Licensing FAQs

A Communications Licence is an Individual Licence or a Class Licence issued by the Commission which authorizes the holder to provide communications service, in line with Section 31 of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.

The Commission is authorized to issue communications Licences for the operation and provision of communications services or facilities by way of Class or Individual Licences A Class Licence is a type of general authorization in which the terms and conditions/obligations are common to all holders of the Licence to provide and operate the service so classified. Requires only simple registration process with the Commission. Individual Licence is an authorization which gives an undertaking specific rights or which subjects those undertakings to specific obligations. Some Individual Licenses may require resources such as Spectrum, Numbering plan, Right of Way etc.

The list of active licensees can be obtained by visiting this link: https://ncc.gov.ng/industry/licensing/list-licensees

To be eligible for a specific Licence, the applicant must be duly incorporated in Nigeria by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and have valid Tax Identification Number (TIN) issued to the company by Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). A duly registered Business Name is also eligible to apply for a Class Licence in Nigeria.

A. Requirements for Class Licence
1. Sign up on eservices.ncc.gov.ng and access the Licensing Application Management System (LAMS).
2. Fill the form and upload: Certificate of Incorporation/Business Name (CAC), Tax Clearance Certificate, CTC of Memorandum & Articles (if applicable), CTC of Directors/Business Name, passport photo of representative, technical staff certificates, service brief, Directors’/Proprietor photos, and other required documents.
3. Submit the application after uploading all documents.
4. Pay ₦10,000 Class Licence fee via LAMS.

B. Requirements for Individual Licence
1. Sign up on the portal and access LAMS.
2. Fill the form and upload: Certificate of Incorporation, Tax Clearance Certificate, CTC of Memorandum & Articles, feasibility report, passport photo, technical staff certificates (if applicable), CTC of Directors/CAC report, Directors’ photos, registered address form, utility bill, financial projections, funding evidence, Right of Way (if applicable), and MoU (if applicable).
3. Submit after completing uploads.
4. Pay a non-refundable 5% administrative fee via LAMS.
5. Pay licence fee upon approval.

Additional Requirements
• AVTS Licence: Requires SSS clearance and completion of PHS form.
• VAS (Short Code): Requires MoU with a VAS Aggregator or CBN licence (for Mobile Money), and NLRC licence (for lottery services).

Steps for Applying for New Individual Licence
Step 1: From your portal on the eservices main dashboard, select Company Details and upload the following information: Director(s), Company Secretary (if applicable), Shareholder(s) (if applicable), TCC records including TIN, and Proprietor information (for Business Name). Upload a current Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) and ensure it is activated by FIRS. Wait for verification and validation of your information by the NCC team.

Step 2: Select the Licensing Application Management System (LAMS) to apply for a Class or Individual Licence. Click on “New Licence,” choose the type and category of Licence, and follow the application process to completion.

A tutorial video is available on the LAMS application portal on how to use the application. You may contact the Commission at  [email protected] for any further enquiries. The Zonal Offices are established to oversee licensees and communication services within their states of coverage. However the LAMS allows both new applications and request for renewal of exist.

The Licence fees payable vary according to the services. Please visit the Commission’s website: www.ncc.gov.ng under licensing link for the fee structure or contact the Commission for the applicable fees. Kindly visit our fees & pricing page on  https://ncc.gov.ng/licensing-regulation/licensing/fees-pricing to view the list.

Individual Licence: According to the provision of the Nigerian Communication Act 2003, the Commission is required to convey its decision to the applicant within 90 days of receipt of the application for an individual Licence with complete documentation that is not the subject of a competitive bid. However, depending on the service and completeness of required information and availability of resources such as spectrum and numbering, application may be processed within shorter periods. Class Licence: Once an application is completed and all requirements met, the applicant is issued an Offer Letter immediately.

If you are a Local Company, select your company's ownership type. Provide your Registered Company (RC) Number obtained from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Nigeria. Provide your company's valid Tax Identification Number (TIN) issued in Nigeria by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) as a registered Taxpayer. If you are existing Licensee, provide your NCC issued Licence number. Proceed to the next stage and fill in all the required company details including your company's representative (user) details. Review and then click the "Submit" button to complete your registration.

The outcome will be communicated via the status tab on the Licensing Application Management System portal.

