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Certified Nigerian Lease Agreement Translation
Certified translation of the documents that record a tenancy in Nigeria, including the registry annotations and endorsements that carry the legal effect and that a reader unfamiliar with the system will otherwise skip.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, up to 250 words. No hidden fees.
100% USCIS acceptance
Every certified translation is guaranteed to be accepted by USCIS.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
Rent is paid a year or two in advance
Nigerian residential practice requires the tenant to pay one or two years' rent in advance, and in Lagos three years has not been unknown. Lagos State legislation has sought to limit advance rent, with mixed effect in practice.
A US reader seeing a Nigerian lease with an enormous upfront figure is not looking at a purchase. It is the market convention, and we say so rather than translating a number and leaving it unexplained.
Agency, legal and caution fees
Alongside the rent a Nigerian tenant commonly pays an agency fee, a legal or agreement fee, and a caution deposit against damage, each a defined percentage of the rent.
Those are separate charges with separate names and a US reader reads them as one deposit. We name each and reproduce the percentage.
The land system underneath
All land in Nigeria is vested in the state governor under the Land Use Act, and what a landlord holds is a right of occupancy evidenced by a certificate of occupancy, not a freehold.
A lease may reference the C of O and the governor's consent, and those are real parts of the title chain. We translate the references as written.
English, and the tenancy statutes
Nigerian leases are in English, so a translation is usually unnecessary — ask the office first, because many accept the original.
Tenancy law is state law, and Lagos, Rivers and other states have their own tenancy statutes with different notice periods. We name the state. See our Nigerian birth certificate page.
Ordering, and what the certification covers
Upload the document, choose certified translation at $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, and it comes back typically within 24 hours as a PDF formatted to mirror the original, with a signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead. Marginal annotations are translated in place, in the margin, and every seal, stamp and registry endorsement is translated with the text. See how we translate and certified versus standard.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the rent two years upfront?
Nigerian practice requires advance rent of a year or two. Lagos legislation has sought to limit it, with mixed effect.
What are all the extra fees?
Agency, legal or agreement, and caution deposit, each a defined percentage of the rent. Separate charges with separate names.
What is a certificate of occupancy?
Evidence of a right of occupancy. All Nigerian land is vested in the state governor, so nobody holds a freehold.
Do I need a translation?
Usually not — Nigerian leases are in English. Ask the office first.
Ready to get started?
Upload the document and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.