Court & legal
How much does an affidavit of loss cost in Nigeria?
What an affidavit of loss actually costs in Nigeria in 2026 — court stamp duty by state, the hidden costs of doing it yourself, and the online alternative.
An affidavit of loss is the cheapest piece of court paperwork in Nigerian everyday life — on paper. The court stamp duty for a single affidavit is small. But the real cost of getting one is rarely just the stamp duty, and that is what trips people up. This guide breaks down what you actually pay, including the costs nobody quotes you up front.
The official cost: court stamp duty
The actual government charge for swearing a single affidavit is the court stamp duty, paid at the high court registry where you swear it. It is small — typically in the N300–N1,500 range depending on the state and registry. Lagos, the FCT and Rivers each set their own figure, but all sit in this band for a standard one-page affidavit.
This is the only mandatory fee. Everything else added to the bill is either a real service or a markup.
The hidden cost of doing it yourself
The stamp duty is not the expensive part — the day is. Swearing an affidavit in person means travelling to a high court registry, queuing, and getting the Commissioner for Oaths to stamp it. On a busy day at a major registry, that is a half-day gone. For most working people, that lost half-day is worth far more than the N1,000 stamp duty.
There is also the tout problem. Registries in major cities have facilitators who offer to skip the queue for a fee — usually several times the stamp duty. That markup is the real cost when people complain an affidavit was "expensive."
What the online route costs
Doing it through a filing agent like Docufy splits the cost into two clear lines: the court stamp duty (pass-through, charged at the exact registry rate) and a fixed service fee for drafting the affidavit in correct legal form, filing it, and returning the stamped, verified PDF to your vault. Both are shown before you pay.
See the live total on /catalog/COURT.AFFIDAVIT_LOSS, and the court documents hub at /agencies/COURT.
Does the cost change by what was lost?
Generally no. An affidavit of loss for a lost SIM, a lost ATM card, a lost certificate, or a lost ID is the same one-page sworn statement with the same stamp duty. The content differs; the cost does not. What can add cost is needing several affidavits at once, or needing an apostille / consular authentication for use abroad — that authentication is a separate, higher charge.
Watch for "facilitator" markups
If someone quotes you several thousand naira for a simple affidavit of loss, you are paying a queue-skip markup, not the official cost. The stamp duty is small and public. Whether you do it yourself or use a transparent online service, you should be able to see the stamp duty and the service fee as separate lines — if you cannot, you are likely being marked up.
Questions
Frequently asked.
How much is an affidavit of loss in Nigeria in 2026?
The court stamp duty for a single affidavit is small — typically N300–N1,500 depending on the state and registry. That is the only mandatory fee. The rest of any bill is either a real service fee or a queue-skip markup.
Why do people say affidavits are expensive then?
Because of the hidden costs: a half-day queuing at the registry, and the touts who charge several times the stamp duty to skip the line. The official stamp duty itself is cheap.
Does the cost depend on what I lost?
No. An affidavit of loss for a SIM, ATM card, certificate or ID is the same one-page sworn statement with the same stamp duty. Only needing several at once, or needing authentication for use abroad, adds cost.
What does it cost online?
Two clear lines: the court stamp duty (pass-through at the registry rate) and a fixed service fee for drafting, filing and returning the stamped verified PDF. Both are shown before you pay on /catalog/COURT.AFFIDAVIT_LOSS.
Is there an extra cost for using it abroad?
Yes. A plain affidavit is accepted by Nigerian institutions, but foreign use sometimes requires an apostille or consular authentication, which is a separate and higher charge. Confirm with the foreign institution before assuming a single affidavit is enough.
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