Difference Between Birth Certificate & Age Declaration in Nigeria

A lot of people have been confused on the difference between birth certificate and age declaration in Nigeria, making them to inquire whether there is a significant distinctiveness between the two. In this write-up, we will explain the difference between age declaration and birth certificate in Nigeria, by contrasting the two.

Birth certificate and age declaration certificate in Nigeria are two similar thing that are applied in almost for the same purposes. But that aside, there are some variations and differences between the two certificates. First, let’s examine what the birth certificate and age declaration is all about, their uses and how they can be gotten.

BIRTH CERTIFICATE

A birth certificate is basically an official document given to every infant as they are given birth to in Nigeria. The Certificate of birth states the child’s birth date, parents name and place of name in it. This certificate is normally issued  by the National Population Commission (NPC), which is the government body responsible for registering every birth in Nigeria. The NPC has different registration centers in different locations in Nigeria, where they give this birth certificates upon request on birth.

Birth certificates are mostly issued by the Nigerian Population Commission at hospitals and health centres, but the body also have offices at the local government headquarters, NPC registration post at hospitals, and other NPC registration centers. Birth certificates can not be issued twice.

HOW TO GET A BIRTH CERTIFICATE

Here are procedures to take in order to get a birth certificate in Nigeria;

1. First, collect an issued certificate of proof of birth from the hospital after the birth of a child. Note that this certificate given at the hospital or proof of the birth is not valid.
2. The hospital’s birth report stating the proof of birth is then taken to any of the National Population Commission (NPC) registration center in the hospital or at the local government headquarters.
3. On getting to the registration office, you will be required to submit the proof of the birth issued by the hospital.
4. After the application is accessed, the birth certificate is then issued by the National Population Commission for the child.

Also, know that no fee is applicable for a certificate of birth and its free of charge as long as it is obtained within sixty days of the child’s birth.

AGE DECLARATION

Age declaration by contrast, is a sworn affidavit in the court stating the birth of a person. This certificate is applicable for people above the age of 18, as in such case only an attestation letter and age declaration to his/her age is issued. The attestation letter is a document used as a back up to prove that the sworn age declaration affidavit is true.

Why the Age Declaration is needed is that the National Population Commission only issues a birth certificate to anyone under eighteen years of age. Just as the birth certificate, the body is also responsible for granting the issue of age declaration. In any of these cases, you will have to visit the National Population Commission located in the State Local Government Secretariat, where you will be given a form to fill. The form comes at a particular cost.

In most cases, obtaining an age declaration affidavit is usually from a High Court. The presence of a parent is usually required for people under the age of 18 before an Age Declaration Affidavit can be obtained. When this document is gotten from the court, it is then submitted to the NPC office and from then a birth certificate will be issued to the child or person in request.

HOW TO OBTAIN AGE DECLARATION

In order to receive the Age Declaration Affidavit in Nigeria, here are the guidelines to take on order to ensure a hitch-free process;

1. First, you will need to got to a High Court and declare your age under oath. This is known as an affidavit of “sworn age declaration”.
2. Some essential information about you will be required. this includes: Date of your birth, Place of Birth, your family and you will need to claim that there was no National Population Commission at the time of your birth and in the place you were giving birth to.
3. The process of getting the Age Declaration letter is not long as it usually takes hours to receive the stamped Age Declaration certificate from the High Court.
4. After completing these task, you will receive an original declaration of age certification stamped by the High Court’s Commissioner for Oaths.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO DO DECLARATION OF AGE IN NIGERIA

It would cost a ₦1,000 fee for babies two (2) months old to do their age declaration, while from 3 months to 17 years, applicants are to pay the sum of ₦4,000. For those 18 years and above, the fee might differ at the NPC head office with both declaration of age, affidavit and passport photographs needed for approval.

With the Court Age Declaration, finally, go to any local offices of National Population Commission affiliates and request for an attestation Birth Certificate. This attestation letter usually cost about ₦2,000. But this price is subject to change upon when reviewed.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BIRTH CERTIFICATE AND AGE DECLARATION IN NIGERIA

After knowing what the two sub-themes are, lets now examine the variance between the birth certificate and an age declaration.

The obvious difference between the two is that birth certificate is issued to infants on child birth, while the age declaration is for someone who probably does not have a birth certificate issued at birth or for person whose birth certificate is misplaced. The age declaration is in some cases also applicable for someone who has undergone a change of name.

Furthermore, birth certificate is issued if you are under 18, while if a person is older than the age of 18, in most cases, they will receive an age declaration affidavit, or an attested letter in place of the birth certificate. However, either of the two certificates still serve the same purpose and can be used interchangeably as certified documents in Nigeria.

CONCLUSION

Birth Certificate and Age Declaration are very consequential in processing documents. These certificates are very important especially for official purposes and for a lot of applications like: for higher institution registration, international passport application, and others. The only recognized official body responsible for issuing these Certificate is the National Population Commission (NPC).

This Commission has the duties to register births and deaths in the country and also to monitor the population of the country. When processing for any of these certificates, you should note that only this body (NPC) is responsible for all Age Declaration and Birth Certificate issues, whether its for infants or adult, home or any one abroad. Hope the difference between the age declaration and birth certificate is now clear.