Nigeria permanent residence visas (PRV)

NIS groups its permanent residence visas as follows. N1A covers spouses of Nigerian citizens. N2A covers Nigerians by birth who renounced Nigerian citizenship under section 37(12) of the Immigration Act 2015, and N2B their spouses. N3A to N3E are investor visas graded by capital. N4A is the Highly Skilled Immigrant Visa. N5A covers foreigners aged 65 and above who retired in Nigeria after at least 20 years of work, and N5B retirees from abroad. N6A to N6D cover the spouses, children and aged parents of permanent residents.

Each class has its own page in this guide where it is a distinct route: spouse, investor, highly skilled, retirement and family reunification.

NIS lists common requirements across the classes: a passport with at least six months’ validity, recent photographs, evidence of the legal or family relationship for spouse and dependant classes, proof of financial capacity for investor and retirement classes, a police clearance certificate from the country of residence, and medical insurance or a medical clearance certificate for certain classes. NIS states that every permanent class requires a security clearance certificate or equivalent proof of no criminal record.

Applications are filed on visa.immigration.gov.ng and completed with an interview and biometric capture at a Nigerian embassy, where the NIS target is 10 days from enrolment. N5A, for people already retired in Nigeria, is filed with NIS headquarters.

NIS allows a switch from another Nigerian visa to a permanent class when the criteria are met. Its example is a holder of a business visa F4B or F4C who later qualifies for an investor visa once the capital requirement is satisfied.

Permanent residence does not lead to citizenship automatically. The Ministry of Interior’s Citizenship and Business Department handles naturalisation under section 27 of the 1999 Constitution, which requires at least 15 years of continuous residence, good character, proof of integration in language and custom, and a personal application. The reviewed fee for naturalisation and for registration is NGN 15,000,000 each. Children born after the parent’s naturalisation become Nigerian; children born before it can apply at 18.

Former Nigerians follow the same path: the Ministry states that a person who renounced citizenship can recover it only by naturalisation, after entering on a visa and holding permits or a CERPAC for fifteen years.

NIS explains that investor classes, N4A and N5B come with multi-year validity and are renewable on meeting continuing requirements, while N1A, N2A and N5A were described as granting indefinite residence that needs no renewal while the passport is valid. The April 2026 Service Level Agreement gives N1A a four-year permit, so check the current rule for that class.

On work, NIS states that N1A, N2A, N5A, N5B and N6A to N6D do not permit employment unless otherwise specified, that N2B does, and that investor classes are granted for business and investment and N4A for skilled employment.