What cerpac means
CERPAC is the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card, issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service.
It is the document that allows a foreign national to reside in Nigeria and, where the underlying approval permits, to work here. It combines the residence permit and the alien registration requirement into one card.
The important structural point is that it does not stand alone. A CERPAC issued for employment sits on a position within an employer's expatriate quota, which is granted by the Ministry of Interior to a company that has a business permit.
So the chain runs: the company is incorporated, it obtains a business permit, it is granted expatriate quota positions, an individual is nominated against one of those positions, that individual obtains the correct visa abroad, enters Nigeria and regularises their stay, and the CERPAC is issued.
Break any link and the card cannot issue. An expatriate whose employer loses or exhausts its quota loses the basis of their permit.
How it is used
The sequence for bringing an employee into Nigeria is well established.
The company must hold a business permit and an expatriate quota approval covering the relevant position.
The company issues an expatriate quota placement or nomination for the individual, along with a letter of employment and an acceptance of immigration responsibility.
The individual applies at a Nigerian mission abroad for the appropriate long stay visa, commonly referred to as the subject to regularisation visa, submitting the company documents with the application.
The individual enters Nigeria on that visa and the company files for regularisation within the period the visa allows, which is short.
On approval the CERPAC is issued, typically for a fixed period and renewable.
Dependants, meaning a spouse and children, are processed alongside the principal and receive their own cards.
The employer's obligations continue afterwards. Monthly returns on the utilisation of the expatriate quota are filed with the Immigration Service, renewals must be made before expiry, and departures and changes of position must be notified.
Key features
- Combined residence permit and alien registration card
- Issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service
- Depends on the employer holding a business permit and expatriate quota
- Requires entry on the correct visa followed by regularisation
- Issued for a fixed period and renewable
- Employers file periodic returns on quota utilisation
How this works in Nigeria
Three practical failures account for most of the trouble.
The first is entering on the wrong visa. A foreign national who arrives on a business visa or a tourist visa cannot be regularised into a residence permit. The visa has to be the correct long stay category obtained at a Nigerian mission abroad with the company documents attached, and fixing it usually means leaving the country and applying again.
The second is missing the regularisation window. The visa allows a short period within which the application must be filed, and overstaying attracts penalties that accrue and complicate the eventual application.
The third is quota management. A company must have an available position of the right designation, and quota approvals carry conditions including understudy arrangements, under which a Nigerian is trained to take over the role within a stated period. Companies that ignore the understudy condition encounter it on renewal.
For employers there is a compliance dimension that is easy to neglect. The monthly returns on quota utilisation are a real obligation, and a company that has not filed them for two years discovers this when it applies for a renewal or an additional position.
And for the individual, the card matters beyond immigration. It is commonly requested for opening a bank account, obtaining a driving licence and registering for other services, so a foreign national living here without one encounters practical obstacles well outside the Immigration Service.
In the oil and gas sector there is an additional layer, because expatriate quota applications in that sector go through the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board.
CERPAC vs business permit vs expatriate quota
Three approvals in one chain, held by different parties.
The business permit is held by the company. It authorises a business with foreign participation to operate in Nigeria and is issued by the Ministry of Interior.
The expatriate quota is also held by the company. It grants a number of positions, by designation, that the company may fill with foreign nationals, and it carries conditions including understudy and reporting obligations.
The CERPAC is held by the individual. It is the residence and registration card, issued by the Immigration Service against a quota position, allowing that person to live and work here.
An individual cannot obtain a CERPAC for employment without the company holding the two approvals above it. That is why a foreign national joining a Nigerian company should ask about the quota position before accepting the role.
Limits and risks
The permit is tied to the employer. Changing employer means a new quota position and a fresh process rather than a transfer of the card.
Quota positions are finite and are granted by designation, so a company cannot simply move a person into a different role.
Processing timelines are variable, and businesses that plan on a fixed date frequently find they cannot rely on it.
And the understudy conditions attached to quota approvals mean positions are not indefinite. They are granted on the basis that a Nigerian will be trained into the role.
Worth knowing
Do not fly an expatriate in on a business or tourist visa intending to sort out the permit here. It cannot be regularised, the person usually has to leave Nigeria and start again, and the penalties accrue while the company works out what went wrong.
Questions people ask
What is CERPAC?
The Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card, issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service, allowing a foreign national to reside in Nigeria and, where the underlying approval permits, to work here.
What does an employer need first?
A business permit and an expatriate quota approval covering the position. The individual permit sits on a quota position and cannot be issued without one.
What visa is needed to enter?
The appropriate long stay category obtained at a Nigerian mission abroad with the company documents attached, commonly called the subject to regularisation visa. A business or tourist visa cannot be regularised.
How long does the card last?
It is issued for a fixed period and is renewable. Renewal should be applied for before expiry, and overstaying attracts penalties that accumulate.
Can dependants get one?
Yes. A spouse and children are processed alongside the principal expatriate and receive their own cards.
What are the employer's ongoing obligations?
Filing periodic returns on expatriate quota utilisation with the Immigration Service, renewing before expiry, notifying departures and changes of position, and observing the understudy conditions attached to the quota.