A child born outside Nigeria to a Nigerian parent still has a place on Nigeria's own civil register. NPC's foreign birth notification service is how that record gets created.
What this service is for
NPC lists Foreign Birth Notification on the NPC self-service portal on its Services menu. It sits next to domestic birth registration, attestation and NPC's certificate services.
This is about Nigeria's own record, and only that. It has nothing to do with any registration the country of birth may separately ask for. That process sits entirely outside NPC, and outside Nigerian law.
Where to submit it
The service runs through vitalreg-selfservice.nationalpopulation.gov.ng. That's the same portal used for birth registration inside Nigeria.
Already have an account, from an earlier child or your own NIN details? Use that same login. NPC's account rules don't change based on where the birth took place.
What it costs
NPC has not published a fixed fee for this service. Don't assume it's free. Don't assume it matches the domestic online registration fee either.
Check the amount shown on the portal when you apply. Prices shown there have moved between checks for other NPC services too, so treat the figure as live, not fixed.
Keep your payment receipt once you've paid. It's your proof of submission if anything needs following up later.
How this fits with the rest of your paperwork
A foreign birth notification gives you an NPC-side record. It sits next to, not instead of, whatever your family already holds from the country of birth.
If the child will later need a NIN or a Nigerian passport, this NPC record is typically the starting reference point those processes lean on. How to register a birth online covers the equivalent domestic process, which shares the same portal and account system.
If the child is actually older
This service is about recording the birth itself, not about attesting to someone's age later in life. An adult abroad with no Nigerian birth record at all is a different case, closer to NPC's attestation route than to this one.
NPC attestation of birth for adults covers that separate service, including its own requirements and its unsettled fee.
Getting the right service on the first try saves a second application. Check the child's age against both services before you pick one.
Common mistakes
- Assuming this service handles registration requirements set by the country where the birth happened.
- Treating this as a replacement for a foreign birth certificate rather than Nigeria's own parallel record.
- Paying a fee quoted by a third party instead of the amount shown on NPC's portal.
- Using this route for an adult who needs attestation instead of a foreign birth notification.
For more on registering and recording Nigerian civil records, see our diaspora and life events hub.