Nigeria
Mali passportEdit check
Free movement
Entry and stay only. What this covers
Source & evidence Read the original words
Official wording
(4) Pursuant to section 37 (13) of the Act. the provisions of these Regulations relating to foreign nationals requiring visas, work ‘permits and residence permits shall not apply to nationals of Member States of the Economic Community of West African States who are exempted from requiring entry visas, and are allowed to reside, work.and undertake commercial and industrial activities within Nigeria; provided that such citizens shall register with the Service
Aevamo’s reading
The Immigration Act 2015 (Act No. 8 of 2015) creates Nigeria's entry-visa obligation: section 20 vests the power to issue visas and prescribe visa requirements, section 19 governs refusal of entry, and section 23 empowers exemption from entry requirements. The Nigeria Visa Policy, the Immigration Regulations 2017 (made under s.112(1)), the ECOWAS Protocol and the bilateral waiver arrangements implement or qualify that Act. Its gazette copy is a scanned PDF with no machine-readable text, so the operative texts are quoted from the instruments that carry the detail.
Regulation 11(4) of the Immigration Regulations 2017 disapplies the visa, work-permit and residence-permit provisions to nationals of ECOWAS member states who are exempted from requiring entry visas, and allows them to reside, work and undertake commercial and industrial activities in Nigeria. That is a right of residence that is not bounded by a ninety-day visit, so it is recorded as a separate entitlement from the visit right in the Protocol.
Source details
How the documents behind this regime are dated
The NIS Service Level Agreement is 'REVISED EDITION, APRIL 2026', signed by the Comptroller General on 26 April 2026. The Nigeria Visa Policy 2025 is the current NIS policy deck (e-Visa regime). The Nigeria Visa Policy 2020 was launched February 2020 and implemented from 1 October 2020. The Immigration Regulations 2017 were gazetted as a supplement to the Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette Vol. 104 No. 25 of 1 March 2017. The ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol was done at Dakar on 29 May 1979. The St. Kitts and Nevis waiver took effect on 4 August 2025 per the SKN government's press release of 1 September 2025. The Radio Nigeria report is dated 15 May 2026 (the date of the NIS announcement it carries). The Seychelles Nation item is dated 6 April 2011 and records commencement on 11 February 2011. The Radio Nigeria report is dated 15 May 2026 (the date of the NIS announcement it carries). The Seychelles Nation item is dated 6 April 2011 and records commencement on 11 February 2011. The Radio Nigeria report is dated 15 May 2026 (the date of the NIS announcement it carries). The Seychelles Nation item is dated 6 April 2011 and records commencement on 11 February 2011. The Radio Nigeria report is dated 15 May 2026 (the date of the NIS announcement it carries). The Seychelles Nation item is dated 6 April 2011 and records commencement on 11 February 2011. The Radio Nigeria report is dated 15 May 2026 (the date of the NIS announcement it carries). The Seychelles Nation item is dated 6 April 2011 and records commencement on 11 February 2011. The Radio Nigeria report is dated 15 May 2026 (the date of the NIS announcement it carries). The Seychelles Nation item is dated 6 April 2011 and records commencement on 11 February 2011. The Radio Nigeria report is dated 15 May 2026 (the date of the NIS announcement it carries). The Seychelles Nation item is dated 6 April 2011 and records commencement on 11 February 2011. The Radio Nigeria report is dated 15 May 2026 (the date of the NIS announcement it carries). The Seychelles Nation item is dated 6 April 2011 and records commencement on 11 February 2011.
Other entry routes 1 alternatives
These routes depend on a different document or additional conditions.
Visa-free, 90 days
A citizen of the Community entering another Member State must hold a valid travel document and an international health certificate; admission may be refused to a Community citizen who comes within the category of inadmissible immigrants under Nigerian law.
A stay beyond ninety days requires permission for an extension from the appropriate authority; Regulation 6(1) caps every visitor's visiting permit at ninety days.
Article 3 of the Protocol speaks of a 'citizen of the Community', defined in Article 1 as a citizen of any Member State of the Economic Community of West African States. The Nigeria Immigration Service's own Nigeria Visa Policy 2020 lists the ECOWAS states whose citizens do not require a visa to enter Nigeria as Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote D'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
What this answer covers Limits & assumptions
Work and residence rights are separate from this check. This is the entry rule and the length of stay the instrument grants. It is not a decision about you: the officer at the border decides admission, and we do not evaluate the purpose of your trip, your passport's remaining validity, an onward ticket, funds, insurance or health requirements.
Informational planning, not legal or immigration advice. The source is linked so you can check our reading.