Sign up on the Commission’s eservice portal via the link: esevices.ncc.gov.ng, click on Licensing Application Management System (LAMS), view your Licence and click on renew to apply for renewal of Licence (Please note that to successfully submit an application for Licence renewal, the licensee is required to provide/upload the evidence of compliance with relevant Licence obligations. Compliance with Licence obligations is required for Licence renewal.)  The obligations are; Financials Annual Operating Levy (AOL) – Upload Audited Financial Statement of Account and Upload the evidence of payment of AOL Spectrum Fees, if applicable– Upload the evidence of payment Numbering Fees, if applicable– Upload the evidence of payment, etc. Type Approval of Equipment – Upload the list of equipment in use on the network / for service provision or provide evidence of equipment Type Approval. Upload a current CAC Company Status Report and the Statement of Allotment of Shares originally filed at the time of application for Licence. Clearance on any matters of outstanding enforcement issues. Approved Individual Consumer Code of Practice (ICCP) – Upload the evidence of Approval or Draft ICCP that meets the Consumer Code Practice Regulations, 2007. Approved Disaster Recovery Plan. The Disaster Recovery Guidelines is available on the Commission’s website www.ncc.gov.ng under the Licensing & Regulation Section. Submit a draft document for review and approval. Clearance on Yearly submission of Operator Statistical Data. Upon fulfilment of necessary obligations and approval of licence renewal application, licensee would be requested to pay the applicable renewal fee(s). Contact for further assistance  [email protected] +234094617054 +234094618720, +234094618719, +234094618714

Yes, all applications are saved automatically.

Kindly visit the  https://ncc.gov.ng/licensing-regulation/licensing/licensing-documents page to view the documents and frameworks for our Licences.

Licensing & Authorisation Department Nigerian Communications Commission Plot 423, Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Federal Republic of Nigeria. Tel: +234-9-4617055, 234-9-4617054 and 234-9-4618714 or Send an email to [email protected]

A Unified Access Service Licence is an individual Licence that allows the licensee to provide a bouquet of services under a single Licence. The licensee is permitted to provide Digital Mobile and Fixed telephony services, National Long Distance, International Gateway services under one Licence.

You require a Class Licence to operate a cybercafé in Nigeria.

Please visit the Commission website under Licensing & Regulation, click Guideline you will see the Commission’s Guidelines on International Gateway Access and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

NCC does not regulate technology; however an interested operator must have an operating Licence and the required frequency to be able to provide the service.

You are required to apply new Licence and renewal of existing Licenses on Licensing Application Management System (LAMS). Support are also provided through Chabot on the application platform. The Zonal offices are Primarily established to oversee Licensees and Communications services within their states of coverage.

You can process your Licence directly with the Commission. NCC has not appointed any agent for the purpose of processing and obtaining Licences on behalf of applicants.

The NCC does not grant Licences for radio broadcasting. You may contact the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission for further information on establishing a FM Radio Station.

An applicant must be adequately capitalized to provide the proposed service. Evidence of sufficient funding is one of the requirement for Licence.

A Company applying for a Licence must be registered in Nigeria by the Corporate Affairs Commission (C.A.C)

The Commission has a surveillance programme aimed at identifying illegal operators and appropriate sanctions/enforcement action against any defaulter who fails to regularize operations.  The Commission would be pleased to receive information from the public on only suspected illegal Operator.

Upload a current CAC

Ensure the necessary information has been provided Review your Company Details, Add and wait for validation of your Tax Identification Number (TIN) by FIRS. Ensure your undertaking is properly ticked Select company representative make payment Click on the submit button. (You can only submit your application once the submit button is enabled.

Note that you are required to register your company and then apply for the Licence by clicking on the Licensing Application Management System (LAMS) to begin the Licence application process.

Submit a formal request for refund to the Commission in writing attaching all supporting documents.

Please note that TCC and TIN verification and validation is done by FIRS. The Commission does not reject / process TCC or TIN. Kindly contact FIRS for further assistance.

Memorandum and Article of Association must include telecommunication as an object clause that allows the company to provide telecommunication service in Nigeria.

Upload your CAC Status Report in place of MEMART if it is not a limited liability company. However, note that your Principal Business Activity must include a telecommunication clause.

Total number of allotted shares must sum up to 100% for information to be saved successfully. Share allotment must conform to the information filed with the CAC.

Information for each Shareholder must be complete and accurate as filed with the CAC. You may add, remove, or modify each shareholder’s rating, one after the other until it sums up to 100%, then click on Save. Note that the total rating must conform to the information filed with the CAC.

Provide the name(s) of the proprietor(s) and give it a 100% shares. After that make sure you tick the undertaking. Select the company’s authorized representative.

Upload Shareholder and Company Secretary Information just the same way you uploaded Director. Company Shareholder and Shareholding as well as Company Secretary must be listed on CAC Company Status Report.

Short code inquiries or renewal - Contact [email protected] or [email protected].

Contact: Tel: +234-9-4617055, and 234-9-4618714 Send an email to [email protected]

Once your Licence application is successfully submitted, channel all further enquires via the comment section of the Licensing Application Management System (LAMS) Log into your profile Open your ongoing application Send you comments via chat window at the top right-hand corner of the dashboard. Contact: Tel: +234-9-4617055, and 234-9-4618714 Send an email to [email protected]

The Commission does not grant a Licence for SIM registration You can apply for Sales and Installation Class Licence for sale of recharge cards. Kindly visit the NCC website at https://eservices.ncc.gov.ng and choose a category of the Class Licence that suits the services you wish to offer.

Click on Licensing Application management System Select Provide Licence details Submit your Licence information for verification and approval