Bringing Family to Nigeria: Dependant Visas and CERPAC Explained

Relocations fail on the family side more often than the employee side. The principal's immigration position is usually well managed because the employer drives it; the spouse and children are treated as an administrative afterthought and end up out of sequence.

How Dependants Are Documented

Dependants of an expatriate employed against an Expatriate Quota position follow the principal. They are included in the STR application and, after arrival and regularisation, receive dependant CERPAC cards linked to the principal's residence position. The dependant card is what makes their residence lawful — not the fact that the principal holds one.

File Together, Not Afterwards

Preparing dependant applications alongside the principal avoids the most common problem: an employee resident and working while the family is still abroad or on a visitor position that cannot be extended. Where school enrolment dates are fixed, the family timeline usually drives the mobilisation date rather than the other way round.

Documents Families Are Asked For

• Marriage certificate for a spouse.
• Birth certificates for children, showing the relationship to the principal.
• Passports for each family member with adequate validity.
• Photographs to the specification required.
• The principal's employment and quota documentation.

Documents issued abroad may need to be authenticated. Start this early — it is slow and outside anyone's control.

Can a Spouse Work?

A dependant card establishes residence, not an automatic right to employment. A spouse who wants to work needs their own immigration position, which in most cases means an employer with an available quota slot. Plan for this before relocating if a second income is part of the decision.

Schools, Banks and Tenancy

International schools, banks and landlords will ask for residence documentation. Families arriving without dependant cards in progress commonly find enrolment and account opening stalled, which is disruptive in the first weeks when everything else is also new.

Renewals

Dependant cards run with the principal's position and must be renewed before expiry. When the principal changes employer, the family's position moves with it and has to be re-established, not simply continued.

How PeaceRyde Helps

PeaceRyde coordinates principal and dependant applications together — STR preparation, regularisation, CERPAC and dependant cards, renewals, and the practical arrival support that makes the first weeks workable.

Key Takeaways

• Dependants need their own cards — the principal's CERPAC does not cover the family.
• File dependant applications alongside the principal, not afterwards.
• Marriage and birth certificates may need authentication, which is slow — start early.
• A dependant card is residence, not a right to work; a spouse needs their own position.
• Schools, banks and landlords ask for residence documentation from the outset.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my spouse work on a dependant card?

Not automatically. Employment requires the spouse to have their own immigration position, which normally means an employer with an available Expatriate Quota slot.

Can my family follow me a few months later?

They can, but preparing their applications alongside yours avoids gaps and delays. Late filings often collide with school enrolment dates.

What happens to the family if I change employer?

Dependant cards run with the principal's position, so a change of employer means the family's position must be re-established along with yours.