Plenty of adults reach their thirties, forties or later with no birth certificate ever issued. NPC's attestation service exists for exactly that gap.
Who this route is for
Attestation of birth applies to adults aged 18 and above who have no certificate on record.
Anyone younger than that goes through birth registration instead, which is a different NPC process built for children aged 0 to 17. Birth registration deadline in Nigeria covers that route's own timing rule.
What NPC asks for
Applying for attestation asks for a NIN and a court sworn affidavit.
That court sworn affidavit isn't a separate hurdle NPC invented. It's the standard sworn statement about your age and identity, the same kind our comparison of declaration of age and NPC attestation explains in more depth.
The fee needs checking, not assuming
NPC has not published a fixed attestation fee. Different checks have returned different figures.
Its own self-service portal returned ₦15,000 on a recent check made from within Nigeria. Investigative outlet FIJ reported seeing a dollar figure on the same portal in August 2026, which may reflect pricing shown to a foreign visitor rather than a Nigerian one. A 2024 civic guide quoted a lower naira figure still.
Given that spread, treat any number here as a starting point. Confirm the actual price on the portal at the time you apply, and be wary of anyone offering to "sort it" for a fixed cash amount off-portal.
If you have no NIN at all
Some applicants reach attestation with neither a certificate nor a NIN. NPC's answer to that is NIN enrolment by applicants who have no NIN.
This number exists for one purpose only. It gets you through NIN enrolment, and NPC is explicit that it cannot be validated on NIMC's own modification portal, so don't expect to use it anywhere a full NIN is required.
After you apply
Once NPC approves the application, the attestation certificate becomes available to download from your account on the same portal you applied through.
Keep that document alongside any other identity paperwork you hold. A NIN date of birth correction is one later process that may ask to see it. Check what a specific form actually names before assuming it works wherever a birth certificate would.
A sibling or parent going through the same process does not get to reuse your attestation. Each adult with no certificate applies under their own account, with their own sworn affidavit.
Common mistakes
- Applying for attestation for a child, when birth registration is the correct route under 18.
- Turning up without a sworn affidavit, assuming NPC only needs a NIN.
- Paying a fee quoted by a third party instead of checking the portal directly.
- Trying to use a temporary attestation number as if it were a full NIN.
For registration, reprint and other NPC document guides, visit our diaspora and life events hub.