Nigerian Passport Name Change in the UK After Marriage or Divorce

Can I change the name on my Nigerian passport in the UK?

Yes, if the change follows a marriage or a divorce. On its requirements page, the Nigeria High Commission in London (often referred to as the Nigerian embassy in London) states: “Change of name can only be done by virtue of Marriage or Divorce.” The same page states: “Change of name by deed poll is not acceptable.” A UK deed poll is therefore not accepted by the High Commission for this purpose.

The High Commission lists the change-of-name documents under the re-issue of a standard passport. The new name is issued in a new passport booklet, which you apply and pay for on the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) portal and then submit at the High Commission, as with a renewal. NIS’s own passports page calls the service “Change of Data due to Change in Marital Status”.

NIS’s passports page also describes other changes, such as the addition, deletion or rearrangement of names. The High Commission’s page restricts a change of name to marriage or divorce, so if your change is for another reason, ask the High Commission how it will be treated before you apply or pay.

Documents for a name change after marriage

For a change of name by marriage, the High Commission lists the following, quoted in its own wording, in addition to the general re-issue requirements set out below:

• “Marriage Certificate”
• “Consent Letter signed by the husband”
• “Data page of the husband’s Passport”
• “Applicant’s Valid Passport”

Points to confirm on the marriage documents

The requirements page does not say whether “Applicant’s Valid Passport” means the Nigerian passport being replaced or another current passport, and it does not specify the nationality of the husband’s passport. If your Nigerian passport has expired, or your husband does not hold a Nigerian passport, ask the High Commission which documents it expects before you attend.

The High Commission does not publish a template for the consent letter. As a sample only, to be checked against the High Commission’s current requirement, the letter can give the husband’s full name and passport number, the date and place of the marriage, his consent to his wife’s Nigerian passport being issued in her married name, and his signature and the date.

Documents for returning to your maiden name after divorce

The High Commission also changes a name as a result of divorce, and for that case lists the following, again in its own wording, with the general re-issue requirements:

• “Divorce Certificate”
• “Proof of maiden name, e.g. Passport before marriage”
• “Other valid ID Card bearing maiden name”

The general re-issue requirements that also apply

Because a name change is made through a re-issue, the High Commission’s standard re-issue list applies as well:

• Your original Nigerian passport.
• A printed copy of the filled, dated and signed passport application form.
• A copy of your Nigerian NIN (NIMC number), with the High Commission’s note: “Your NIN must match the details on your passport in correct order”.
• A copy of your appointment booking, made through the Nigeria Immigration Service.
• An administrative fee of £20 by UK postal order payable to the Nigeria High Commission, London, or through the High Commission’s e-payment platform.
• A stamped, self-addressed Royal Mail Special Delivery C4 envelope, so that the passport can be posted back to you. The High Commission says there is “NO physical collection once the biometric has been taken”.

Update your Nigerian NIN (NIMC number) before you apply

Because the High Commission requires your NIN to match the details on your passport in the correct order, and the new passport is issued in the new name, the NIN record needs to show that name before you apply. The same applies when you return to your maiden name after a divorce. Our guide on renewing a Nigerian passport without a Nigerian NIN (NIMC number) explains how to check your NIN record from the UK and how to confirm that a partner is licensed by NIMC.

NIMC’s diaspora fact sheet (updated 18 April 2023) describes modification through a NIMC-licensed partner. You pay for the modification and complete a form on the partner’s website, book an appointment, and attend with the supporting documents, which the fact sheet describes as a “letter of application indicating reasons for amendment/update” and documents such as a marriage certificate. The officer verifies your identity, makes the change and prints a new NIN slip. Your NIN itself stays the same.

The fact sheet says that details other than date of birth can be modified “as many times as required”, so a name changed on marriage can be changed back after a divorce. NIMC’s published lists name a marriage certificate but not a divorce certificate, so ask the partner which documents it accepts before you pay. NIMC’s diaspora fee schedule, approved in December 2019, set $10 for this kind of modification at a partner’s office outside Africa. The fact sheet notes that all fees are subject to review, so confirm the partner’s current price as well.

NIMC’s self-service portal at selfservicemodification.nimc.gov.ng also handles changes of name. For a name change, NIMC’s 2026 FAQs list a court affidavit, a newspaper extract, a marriage certificate (for married women) and another valid means of identification. They state that self-service payments are non-refundable and that a change of name takes 3 to 5 days to reflect on the NIN after approval.

NIMC says modifications cannot be done by proxy, so you take part yourself on either route. Once the change has been made, NIMC says you can download your NIN slip free from its NINAuth app. NIMC’s list of licensed diaspora partners includes the Nigeria High Commission, but the High Commission’s requirements and immigration pages do not describe a NIN modification service, so ask before relying on it.

What NIS asks you to upload on the portal

NIS’s passports page lists the documents to upload online for a change of data due to a change in marital status: a birth certificate from the National Population Commission or a declaration of age from a high court, a state of origin certificate, an application letter, the marriage certificate, a court affidavit, a newspaper publication and the passport data page. The NIS Service Level Agreement (revised April 2026) gives the same list.

The High Commission’s London list does not mention a court affidavit or a newspaper publication. If the portal asks for a document that the High Commission does not list, ask the High Commission about it before your appointment.

Fees for a name change

The passport fee is the same as for a renewal. The NIS Service Level Agreement lists $150 for the 32-page, 5-year booklet and $230 for the 64-page, 10-year booklet, and states that all prices are exclusive of bank charges. In a statement on 11 September 2026, reported by Vanguard and Channels Television, NIS gave the applicable fees as $162 and $242.

The Service Level Agreement also lists a correction of data administrative charge of 30,000 naira. On NIS’s passports page, the instruction to pay a non-refundable administrative charge appears under correction of errors and other changes of name, not under a change in marital status. Neither document says how the charge applies to applications made through the High Commission, so check the total the portal shows before you pay.

How long the passport stage takes

The NIS Service Level Agreement, revised in April 2026, gives the timeline for a standard passport correction of data as “21 Days after Successful Enrolment (IF NLO)”, and defines NLO as “No Local Objection”. The same document’s entry for fresh applications gives “Fresh Application/ Change of Data: 42 days after Successful Enrolment”, so it states two different periods for a change of data. Both are NIS’s published service standards, not a promise of when a passport will be issued, and the NIN modification has to be completed before either period begins.

What can hold up a name change

• A Nigerian NIN (NIMC number) that still shows the old surname, or shows the names in a different order from the application.
• No consent letter signed by the husband, or no copy of his passport data page.
• For a divorce, no identity document in the maiden name. The High Commission asks for “Other valid ID Card bearing maiden name” and does not give examples.
• Arriving without the stamped C4 Special Delivery envelope, since there is no collection after biometrics.

The order to work in

You can complete each of these steps yourself.

• Decide the name you want on the passport, with its exact spelling and order.
• Modify your NIN record through a NIMC-licensed partner or NIMC’s self-service portal, and wait until a new NIN slip shows the new name.
• Apply on the NIS portal with your names exactly as they appear on the NIN, pay the passport fee and book your appointment.
• Gather the marriage or divorce documents and the general re-issue documents, including the £20 fee and the C4 envelope.
• Attend for biometric capture. The passport is posted back to you in your envelope.