Change of Name in Nigeria: Affidavit, Deed Poll and NPC Rules

There are two ways to change your name in Nigeria. The old route is a sworn affidavit plus a newspaper notice. An affidavit on the Federal High Court portal cost ₦1,797 in a Punch test in September 2026. NIMC, the Immigration Service and most banks still ask for these two papers. For official records, the Supreme Court wants a lawyer-drafted Deed Poll and an Official Gazette notice. NPC now takes Deed Polls on its VitalReg portal.

Use the old route when a bank, NIMC or your passport office asks for it. Use the Deed Poll route for a full change of name, for records held by NPC, or when an embassy or court wants more than a newspaper cutting.

Which route for which goal

Your goal	What usually works	Where to start
Wife taking husband’s surname	Marriage certificate + newspaper notice. NIMC’s self-service asks for exactly these two.	NIMC first, then bank, then passport
Correcting a misspelt name	Affidavit of correction of name + documents showing the right spelling	The body that made the error, e.g. WAEC or JAMB
Full change of name, or a change for use abroad	Deed Poll through an NPC-approved lawyer + Gazette; keep the affidavit and cutting too	VitalReg, then NIMC
Name mismatch across NIN, BVN and certificates	Affidavit of harmonisation or correction, then fix NIN before anything else	NIMC

What the Supreme Court actually said

The case is PDP v Degi-Eremienyo & Ors, decided on 13 February 2020 and reported at (2021) 9 NWLR (Pt. 1781). It came out of the 2019 Bayelsa governorship election. The deputy governorship candidate’s certificates carried different versions of his name, and he had explained them with an affidavit and a newspaper advert.

The court rejected that explanation. It agreed with the trial court that change, correction and confirmation of a name “has to be by Deed Poll and not mere deposition”. It also said: “It is clearly fraudulent for one person to allegedly bear several names that he uses variously.”

The judgment did not make affidavits illegal. It said they are not enough on their own to change official records. Lawyers quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria in August 2026 still disagree on how far it reaches, and the bodies you deal with daily still list both papers on their portals.

Route 1: affidavit and newspaper notice

1. Swear the affidavit online at portal.fhc.gov.ng. Pick “Change of Name”, “Correction of Name” or “Harmonisation of Names”. Our Federal High Court affidavit guide covers the uploads and payment.
2. Download the affidavit and check the barcode and reference number. Anyone can verify these on the portal’s “Verify Affidavit” page.
3. Book a change-of-name notice in a national daily. The usual wording is: “I, formerly known and addressed as [old name], now wish to be known and addressed as [new name]. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.”
4. Buy two or three copies and keep the whole page, since the date and masthead prove when it ran.
5. Wait before applying for a passport. The NIS portal asks for the newspaper copy “21 days after publication”.

Newspapers set their own advert rates and change them often. Ask two dailies for a quote before you pay.

Route 2: Deed Poll through NPC and the Gazette

A Deed Poll is a short document, drafted and sealed by a lawyer and signed by you, that drops your old name and adopts the new one.

1. Get your birth record onto VitalReg first. The portal will not open a Deed Poll application unless a Birth Certificate or Birth Attestation is already on your profile. See our NPC birth certificate guide.
2. Pick a lawyer from the “Approved Legal Practitioners” list inside VitalReg, searchable by state.
3. Choose the Deed Poll type: change after marriage, other change of name, or correction of name.
4. Enter your old name, your new name, your reason, your state and LGA, and the lawyer’s name, address and execution date.
5. Upload the signed Deed Poll and your signature. The upload step also has slots for your affidavit, newspaper notice and a supporting certificate such as a marriage certificate, so keep them from Route 1.
6. Pay, and answer any query from the Respond to Query screen.
7. Download the Deed Poll certificate once the status reads Certificate Issued. It carries a certificate number and a verification code.

The NPC fee appears at the payment step, and your lawyer’s fee is between you and the lawyer.

The Official Gazette step

The Federal Government Printer publishes the Official Gazette weekly. A lawyer writing in TheNigeriaLawyer in July 2026 put publication at ₦100,000 and above. You apply with a cover letter, the Deed Poll, your ID, the affidavit and the newspaper proof.

NPC has not said publicly whether its Deed Poll certificate replaces this step. If an embassy or court asks for the Gazette, let your lawyer handle the Government Printer.

Updating each record: fees and what they ask for

Do NIMC first. The passport portal prints straight from your NIN record, and JAMB tells candidates to fix NIN before asking JAMB to align.

