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Documents needed to relocate to Australia from Nigeria: your japa paperwork, in the right order

Tips · 2026-10-08 · 9 min read

To relocate to Australia or New Zealand from Nigeria for work, you need five things in order: a valid international passport, a Police Character Certificate (PCC) from the Nigeria Police Force, school results an overseas body can verify, authentication of key certificates by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where it is asked for, and a visa medical with an approved panel physician. The passport is the slowest piece, so start it before you even have a job offer. The table below shows what each one costs where an official fee is published and how long it takes.

The japa paperwork checklist at a glance

Treat this as your working folder. Every line is something only you can apply for, at an official office or portal, and no recruiter can make it faster by collecting cash from you.

Your international passport comes first

New passport fees inside Nigeria took effect on September 1, 2025. The Nigeria Immigration Service now lists N100,000 for a 32-page booklet valid for 5 years and N200,000 for 64 pages valid for 10 years, excluding bank charges.

For a work move that could run for years, the longer booklet means you are less likely to renew it while abroad. If you are already outside Nigeria, the same booklets cost $150 or $230, and you apply at the nearest Nigerian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate.

A fresh application needs your NIN slip, a birth certificate or a declaration of age from a High Court, a Local Government or indigene certificate and an ICAO-compliant photograph. You must attend in person for the photo and biometric capture, and the 2026 service level agreement gives 42 days after successful enrolment.

Make sure your names are spelt the same way on your NIN, birth certificate and school results before you enrol. Fixing a mismatch later means a change-of-data application, which carries the same 42-day timeline.

Police Character Certificate: POSSAP, fingerprints and timing

The PCC is issued under the seal of the Inspector-General of Police and shows whether you have any criminal convictions, pending charges or police cautions recorded in Nigeria. Australia's Department of Home Affairs names this exact document, the 'Police Character Certificate', as the one it accepts from Nigeria.

You apply online through POSSAP, logging in with your National Identification Number (NIN) or Bank Validation Number (BVN). The Nigeria Police Force character certificate page lists the form, a valid National Identity Card (the NIN slip is accepted for now), your passport biodata page, two recent passport photographs, proof of fee payment, a birth certificate or statutory declaration of age, and an employer's or sponsor's letter when the certificate is for a job.

Here is how the process runs, in the order the police describe it:

1. Create your POSSAP account, request the character certificate and upload your documents.
2. Attend biometric capture at the police station you are assigned.
3. Wait while the CIID checks criminal records.
4. The Force CID approves and digitally signs the certificate.
5. Download and print your PCC from the portal.

Applicants inside Nigeria give fingerprints on site at the Central Criminal Registry, which Home Affairs places at the Nigeria Police Force C.I.D. Annex, Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos. If you live in Kano, Port Harcourt or Ibadan, plan the trip to Lagos into your timeline.

Anyone already outside Nigeria receives a fingerprint form that is scanned and sent back for analysis before the certificate is issued.

School results: WAEC confirmation and NECO e-Verify

Employers, schools and assessing bodies abroad sometimes want proof that your secondary school results are genuine. For WAEC school candidates, confirmation of result needs a photocopy of the certificate or the online result print-out, a sworn affidavit from a law court and a WAEC scratch card at N13,000. The administrative charge is 19,500 naira per result or recipient within Nigeria.

NECO handles this through e-Verify, its online result verification service for candidates, organisations and universities inside and outside Nigeria, paid through Remita. Only start either process when an employer, school or assessor actually asks for it, so you do not pay twice.

Document authentication at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Many people are told to get an apostille, and then spend weeks looking for an office that does not exist. Nigeria is not listed as a contracting party to the HCCH Apostille Convention, so an apostille is not available for Nigerian documents.

Instead, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs document authentication service covers business, educational and legal documents for international use. Its list includes birth certificates, child adoption documents, end user certificates and marriage certificates. The Ministry is at Tafawa Balewa House, Central Business District, Abuja.

