Nigeria work visa: STR employment visa and Temporary Work Permit

Regular employment with a Nigerian company is covered by Employment (Expatriate) Visa R2A, issued only for a position under an approved expatriate quota. Expatriates hired by an enterprise in a Nigerian free zone, such as the Lekki Free Trade Zone, use R3A, which needs clearance from the free zone authority and limits employment to the zone. Separate employment classes exist for expatriates employed directly by the Nigerian government (R4A), staff of international NGOs with an MoU with the government (R5A) and clerics taking up long-term religious appointments (R6A).

The Temporary Work Permit is for experts invited by a company to deliver a specialised short-term service: after-sale installation, commissioning, upgrading, maintenance or repair of equipment, training Nigerian staff, or auditing machinery, equipment or financial records. R10 allows work of up to 30 days in a single entry; R11 allows six months with multiple entries and cannot be renewed. Both require prior approval from the Comptroller General of Immigration.

The Citizenship and Business Department of the Ministry of Interior grants Business Permits and expatriate quota positions. A company with foreign shareholders must hold a Business Permit before it can apply for a quota; wholly Nigerian-owned companies do not need the permit but can still request quota positions. Each quota position states the job title and duration, and positions are expected to be handed to Nigerians after a maximum of seven years unless the Ministry approves de-tagging or Permanent Until Review (PUR) status for key roles such as chief executive.

The Ministry’s reviewed fee schedule lists NGN 1,500,000 for a Business Permit for a company limited by shares, NGN 1,000,000 for an Establishment Grant of expatriate quota, valid initially for three years, and NGN 500,000 for a quota renewal. The employer also writes a formal application on letterhead accepting immigration responsibility for the employee.

The NIS Service Level Agreement lists a passport valid for at least six months with two blank pages, a recent passport photograph on a white background, the employment contract and appointment letter signed by the employee to show acceptance, the employer’s formal application accepting immigration responsibility, certified copies of educational qualifications or other proof of professional skill, and a CV. A board resolution is added for senior management roles such as CEO, general manager or managing director.

For R3A the employment documents come from the free zone employer and a clearance letter from the free zone regulatory authority is added. For the Temporary Work Permit the core document is the Visa Authority Letter, the pre-approval issued by the Comptroller General of Immigration; for R11 the company also uploads its CAC certificate, forms CAC2 and CAC7, company profile, memorandum and articles, tax clearance and, where relevant, the bill of lading.

Several fees are charged by different bodies. The STR visa fee follows Appendix I of the NIS Service Level Agreement: for example USD 1,053 for British citizens and USD 270 for US citizens. The CERPAC or e-CERPAC for an employed foreigner costs USD 2,000 according to both NIS and the Ministry of Interior.

For short assignments, the Ministry of Interior lists the Temporary Work Permit at USD 600 for three months and USD 1,100 for six months, in addition to the TWP visa fee in the NIS table for your nationality. The Ministry also lists expatriate comprehensive insurance at USD 500 for 90 to 180 days and USD 1,000 for one year.

The employer secures the Business Permit and quota on candb.interior.gov.ng and receives the quota approval. With the e-CERPAC, introduced for R2A and R3A, the employer logs in to the NIS portal with its Ministry credentials, adds the expatriate to an available quota position, uploads the documents and pays the e-CERPAC fee. The expatriate then books and attends an interview and biometric capture at the Nigerian embassy and receives the e-CERPAC by email, so no regularisation is needed after arrival.

In classes that still use the STR route, the employee applies for the STR visa at the embassy, enters Nigeria within the 90-day validity and then applies to NIS for the CERPAC, with medical tests and biometrics, within the period NIS specifies, often 90 days. For the TWP the host company registers on twp.immigration.gov.ng, adds the expatriate after approval and pays the e-TWP fee, and the expatriate attends enrolment at the embassy.

Employment residence permits are renewable every one to two years while the quota and contract remain valid, and dependants’ permits are renewed together with the principal’s. The permit is tied to the sponsoring employer: NIS states that changing employers requires a new quota approval and a new visa and permit process. The R11 Temporary Work Permit cannot be renewed after six months.