Record	What the body asks for (checked 4 Nov 2026)	Fee	Where
NIN (NIMC)	Supporting documents for every change. For marriage: marriage certificate + newspaper extract. Name change allowed three times on self-service. Age 16+.	Standard fee + convenience charge, paid by Remita RRR, non-refundable. The amount shows on the portal.	selfservicemodification.nimc.gov.ng or an NIMC centre
BVN and bank accounts	Your bank’s change-of-name form plus the documents above. Your NIN should already show the new name.	Ask your bank	Your bank branch
Passport (NIS)	High Court affidavit for change of name with passport photo + newspaper copy. For marriage: marriage certificate or declaration of marriage. Data comes from your NIN.	Shown at payment, non-refundable	passport.immigration.gov.ng
JAMB	Correction of data on the e-Facility portal. The NIN alignment service reopened on 16 October 2026 as a one-time window.	See the JAMB portal	efacility.jamb.gov.ng or a JAMB office
WAEC certificate	Amendment request with the original certificate. School candidates go through the principal; private candidates apply directly.	Free if WAEC made the error; a fee if you did	WAEC office
NECO certificate	Apply to NECO with your certificate and supporting documents	See neco.gov.ng	NECO office
University and NYSC	Correct the name with your school’s records office before your details go out for mobilisation	Set by the school	Your school
Pension (RSA)	Record update request with the same documents	Ask your PFA	Your Pension Fund Administrator

WAEC’s FAQ only covers correcting errors. A certificate keeps the name you sat with, so your affidavit or Deed Poll is what links the two names.

What can go wrong

• “Roadside” affidavits. One typed and stamped outside a court registry may fail a check. A portal affidavit has a verifiable barcode.
• Gazette sellers. Some agents sell a newspaper advert as a “gazette”. The real Official Gazette comes from the Federal Government Printer. Ask for the gazette number and date.
• Fake NIMC links. NIMC warned in March and June 2026 about fake “free data correction” sites that harvest your details. Use only selfservicemodification.nimc.gov.ng or an NIMC centre.
• Doing it in the wrong order. Change your bank or passport before your NIN and the records will clash. Fix NIN, then BVN, then passport and exam bodies.
• Spending your self-service chances. NIMC allows three name changes on self-service and one date-of-birth change in a lifetime. Get the spelling right the first time.
• Leaving it too late. JAMB’s NIN alignment is a one-time window and approval is not automatic. Start well before admission or NYSC mobilisation. Every fee along the way is non-refundable.

Frequently asked questions

Is an affidavit and newspaper publication still valid for change of name in Nigeria?

Yes for most everyday records: NIMC, NIS and banks still ask for both. The Supreme Court said they are not enough on their own for official records, so use a Deed Poll for a full change of name.

How much does a change of name cost in Nigeria?

The FHC affidavit cost ₦1,797 in Punch’s September 2026 test. Newspaper and lawyers’ fees vary, Gazette publication has been put at ₦100,000 and above, and NIMC, NIS and NPC show their fees at payment.

Do I need a Deed Poll to take my husband’s surname?

Usually not. NIMC accepts a marriage certificate plus a newspaper extract, and NIS accepts a marriage certificate or declaration of marriage. VitalReg has a separate marriage tier if a body insists on a Deed Poll.

How do I change my name on my NIN?

Log in at selfservicemodification.nimc.gov.ng, choose Change Name, pick your reason, upload your documents and pay with a Remita RRR. An NIMC centre can do it too.

Can WAEC change the name on my certificate?

Only to correct an error, through an amendment request with the original certificate. For a later change, keep your affidavit or Deed Poll with the certificate.

Checked on 4 November 2026 against the NPC VitalReg portal, the NIMC self-service modification portal, the NIS passport portal, the WAEC FAQ and the press reports below.

Sources

• Nigerian Tribune, “Affidavit of ‘declaration of change of name’ without more is useless”, 19 January 2022 (quotes PDP v Degi-Eremienyo, judgment of 13 February 2020): tribuneonlineng.com
• Vanguard, “Why newspaper publications, affidavits may no longer legalise name changes in Nigeria”, 2 August 2026: vanguardngr.com
• News Agency of Nigeria via Peoples Gazette, “Lawyers push deed poll awareness six years after Supreme Court ruling”, 2 August 2026: gazettengr.com
• TheNigeriaLawyer, “How to apply for Gazette publication of your name change in Nigeria”, 19 July 2026: thenigerialawyer.com
• Punch, “How to get Federal High Court affidavit online without visiting court”, 20 September 2026: punchng.com
• Punch, “JAMB reopens NIN alignment service for data correction”, 16 October 2026: punchng.com
• National Population Commission, VitalReg self-service portal, checked 4 November 2026: vitalreg-selfservice.nationalpopulation.gov.ng
• NIMC, self-service NIN modification portal, checked 4 November 2026: selfservicemodification.nimc.gov.ng
• Nigeria Immigration Service, passport application portal, checked 4 November 2026: passport.immigration.gov.ng
• WAEC Nigeria, Frequently Asked Questions, checked 4 November 2026: waecnigeria.org
• Punch, “NIMC debunks fake free NIN data correction link, flyer”, 21 March 2026; Leadership, “NIMC raises the alarm over fake NIN websites targeting Nigerians’ personal data”, 3 June 2026