NAFDAC's micro-scale fees are some of the more stable government charges a small business will meet. Here is what each one actually covers.
The micro-scale food fee
Registering a food product through the micro-scale route costs ₦36,737.50. This applies to a producer working within NAFDAC's micro-scale limits, not the full commercial registration process.
The fee is set once, for the registration itself, separate from anything you spend preparing your documents beforehand. Check which products need NAFDAC registration first if you are not sure your product qualifies for this route at all.
The micro-scale cosmetics fee
Cosmetics follow their own figure: ₦41,000 for a micro-scale registration. Only specific low-risk items qualify, such as petroleum jelly, shea butter, basic oils and soaps.
A cosmetic product outside that low-risk list may not qualify for the micro-scale fee at all, so confirm your product type before budgeting around this figure.
Why the fee hasn't moved in years
NAFDAC's own Director-General said in mid-2026 that the tariff had not been reviewed since 2020. For small producers, that has meant years of a predictable, unchanged fee.
A predictable fee is not the same as a small one being enforced loosely. NAFDAC still expects full compliance with its process at this rate, not a reduced version of it.
What the fee does and doesn't cover
The registration fee pays for NAFDAC's own review and listing process. It does not cover a vetting sample, staff medical fitness tests, or any lab work a category might require beforehand.
Budget those preparation costs separately from the registration fee itself. Treating the headline figure as the total cost is a common way small producers underestimate what registration takes.
Watching out for inflated charges
Search online for NAFDAC registration help and you will find services quoting figures well above ₦36,737.50 or ₦41,000. Some of that gap is a legitimate service charge for handling the paperwork.
Ask any service to separate its own fee from the NAFDAC charge itself. A quote that will not break the two apart is harder to judge fairly, and harder to compare against a competing offer.
If your product needs a full commercial registration rather than the micro-scale route, expect the fee structure to differ from the figures here. Confirm your category before comparing any quote against the numbers on this page.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the registration fee is the whole cost. Document preparation and lab work sit outside it.
- Confusing the food and cosmetics fees. Each is set separately and does not substitute for the other.
- Paying a large markup without asking what it covers. A fair service fee is normal; an unexplained one is not.
- Assuming a low fee means a light process. The fee is modest, but NAFDAC's document and sample requirements still apply in full.
For the full list of documents and steps, see how to register a product with NAFDAC. The rest of this series is on the SME regulators hub.