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Certified Nigerian Legal Separation Translation
Certified translation of the documents that record a legal separation 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.
Three systems, and only one of them has separation
Nigeria operates three parallel family law systems: statutory marriage under the Matrimonial Causes Act, customary marriage under the law of the relevant community, and Islamic marriage under Sharia in the northern states.
Only statutory marriage produces the familiar decrees, and it provides judicial separation alongside divorce. Customary and Islamic dissolutions follow entirely different routes with entirely different documents.
Decree nisi and decree absolute
A statutory divorce follows the English pattern: a decree nisi followed after a period by a decree absolute, and only the absolute ends the marriage.
A US office given a decree nisi and told the divorce is final has been given the wrong document. We name which decree it is and reproduce the dates of both where the file holds them.
Customary dissolution leaves a different trail
A customary marriage is dissolved according to the custom of the community, frequently involving the return of bride price and the involvement of families and elders, and the evidence may be a customary court record, a declaration, or an affidavit.
Those are legitimate and they are not decrees. We translate or certify what exists and name the body that issued it rather than presenting it as a court order.
English, and what still needs doing
Nigerian court documents are in English, so a translation is usually unnecessary — ask the office first, because many accept the original.
Where a customary declaration or a community attestation carries Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo, that does need translating. 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
Which Nigerian system applies?
Statutory, customary or Islamic, depending on how the marriage was contracted. Only statutory produces the familiar decrees.
Is a decree nisi final?
No. Only the decree absolute ends the marriage, and a file should show both dates.
My clients had a customary marriage.
Dissolution follows the community's custom, evidenced by a customary court record, declaration or affidavit. Not a decree.
Do I need a translation?
Usually not for court documents, which are in English. Ask the office first.
Ready to get started?
Upload the document and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.