidavit would then be taken to the NPC which will register the child and issue a birth certificate.
There are some churches, hospitals, and local governments that issue birth certificates, however, these certificates are not valid until they are taken to the NPC for registration. So just in case you were thinking that birth certificates with date of births before 1992 weren’t valid, they very much are. Some individuals may belong to the category who lost their birth certificate or had a change of name. If you have had a change of name then a sworn affidavit is going to be needed so that the birth certificate is not considered null and void. To swear an affidavit, visit any Local Government or court of law.
The necessary requirements required to obtain a birth certificate document in Nigeria
1. An attestation letter, from the High Court of Justice to make a declaration of age (sworn age declaration affidavit).
2. The applicant is asked to complete a form at the High Court of Justice which includes the date of birth, place of birth, family, as well as a statement saying that, at the time of his or her birth, the NPC did not exist.
For newborn infants, there are several locations at which birth registration takes place, like National Population Commission (NPC) registration centres, NPC offices at the local government headquarters as well as NPC desks in hospitals and health centres. Registration is completely free as long as the parents register the infant with NPC within 60days of birth. The following information will be required of the parents during registration:
1. The child’s name
2. Date of birth
3. Place and type of birth and birth order
4. Mother’s name, age at birth of child, marital status, education, ethnicity and place of residence
5. Father’s name, age at birth of child, marital status, education, ethnicity and place of residence.
To anyone seeking where and how to get birth certificate or age declaration in Nigeria, I hope this information was useful. You can get more details on their website at www.population.gov.ng
I hope this piece was helpful.
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