Nigeria business visa: F4A, F4B and F4C explained

F4A Business single entry is for short trips involving meetings, conferences, seminars, training, contract negotiation, marketing, sales, procurement of Nigerian goods or services, trade fairs and job interviews. It is valid for 90 days from issue and allows one stay of 30 days.

F4B Business multiple entry is meant for people who need to return to Nigeria several times within the visa’s life. NIS gives a 90-day validity and ties the entry pattern to reciprocity with your country. F4C, for frequently travelled executives, is a multiple-entry visa valid for one year with stays of up to 30 days per entry, reserved for foreign executives with a documented investment of at least USD 250,000 in Nigeria.

All business classes rely on an inviting company in Nigeria. You need its invitation letter on official letterhead and its Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) certificate, plus your passport valid for at least six months, a passport photograph, a return ticket and a hotel reservation or host address.

For F4B the invitation letter must explicitly request multiple entries. For F4C you add a letter of verification or confirmation of the investment from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) or the relevant agency certifying the USD 250,000.

Fees follow the nationality table in Appendix I of the NIS Service Level Agreement, with separate single-entry and multiple-entry columns. The table shows, for example, USD 193 single and USD 458 multiple entry for British citizens and USD 160 for both for US citizens.

F4A and F4B are e-Visa classes: register on evisa.immigration.gov.ng, upload the documents, pay, and receive the approval letter by email, with a 48-hour target where there is no local objection.

F4C is listed in the Service Level Agreement as an embassy visa filed on visa.immigration.gov.ng, followed by an interview and biometric capture at a Nigerian mission; the target is 10 days from enrolment.

None of the business classes can be extended, and none permits employment. Installing or repairing equipment, training staff over several weeks or auditing records counts as specialised work in Nigeria and requires a Temporary Work Permit (R10 or R11), which needs prior approval from the Comptroller General of Immigration. Accepting a job requires an STR employment visa under an expatriate quota.

Business visitors who later want to invest can build on these visas: NIS lists previous or current F4B or F4C status among the requirements for the small-enterprise investor visa N3A.