Nigeria (NG)

Authority: There is no single national equivalency body for all academic degrees in Nigeria. For most higher-education degrees used in employment, the employer and the relevant professional council make their own assessments. The National Universities Commission (NUC, nuc.edu.ng) accredits Nigerian universities and maintains a list of recognised foreign universities — this list can be used to confirm whether an overseas institution is acceptable to Nigerian employers and councils.

Process: Submit your degree certificate, all academic transcripts, and a syllabus or programme description to the employer or professional council. Non-Nigerian institutions should appear on the NUC list of recognised foreign universities or be otherwise recognised by the relevant council. For MDCN, primary-source credential verification through ECFMG is mandatory for internationally educated physicians. For other professions, the council conducts its own verification directly with the awarding institution or through official channels. Certified English translations are required for non-English documents; Nigerian authorities generally do not require a separate central equivalency certificate.

Equivalency service: National Universities Commission (NUC, nuc.edu.ng) — publishes list of accredited Nigerian and recognised foreign universities. No single all-in-one equivalency portal comparable to European ENIC-NARIC services exists; council-by-council assessment is the standard approach. ECFMG EPIC (ecfmg.org/psv/instructions-nigeria.html) — mandatory primary-source credential verification for foreign-educated doctors applying to MDCN.

Apostille: Nigeria is NOT a member of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Apostilles issued by foreign countries are not recognised as sufficient authentication for documents being used in Nigeria. All foreign documents must go through the full consular legalisation chain rather than the simplified apostille process.

Legalisation: Full consular legalisation is required for all foreign documents presented to Nigerian authorities, councils, and courts. The standard chain is: (1) notarisation by a notary public in the country of origin; (2) authentication by the relevant national or state authority in that country (e.g. Secretary of State, foreign affairs ministry, or equivalent); (3) legalisation / attestation by the Nigerian embassy or high commission in that country. Some professional councils also request that a verification letter be sent directly from the applicant's home regulatory body to the Nigerian council — this substitutes for notarisation in many health professional cases.

Sworn translation: English is Nigeria's official language. Documents in English do not require translation. Non-English documents must be translated into English by a certified translator and, where required by the receiving authority, the translation must be accompanied by a certified copy of the original and may need notarisation or attestation. Always confirm the specific authority's translation requirements before commissioning translation, as requirements differ between MDCN, NMCN, COREN, and other councils.