Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN): Licence Renewal, Verification and What Nurses Need to Know in 2026

Updated October 2026.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) regulates every nurse and midwife in Nigeria. Whether you’re a student, newly qualified or planning to work abroad, almost every step of your career passes through it. This guide covers what nurses most need to know in 2026.

What the NMCN does

The Council was first set up in 1979 and is now established under the Nursing and Midwifery (Registration, etc.) Act. It is headquartered in Abuja, with zonal offices across the country. Its main jobs are to:

• Accredit nursing and midwifery schools and programmes.
• Index students into approved programmes, issuing the index number you use for your final exams.
• Conduct the professional qualifying examinations for general nursing, midwifery and post-basic programmes.
• Register and license nurses and midwives, and renew practising licences.
• Verify certificates for employers and foreign nursing boards.
• Enforce professional standards and discipline.

Renewing your practising licence

You can’t legally practise in Nigeria without a current licence. Licences are renewed every three years, and the whole process is now online.

• Fee: ₦13,125 for three years.
• Late penalty: ₦6,562 for each year you defaulted.
• Where: start your application on the NMCN licence portal (licence.nmcn.gov.ng) and pay through REMITA on the portal.

You’ll need to upload:

1. A recent coloured passport photograph with a white background.
2. A scan of your original Certificate of Registration from the Council.
3. A scan of your original certificate of attendance for the Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme (MCPDP).

Tip: book your MCPDP well before your licence expires. Without the certificate you can’t renew, and penalties build up every year.

Verifying your certificates to work abroad

Foreign regulators such as the UK’s NMC, Canada’s NNAS and TruMerit (formerly CGFNS) need the NMCN to confirm your registration directly. In February 2024, the Council introduced stricter guidelines for verification to foreign boards, effective 1 March 2024:

• At least two years of post-qualification experience, counted from the date your permanent practising licence was issued.
• No provisional licences: applications with one are rejected.
• Letters of good standing from the head of your current workplace and from your last nursing school, sent directly to the Council, not through you.
• A non-refundable verification fee, shown on the NMCN portal.

The Council said the rules were meant to stop nurses leaving without following due process and to fight fake documents. The guidelines sparked protests, the House of Representatives urged the Council to suspend them, and a group of nurses challenged them at the National Industrial Court. Check the current position on the NMCN portal before you apply, as rules and fees can change.

Certificate delays in 2026

In April 2026, nurses’ groups complained that thousands of newly qualified nurses had waited since 2023 for their registration certificates, leaving many unable to take up jobs at home or abroad. If you’re affected, keep copies of all your payments and correspondence, follow up with your zonal office, and stay in touch with your school and nurses’ associations.

Practical tips

• Use the same full name on your passport, certificates and NMCN records. Name mismatches cause many delays with foreign boards.
• Pay only through the official NMCN portal and REMITA, never to individuals.
• Keep digital copies of every licence, certificate and receipt.
• If you plan to work abroad, start verification early. It is often the slowest step.

Read also: CGFNS is now TruMerit: what Nigerian nurses need to know · Easiest countries for Nigerian nurses in 2026

Sources: NMCN: Renewal of licence; TheCable: NMCN verification guidelines; TheCable: Reps ask NMCN to halt guidelines; Gazette: nurses sue over guidelines; Pulse: certificate delays.