Legalisation of documents

Basic requirements for documents to be legalised:

All documents to be legalized must FIRST be authenticated by the Nigerian Ministry of foreign affairs.

To legalize any of the following documents, please NOTE:

1.  Birth/Death certificate:
   
   All Birth and Death certificates to be legalized must be issued by the National Population Commission. These birth and death certificates should also be certified as a true copy at the Headquarters of the National Population Commission in Abuja.
   
   Both the original certificate and its certified copy should be submitted (attach also the remita receipt).
    

2. Attestation of birth: 
   
   The attestation of birth is issued on the basis of an affidavit of age declaration. The affidavit MUST be sworn at a high court by one’s parent, or in the absence of both parents, by an uncle or aunt who is at least 18 years older than the person whose birth s/he attests to. A clear coloured copy of the declarant’s valid identity card must be attached (front and back page of ID-card).
   
   The attestation of birth and the preceding statutory declaration of age MUST be obtained in the same state.
   
   The attestation of birth (only) should also be certified as a true copy at the Headquarters of the National Population Commission in Abuja.
   
   Documents to submit: 

   • Original attestation of Birth

   • Certified true copy from NPC headquarters in Abuja

   • The original statutory declaration of age

   • A clear coloured copy (front & back sections) of the declarant’s valid identity card (NIN slip is not accepted).
      

3. Academic documents: 
   
   All academic certificates and transcripts must be authenticated at the Ministry of Education.
   
   All academic transcripts must be an official copy issued by the institution, students’ copies are not acceptable.
   
   For senior secondary school results (WASSC & NECO), online print outs should not be submitted.
    

4. Affidavits: 
   
   All affidavit must be accompanied by a clear coloured copy (front & back sections) of the declarant’s valid identity card (NIN slip is not accepted).
   
   For affidavit of change of name, name confirmation/re-arrangement: the public notice of name change (i.e. newspaper publication) should have been published for at least 21 days prior to the submission of the documents for legalisation.
    

5. Parental authorisation/Parental consent (for family reunion & indefinite stay of minors abroad):
   
   This consent can only be filled and signed by the parent at the Embassy of Belgium in Abuja.
    

6. Annex 32 (Student Sponsorship):
   
   The form can only be filled and signed by the sponsor at the Embassy of Belgium in Abuja.
    

7. Police character: 
   
   Only the new digital police character certificate is accepted. The police character certificate has a validity period of 3 months only.
    

8. Marriage certificate: 
   
   All marriage certificates NOT obtained from the Federal marriage registry must be confirmed by the Ministry of interior before submission for legalization. (Come with the proof of confirmation from the Ministry of Interior).

Other notes

• A new legalisation cannot be done on a document with an existing legalisation sticker. Where you wish to legalise a document that has been legalised in the past, you are to obtain (and submit to us) a certified true copy of that document with other supporting documents (if applicable). 
• A document can only be certified as a true copy by the same institution that issued its original. Thus, photocopy of a document that has not been certified as a true copy, or that was certified by a body/office other than the issuing institution is not acceptable. 
• All documents (original or certified true copy) to be legalised must be authenticated at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This authentication by MFA officers has a validity period of six months only. 

We strongly advise that you ensure all your documents meet the conditions stipulated above before making payments or submitting them for legalisation. 

For other enquires on legalization kindly send an email to abuja.legalisation@diplobel.fed.be

General information

A document that is official and legal in one country is not necessarily official and legal in another. Many documents must therefore be legalised if you wish to use them abroad.

The legalisation process involves checking the origin of the relevant document. Legalisation is official confirmation that the signature of the civil servant that has signed a document, or the seal or stamp on the document, is legitimate.

It is not only the signature of the person that has issued the document that is legalised, the process can also legalise the signature of the legalising registrar. Every signature, every seal and every stamp will be legalised by the person authorised to do so and who is familiar with each signature, seal or stamp. This explains why various legalisations are sometimes required, in a specific order.

A country may have signed up to a legalisation treaty that encompasses agreements about how countries accept one another's official documents. Many countries have signed up to the "Apostille Convention" of The Hague of 5 October 1961. With this, just 1 legalisation is required via an apostille stamp.

Questions and answers about the legalisation of documents

For legalisation from abroad, you can also consult the website of our representative at the location concerned, i.e. Belgian embassies and consulates

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