Before you travel to Abuja, ask the employer or body receiving your papers whether they need authentication at all, and which documents it should cover.

Visa medical: approved clinics in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu

Only a panel physician approved by the government that is processing your visa can do the medical. The Home Affairs panel physician list for Nigeria covers Lagos, Abuja and Enugu, including the IOM Migration Health Assessment Centre on Isaac John Street, Ikeja GRA, and IOM MHAC Abuja on Hassan Musa Katsina Road, Asokoro.

New Zealand keeps its own list. Immigration New Zealand's approved doctors in Nigeria are five eMedical-enabled clinics in Lagos and Abuja. The Enugu clinic appears only on the Australian list, so a reader in the south-east heading to New Zealand should budget for travel.

Where the visa itself is handled

The Australian High Commission in Nigeria does not process visa applications. Visas are managed by the Department of Home Affairs and lodged through ImmiAccount, and you may be asked for biometrics such as a facial image and fingerprint scan. For New Zealand, the embassy accredited to Nigeria is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Once your folder is ready, read our guide to the Australian Skills in Demand visa or the New Zealand Accredited Employer Work Visa, and check the current Australian visa charges so the visa fee does not catch you short.

Your English CV belongs in the same folder. It should match your passport name and the dates on your reference letters; if yours needs work, Build AI CV can help you put an English CV together. Then look at live roles that match your trade, such as this boilermaker and metal fabricator job in Perth or a carpenter role in Christchurch.

Common mistakes Nigerian applicants make with their papers

• Waiting for the offer before starting the passport. With 42 days after enrolment, a late start can hold up everything that follows.
• Posting a police certificate request. Home Affairs says mailed requests are not an effective way to get one; go in person or send a friend or relative to the Central Criminal Registry.
• Using a clinic that is not on the panel list. A medical from an unlisted hospital will not count for the visa.
• Hunting for an apostille. Nigeria is not part of the convention, so use the Ministry of Foreign Affairs route if authentication is needed.
• Paying an agent to secure a job. The EFCC says no credible employer demands pre-employment payments, and the High Commission says no Australian diplomat or Border Force officer will contact you offering jobs or visas.

Frequently asked questions

Which document should I start first if I want to relocate to Australia from Nigeria?

Start with the international passport. The Nigeria Immigration Service gives 42 days after successful enrolment for a fresh application, and the police certificate, medical and visa form all need your passport details, so everything else waits on it.

Can I get a Police Character Certificate if I already live outside Nigeria?

Yes. Home Affairs says applicants outside Nigeria receive a fingerprint form that is scanned and sent back for analysis. It also says posted requests do not work well, so it suggests getting the certificate on your next visit or asking a friend or relative to go to the Central Criminal Registry in person.

Does Nigeria issue apostilles for documents going to Australia?

No. Nigeria is not listed as a contracting party to the HCCH Apostille Convention. Documents for use abroad go through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication service in Abuja, and you should first ask the receiving body whether it needs authentication at all.

Can any hospital in Nigeria do my Australian or New Zealand visa medical?

No. Only panel physicians approved by each government count. Home Affairs lists clinics in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu, while Immigration New Zealand lists five eMedical-enabled clinics in Lagos and Abuja, and the two lists are not identical.

Do I need to pay an agent to process these documents?

You pay official fees yourself to the agencies that issue each document. The EFCC warns that no credible employer demands pre-employment payments, so treat any request for money to secure a job as a reason to walk away.

Key takeaways

• Start the international passport first: 42 days after enrolment for a fresh one.
• Apply for the Police Character Certificate on POSSAP with your NIN or BVN, and plan for fingerprints.
• Nigeria has no apostille; authentication goes through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.
• Book the medical only with a panel physician on the list for the country you are applying to.
• Pay official fees yourself and never pay anyone to secure a job or visa.

#documents checklist #relocate to australia #japa #police character certificate #international passport #document authentication #nigeria