Nigerian Passport for a Child in the UK: Consent Letter and Rules

Can my child born in the UK get a Nigerian passport?

Yes, if at least one parent is a Nigerian citizen. Section 25(1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution makes “every person born outside Nigeria either of whose parents is a citizen of Nigeria” a citizen of Nigeria by birth.

In practice the High Commission asks for the parents’ passport data pages and says at least one must be a Nigerian passport. If the Nigerian parent holds only a British passport, raise this with the High Commission before applying, because the published requirement will not be met.

Section 28 of the Constitution removes Nigerian citizenship only from people who are not citizens by birth, so a child who is Nigerian by birth can also hold another nationality. That is Nigerian law only; this guide does not cover UK immigration status or British citizenship.

What the High Commission asks for, for under-18s

The requirements page of the Nigeria High Commission (the Nigerian embassy in London, as most people search it) sets out these documents for applicants under 18, for a first passport and for a renewal:

• A letter of consent signed by both parents.
• Copies of both parents’ passport data pages, at least one of them Nigerian. For a renewal, the page asks for both where both parents are named on the birth certificate.
• The child’s birth certificate showing the parents’ details (the renewal section calls it the long birth certificate). A certificate without the parents’ details does not meet this.
• A copy of the death certificate if the Nigerian parent has died.
• First passport: the original and a photocopy of the child’s current passport if they are a dual national. Renewal: the child’s original Nigerian passport.
• First passport for a child born outside the UK: the page also asks for a copy of the documents used to enter the country, and a translation of any document not in English, signed and stamped by a registered or certified translator.
• A copy of the child’s Nigerian NIN, which the page says must match the passport details in the correct order.
• The printed, dated and signed application form and the appointment booking, plus the online payment slip for a first passport.
• The £20 administrative fee and a stamped Royal Mail Special Delivery C4 envelope, because there is no collection after biometrics.

Fees for a child’s Nigerian passport

NIS confirmed on 28 August 2025 that diaspora fees stayed at $150 for the 32-page, 5-year passport and $230 for the 64-page, 10-year passport. The Interior Minister said in September 2026 that these fees are exclusive of bank charges, and NIS’s 11 September 2026 statement quotes $162 as the amount payable for the 5-year booklet. The Nigerian Consulate in Atlanta’s April 2024 notice lists the 10-year booklet as for adults aged 18 and over, so plan on the 5-year booklet for a child.

On 11 September 2026 the High Commission publicly stated that the approved standard administrative charge remains £20, after publications claiming a £70 fee had presidential approval circulated during the September 2026 passport intervention exercise. A separate High Commission notice says intervention applicants who paid £70 will be refunded £50.

Is there an official consent letter template?

No. On 15 September 2026 we checked the High Commission’s requirements page, immigration page and published document library, and found no consent letter template.

The only application forms the High Commission publishes are the lost passport form and the Emergency Travel Certificate form.

The NIS passports page lists a letter of consent for minors but publishes no wording either. Templates passed around online, including an old PDF for minors under 16, are not official documents. The test that matters in London is the published one: a letter of consent signed by both parents.

Sample consent letter layout (not an official form)

This is a sample layout we wrote. It is not wording issued by the High Commission or NIS. Before you use it, confirm the current requirement, including whether signatures must be witnessed, with the Nigeria High Commission.

• Top: both parents’ full names, addresses and phone numbers, and the date.
• Addressed to: The Nigeria High Commission, 9 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5BX.
• Heading: Letter of consent for the Nigerian passport of [child’s full name].
• Body: We, [parent 1 full name] and [parent 2 full name], are the parents of [child’s full name], born on [date of birth] in [town, country]. We consent to our child being issued, or reissued, a Nigerian passport.
• Then: Copies of our passport data pages and our child’s birth certificate are attached.
• One signature block per parent: signature, full name, passport number and nationality.
• Write every name exactly as it appears on the passports and the child’s NIN record, in the same order.

Separated, single parent or one parent abroad

The High Commission gives one rule for these cases: “In absence of documents or consent of either of the parents, proof of sole custodian from the court must be provided.” Here is how that applies, and what to confirm.

