The visit, step by step
Seven steps, one visit, usually under half an hour.
You do not need to get anything ready. You do not need to go anywhere. The officer comes to you. They work from what the register already holds, and they change only what has really changed.
- One ID number
- A NIN or a BVN — never both. A voter card only on the special route.
- One adult
- Aged 18 or over, from your home.
- No cost
- No fee. No contribution. No transport money.
Step by step
What really happens at your door.
- 01
The officer arrives, and your home is already on their list
We tell your ward before officers come, through community leaders and ward officials. The officer works on a device we gave them. They sign in with their own account. Their list shows homes in your ward only.
Worth knowing They will make sure they have the right home, using the register number, your name or your community details. They will not create a new record just because the first search did not find you.
- 02
They explain the visit and read you the privacy notice
The officer says why they are there. Then they show you the privacy notice. It says what we collect, what we do with it, how long we keep it, and how to complain. All this comes before they collect anything new.
Worth knowing We save which version of the notice you were shown. That is the proof it was really given to you. It is why this step cannot be skipped.
- 03
They check who lives in your home
The officer can already see what the register says. You say whether it is right, or you correct it. That covers where you live and a landmark, the head of the home, how many people live there, a phone number, and everyone's names, sex, dates of birth and how they are related.
Worth knowing Someone who is away is not rubbed out. We only change their status to say they are away. Bigger changes — a new head of the home, or joining or splitting homes — are suggested, not made. A supervisor decides them.
- 04
One adult is chosen for the ID step
The head of the home first, if they are 18 or over and at home. If not, a wife, a husband or another adult aged 18 or over. We write down how they are related and why they were chosen.
Worth knowing The app works out ages from the dates of birth on the register, before the ID step opens. Anyone under 18 is blocked. The app itself does the blocking.
- 05
One ID number is typed in, and one photo is taken
The adult gives one number — a NIN (a National Identification Number) or a BVN (a Bank Verification Number). The officer types it into the official app and nowhere else. The app then takes one live photo of that adult.
Worth knowing Your number is hidden as soon as it is typed in. After that, only the last four digits are ever shown. The check goes from our system to the ID office. It never goes from the officer's device.
- 06
The ID office answers, and the officer reads you the result
Our system sorts the answer that comes back. The officer sees the result and reads it to you. They cannot pick it, change it or turn it around.
Worth knowing Sometimes the check does not finish — a slow line, a service that is down, a weak signal. Then we mark it "still waiting" and try again. That is not a refusal, and we never report it as one.
- 07
You check the summary and get a reference number
The officer shows you a summary of everything written down. You go through it together before they send it. If anything needs follow-up, we open a case and give you its reference number.
Worth knowing Write the reference number down, or take a photo of it. It is how the help desk finds your case without you having to explain the whole visit again.
Know the line
What the officer will ask for — and what they never will.
Does someone ask you for something that is not on the first list? You may say no. And you may report it.
They will ask for
- One ID number — your NIN or your BVN. Whichever you have. If you have a NIN, please use that one. If you have neither, and there is a recorded reason why you cannot get one, a voter card can be written down instead — see below.
- One live photo of the adult being checked, taken inside their official app.
- Who lives in your home, their ages, and how they are related to the head of the home.
- One phone number for your home.
- Where your home is — the community, the address and a landmark.
They will never ask for
- Both your NIN and your BVN. Asking for both is against the rules.
- Money. Not any amount, and not for any part of this.
- An ID from a child, or from anyone under 18.
- To photograph your ID papers on a personal phone, or to send anything by WhatsApp.
- Your bank details, your PIN, a one-time password, or anything else a bank would ask for.
Why we take a photo.
An ID number on its own only proves that the number exists. It does not prove that the person holding it is the person standing there. A live photo, taken in the moment, makes it hard and costly to pretend to be someone else.
- It must be taken inside the official app. Uploading from the phone gallery is switched off, and the app does not save the photo onto the phone.
- If the ID office sends back a photo, the approved service does the comparing. The officer does not judge it.
- If the ID office sends back no usable photo, we note that on an otherwise good pass. It is not a failure.
- The photo is locked, only certain named staff can open it, and it is left out of every normal report, file and record.
What your reference number is for
We give you a reference number whenever something from your visit needs follow-up. A check that did not finish. An ID the office did not know. A fix waiting for approval. A special case. Or a complaint you make.
It looks like this
- Say it on the free helpline, and the desk finds your case at once.
- Use it to argue with a result you do not agree with.
- Use it to come back later, once you have an ID you did not have on the day.
- Use it to report an officer who asked you for money.
After the officer leaves
Your visit is checked before anything is final.
Nothing an officer writes at your door goes straight into the main register. Does a result take a few days? That is the checking working. It does not mean your case is lost.
- Stage 1
The ward lead checks the day's work
They look at every pass that had something to note, every refusal, every check done on another adult, every case for someone who needs extra help, every home not found, every home listed twice, and every risky edit. If one officer's work looks odd, we look into it.
- Stage 2
A second person approves anything sensitive
A new head of the home. A special case. A home listed twice. A sensitive fix. Someone other than the person who asked must approve each of these. And if the Ward Lead did the check themselves, the Local Government Area Coordinator approves it instead.
- Stage 3
A ward closes only when every home has an answer
We can only put a ward forward for closing when every home on its list has a written answer. Anything still open — a waiting check, a review, a refusal, a home not found, a complaint — is reported on its own, with a named owner. Nothing is closed by being forgotten.
- Stage 4
Approved changes reach the main register
The Local Government Area Coordinator and the register owner check the work and its quality, then sign it off. Only then do the approved changes go into the main register, in one controlled batch, with reports that match the numbers up.
At your door
How to tell a real officer.
The job is called a Social Register Verification Officer. Ward Personal Assistants, working as Ward Verification Leads, may also do visits. Four things should be true of either one.
A work device, running the official app
Not a personal phone. Not a paper form. The check happens inside the app, or it does not happen.
An ID card, and their own account
Every officer is signed up on their own. Sharing accounts is not allowed. The app records the real person who checked you.
Your home is already on their list
They are working a list for your ward. They should be able to tell you what the register already holds about your home, before you tell them anything.
A new home is a request, never an instant add
An officer can take down a new home's details and send them in, but nothing joins the register until a supervisor has checked and approved it. Anyone who says they can add you to the register right there, for money or for free, with no check afterwards, is not doing this job.
Not sure? Ask them to wait while you call the helpline
A real officer will not mind. Your Ward Verification Lead can tell you who is working in your area today.