🇳🇬 Moving to Nigeria: tax, residency and cost of living

Key facts

Top income tax

25%

Corporate tax

30%

Capital gains

10%

Wealth tax

No

Inheritance tax

No

Cost of living index

30

Safety

3/10

Internet quality

5/10

Visa-free destinations

45

Foreigners can own property

Yes

Residency in

0 months

Citizenship in

0 years

Taxes

Nigeria taxes residents on worldwide income progressively from 0% to 25% (Nigeria Tax Act 2025), with a broad tax-free band up to NGN 800,000; the 25% top rate is relatively low for a large country, there is no wealth or inheritance tax, VAT is 7.5% and corporate tax at most 30% (small businesses exempt).

Residency and visas

Nigeria has no accessible investment citizenship; residence runs through work or the CERPAC permit and naturalisation typically takes around fifteen years, so the country offers few attractive routes for international relocation.

Property ownership

Under the Land Use Act all land is formally state-owned and granted on a leasehold basis (usually 99 years via a Certificate of Occupancy); true full freehold does not exist and foreigners need the governor's consent, which makes property only a moderate plus here.

Cost of living and quality of life

Nigeria offers low nominal costs and a young, entrepreneurial population with vibrant hubs like Lagos and Abuja, but against that stand low safety, frequent power cuts, weak infrastructure and high naira inflation that erode real income.

Passport and mobility

The Nigerian passport reaches about 45 destinations (weak), but dual nationality is allowed; the central bank (CBN) applies exchange controls and the naira is highly volatile, which hampers international mobility of capital.

Residency and visas

• Werk-/verblijfsvergunning via het CERPAC-systeem (Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card): op basis van werkgelegenheid of een geregistreerd bedrijf met expatriate-quota; jaarlijks te verlengen
• Naturalisatie: staatsburgerschap na doorgaans vijftien jaar legaal verblijf (of registratie na huwelijk); dubbele nationaliteit toegestaan

Why people move to Nigeria

• Low 25% top rate and no wealth or inheritance tax

  Under the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 Nigeria taxes residents progressively up to only 25%, with a broad exemption up to NGN 800,000 and no wealth or inheritance tax, fiscally light for a large country.

• Exchange controls, weak passport and low safety

  The biggest downsides are non-fiscal: the central bank applies exchange controls, the passport reaches only about 45 destinations, the naira is highly volatile and safety and infrastructure are weak, so the real outflow is driven mainly by economy and security.