Nigeria investor visas N3A to N3E

The NIS Service Level Agreement sets five classes. N3A Small Enterprise requires USD 250,000 to 500,000 imported and retained as the investor’s capital and gives a three-year stay. N3B Medium Enterprise requires USD 500,000 to 1,000,000 and gives four years. N3C Large Corporations requires USD 1,000,000 to 10,000,000 and gives six years. N3D Ultra Large Corporations requires USD 10,000,000 and above and gives eight years. N3E for the oil, gas and power sector requires USD 100,000,000 and gives ten years.

All five are multiple-entry residence permits with the same restriction: the holder is there to invest and reside, and the investor capital must be retained in Nigeria. For N3A the NIS information page adds that applicants must have held, or currently hold, a Business Visa F4B or F4C.

Every class needs a passport valid for at least six months with two blank pages, a recent photograph, proof of the investment with evidence that the capital was imported and retained, the certificate of incorporation or registration documents, and a police clearance certificate. N3A and N3B add a business plan for the enterprise.

N3C and N3D require a detailed corporate business plan and investment proposal and comprehensive financial statements. N3E requires a sector-specific business plan or investment proposal and the relevant regulatory approvals or certificates for oil, gas or power.

A company with foreign shareholders needs a Business Permit from the Ministry of Interior’s Citizenship and Business Department before it can employ expatriates; the reviewed fee is NGN 1,500,000 for a company limited by shares. Executives who travel often while the investment is being set up can use the F4C business visa once the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission confirms an investment of at least USD 250,000.

The investor visa itself is filed at visa.immigration.gov.ng, followed by an interview and biometric capture at a Nigerian embassy, with a 10-day target from enrolment. The Service Level Agreement refers N3D and N3E to Appendix II for fees and prints no figure, so ask the mission for the current amount.

NIS lists the investor visas among the multi-year permanent classes that are renewable when the continuing requirements are met, which in practice means the investment and the company remain in place. Spouses, children and parents aged 65 or over apply under N6A to N6D; N6 dependants may not work.

NIS notes that some investor categories can lead to eligibility for citizenship, for example after 15 years of continuous lawful residence. Naturalisation is a separate application to the Ministry of Interior, whose fee schedule lists NGN 15,000,000.