The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced that Nigerians living outside the country can now enrol for and obtain their National Identification Number (NIN) through accredited centres abroad, eliminating the need to travel home for registration.
According to the commission, the move is part of efforts to make Nigeria’s digital identity system more accessible to citizens regardless of their location. The accredited enrolment centres, run by licensed partners in various countries, are authorised to capture applicants’ biometric and biographical data and transmit them securely to NIMC for processing.
NIMC explained that Nigerians in the diaspora can book appointments or walk into designated centres with valid identity documents such as an international passport, after which their fingerprints, facial images and other details will be captured for enrolment. Once processed, the applicants are issued their unique NIN, which serves as their permanent digital identity for accessing government and private-sector services.
The commission noted that diaspora enrolment may attract service fees charged by the licensed partners to cover infrastructure and operational costs, but stressed that the process remains regulated under its guidelines. It added that providing easier NIN access to Nigerians abroad would support passport renewal, banking, SIM registration and other identity-dependent services, while helping the country meet global targets for universal legal identity.
