The Nigeria Police Character Certificate is applied for online through the Police Specialized Services Automation Project, better known as POSSAP, at possap.gov.ng. The Federal Government launched POSSAP on 2 June 2022 through the Ministry of Police Affairs, and the character certificate was one of the first services moved onto it. If an employer, a recruitment exercise or a visa office has asked you for one, the whole application starts on that portal, and the only part you do in person is your fingerprint capture.
When the Ministry of Police Affairs presented its monitoring dashboard for the certificate in February 2024, Delta accounted for 6.40% of applications nationally, behind Lagos, Oyo, the FCT, Osun and Edo. The ministry described the certificate as one of 29 specialised police services being automated, and its Permanent Secretary said it is “not a profit-making venture”.
Get these details ready before you open the form
The online request form asks for one valid means of identification plus your personal and contact details. You can use your National Identification Number (NIN), your Bank Verification Number (BVN) or your international passport. Have the number in front of you, and make sure the name you type matches the name on that ID exactly, because the police check the information you submit.
| What the form asks for | Notes |
|---|---|
| Identification type | NIN, BVN or international passport |
| Identification number | The number on the ID you picked |
| Full name | As it appears on your ID |
| Phone number and email address | Use ones you check often |
| Gender | Required |
| State of residence and local government area | Where you currently live |
| Residential address | Your current address |
| Alternative contact | Optional |
You’ll also choose a police command or formation for your biometric appointment, so pick one you can reach easily on the appointment date.
Five steps from the portal to your certificate
The Nigeria Police Force sets the application out in this order, with everything except the biometrics done online.
- Go to possap.gov.ng/p/login, create an account or sign in, and choose Police Character Certificate as the service you’re requesting.
- Fill in the online request form with your identification and personal details, including the police command or formation where you want your biometrics taken.
- Review everything you’ve entered before you submit. Check your name and ID number in particular.
- Pay the processing fee using the invoice the portal generates for your application.
- Go in person to the command or formation you selected on your scheduled appointment date for biometric capture. This in-person step applies to applicants living in Nigeria.
Why you should never pay anything at the police station
The character certificate carries a one-time, non-refundable application and processing fee, and the police say it must be paid only through the POSSAP platform using the invoice generated during your application. The amount you owe is the figure on that invoice, so go by what the portal shows you rather than a number someone quotes you.
The police have also stated that applicants should not pay any extra fees at police commands, either for biometric capture or for collecting the certificate. Any money requested at a formation for fingerprinting or faster processing is outside the official process. Because the fee is non-refundable, it’s also worth confirming you’re on the real portal at possap.gov.ng before you pay, and not on a page someone has sent you that only looks like it.
What happens at your biometric appointment
Your fingerprints are captured in person at the police command or formation you picked while filling the form, on the appointment date given to you. Because it’s your own fingerprints being taken, you have to attend yourself. Take the same means of identification you used on the form, and keep your payment invoice and any confirmation the portal gave you where you can show them.
How long you’ll wait, and what gets an application thrown out
The police put processing and issuance at a minimum of 72 hours after all application requirements have been completed. Seventy-two hours is the shortest it can take rather than a guaranteed turnaround, so apply well ahead of any job closing date.
Every application is reviewed against operational guidelines and security considerations, and it can be approved or rejected. The police have warned that submitting false information, forged documents or fake biometric data will lead to automatic rejection, and that further penalties may follow. With a fee that isn’t refunded, it pays to enter your details exactly as they appear on your ID.
Making sure the certificate you hold is genuine
POSSAP has a validation page for the documents it issues, and its validation links take the form possap.gov.ng/p/validate-document/ followed by the document’s reference number. A certificate issued through the portal can be checked against it, so apply yourself on POSSAP rather than paying a middleman to get one for you.
The other papers employers usually ask for alongside it
Where a recruitment also asks for proof of your state of origin, our guide on getting a certificate of state of origin in Delta State walks you through that one. Before you spend money on any documents for a recruitment you’ve seen advertised, it helps to confirm the exercise is real, and our piece on checking whether the Delta State teachers recruitment is real shows you how to go about it.
Once your papers are in order, you can start applying. Our guide to finding work in Isoko North and Isoko South covers the main places to look, and this page explains how to apply for jobs listed on isokoJOBs.
Vacancies that ask for documents like this one are shared on our channel as they’re posted, so follow the isokoJOBs WhatsApp Channel and you’ll see them the day they go up.
