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Certified Nigerian Property Deed Translation
Certified translation of the documents that record the ownership of land and buildings 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.
All land belongs to the state governor
The Land Use Act vests all land in each state in the governor, and what a Nigerian holder has is a right of occupancy — a term of years, typically ninety-nine — evidenced by a Certificate of Occupancy, not freehold.
Translating a Nigerian deed as fee simple misstates the whole tenure. The term, the commencement date and the ground rent are the material facts.
Governor's consent, which is where files die
Any transfer of a right of occupancy requires the governor's consent, and a sale without it is at best inchoate. Obtaining consent is slow and expensive, so a great many Nigerian transactions rest on an unconsented deed plus a power of attorney.
That structure is extremely common and it is not the same as title. We name what the document is rather than calling it ownership.
Customary land, and the omonile problem
Outside formal titling, land is held under customary tenure by families and communities, documented by a deed of assignment, a family receipt or a chief's attestation.
Nigeria also has a well-known problem of land sold more than once by family holders, which is why a file holds a search report from the state land registry rather than a deed alone.
English, the survey plan and the identifiers
Nigerian deeds are in English, so the usual need is authentication rather than translation, and Nigeria is not in the Apostille Convention.
The property is identified by a registered survey plan with beacon coordinates, and parties by NIN. See our court-certified translation 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
Do I own the land?
No. You hold a right of occupancy for a term from the state governor, evidenced by a Certificate of Occupancy.
What is governor's consent?
Mandatory approval for any transfer. Without it the sale is at best inchoate.
My deed is a deed of assignment from a family.
Customary tenure. Real, but it needs a registry search — land resold by family holders is a known problem.
Do I need a translation?
Usually not. Nigerian deeds are in English and the requirement is authentication.
Ready to get started?
Upload the document and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.