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NIGERIA: New CERPAC Centres Established
September 22, 2016
The Federal Ministry of Interior (“FMI”) has commissioned 28 new Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Alien Card (CERPAC) production centres across Nigeria, increasing the total number of centres country-wide to 36.
The main objectives of these new centres are to simultaneously automate the issuance of residence permits, and increase the effectiveness of the monitoring and tracking of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) into Nigeria.
All but two Nigerian states will now host a CERPAC production centre, allowing foreign nationals to obtain and renew residence cards more easily. Since the launch of CERPAC in 2002, there have only been eight such centres in the country, namely in Abuja, Bauchi, Benin, Ibadan, Kaduna, Lagos, Makurdi, and Owerri. Foreign nationals in Nigeria who require a CERPAC residence card should now attend the CERPAC centre servicing their place of residence.
The Federal Government also announced that there are plans to introduce new border controls. A biometric security card device will be installed at all airports and border control posts, which will aid in identifying wanted international criminals attempting to enter Nigeria.
For further information on this topic, or for advice on Nigerian immigration in general, please email us at [email protected].
