Nigeria e-Yellow Card: Registration, Vaccination and Travel Checks

A Yellow Card records vaccination; it is not a visa or a general certificate that you are fit to travel. Nigeria's locally issued electronic card and an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis obtained abroad should not be confused with an ordinary payment receipt.

Check the requirement before making an appointment

The Nigerian Ministry of Health's Port Health FAQ directs travellers to designated Port Health offices and the official Yellow Card portal. Ask Port Health or a travel-health clinician how the requirement applies to your age, health circumstances, vaccination history and route.

Do not arrange vaccination solely on an internet checklist if you may have a contraindication or need an exemption. The NHS yellow-fever vaccination guidance explains certificates and the need for specialist advice. The certificate from a first vaccination becomes valid after ten days and lasts for life; an older certificate does not automatically require another dose because a printed expiry date has passed.

Applying for a Nigerian-issued card

Start at yellowcard.health.gov.ng, the service identified by the Ministry. Register using details that match your travel document. Follow the payment instructions shown, save the receipt, and confirm the designated clinic's opening hours and documents before travelling there.

The portal could not be inspected reliably during this review, so this guide does not quote a current fee or guarantee same-day issuance. Confirm the amount with the official service before paying. A screenshot from an old article is not a current price list.

Bring any existing vaccination record to the clinic. Explain whether you need a first vaccination, replacement documentation or help verifying an existing record. Let the clinician determine what is appropriate; do not assume that a missing card means you need another vaccination.

Travelling with a certificate issued abroad

Check acceptance with the relevant authority and airline. Keep the original certificate with your passport and an accessible backup copy. We have removed the previous blanket statement that every handwritten overseas certificate is invalid in Nigeria; the sources reviewed do not support that claim.

Before departure

Check that the recorded identity and vaccination details are correct. Leave time to resolve mistakes with the issuing clinic. Confirm any separate health declaration or screening requirements close to travel through official public-health and immigration channels, because an existing vaccination certificate does not replace them.

For the rest of your documents, use our Nigeria visa guide and travel checklist.