• Separated but both willing: both sign. Living apart does not change the published requirement.
• The other parent refuses or cannot be found: the page asks for proof of sole custody from a court. It does not say which UK court orders it accepts, so ask the High Commission before booking whether yours will be. For how court orders about children work in England and Wales, see GOV.UK’s guide to making child arrangements (it notes the rules differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland), and take legal advice on your own situation.
• Only one parent named on the birth certificate: the page does not deal with this directly. Confirm with the High Commission what it needs from the unnamed parent, if anything.
• The Nigerian parent has died: the page asks for a copy of the death certificate. If the other parent has died, or you are unsure whose signature the consent letter now needs, confirm with the High Commission before booking.
• One parent lives abroad: the page does not say how an overseas parent should sign. Confirm before your appointment whether a posted original, a scanned signature or a letter signed at a Nigerian mission abroad is acceptable.

Do both parents need to attend?

The High Commission’s page does not say both parents must attend. It says both must consent in writing. The child must attend, because NIS requires applicants to appear for photograph and biometric capture.

Plan for at least one parent to come with the child. For a first passport the page asks for the original and a photocopy of the birth certificate and of any other passport the child holds; for a renewal, the child’s original Nigerian passport. NIS’s general list for minors says “Letter of consent from either parent”, which is looser than London. Follow the London rule; it is the one checked at your appointment.

Why a child cannot use contactless renewal

The High Commission states: “The contactless application process is not available for applicant under the age of 18 or for first-time application.” It gives no reason, and says these applications go through the appointment system, so even a child’s renewal means an in-person appointment.

Get your child’s Nigerian NIN (NIMC number) first

The High Commission lists a copy of the NIN for first passports and renewals, and the Nigerian Consulate in Atlanta’s April 2024 notice says the NIS online application starts by asking for the applicant’s NIN and date of birth. Your child needs their own NIN before the passport application can begin.

For children under 16, NIMC’s diaspora fact sheet says one Nigerian parent must already have a NIN. The parent pre-enrols the child on a licensed partner’s website, pays, books, and takes the child to the centre with the parent’s NIN and the child’s original birth certificate.

At 16 and 17, NIMC enrols the child as an adult, using a valid Nigerian passport or an authentication letter from the Nigerian mission. The passport application is still a minor’s, so both parents’ consent still applies.

NIMC’s diaspora fee schedule (approved December 2019) lists $40 to enrol a child under 16 at a partner’s office outside Africa, or $50 for premium service away from it. Use a partner on NIMC’s licensed list, confirm the price first, and record the child’s names in the order and spelling you will use on the passport.

Nigerian passport, or British passport plus a Nigeria e-visa?

A child travelling on a British passport needs a visa to enter Nigeria. NIS discontinued visa on arrival when its online e-visa system took effect on 1 May 2025, and said e-visa processing would take 48 hours or less.

A Nigerian passport lets a child who is Nigerian by birth enter Nigeria as a citizen for the five-year life of the booklet, with no visa application before each trip. The trade-off is one in-person appointment, both parents’ consent and a NIN first.

For one trip at short notice, compare timings: the e-visa is applied for online, while a passport needs an in-person appointment first. For families who visit regularly, the passport removes the visa step for five years. Compare against the current e-visa fee on the NIS portal.

How to apply, step by step

Parents can do all of this themselves, in this order. If you would rather hand over the paperwork, our coordination fee is quoted on contact, before you pay anything.

• Get the child’s Nigerian NIN, with names matching what you will put on the passport.
• Apply and pay the $150 fee plus bank charges (NIS quotes $162) on the NIS diaspora portal (passportintl.immigration.gov.ng), choosing the London High Commission as the processing office, and upload a digital passport photograph to the portal.
• Book the biometric appointment on appointments.immigration.gov.ng.
• Prepare the consent letter, the parents’ passport copies, the birth certificate, a copy of the child’s NIN, the printed application form, the appointment booking (and the payment slip for a first passport), the £20 fee and the C4 envelope.
• Attend with the child. The passport comes back by Special Delivery.

Common reasons a child’s application is held up

• A birth certificate that does not show the parents’ details.
• A consent letter signed by one parent, with no court proof of sole custody.
• Neither parent holding a Nigerian passport.
• The child’s names on the NIN in a different order from the application.
• Arriving without the stamped C4 Special Delivery envelope.
• Trying the contactless route for a child.