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Media · Nigeria

License film distribution / exhibition (NFVCB)

Distribute or exhibit film and video works lawfully: incorporate and meet the share-capital floor for the licence category (community/regional/national/online) → obtain the NFVCB distributor or exhibitor licence → submit each film for censorship and classification → Censorship Certificate before release.

4
steps
2
agencies involved
Who you will deal with
National Film & Video Censors Board (NFVCB)NFVCB
The steps
  1. 1Choose the licence category
    Agency
    National Film & Video Censors Board (NFVCB)
    What is required
    Licences cover Distributor and Exhibitor (plus exhibition-premises, mobile and online variants), each in community, regional and national tiers. National and regional tiers require incorporation with a minimum share capital of ₦2,000,000 and ₦1,000,000 respectively; a community licence accepts a registered business name.
    Documents
    CIC or business name; share capital by tier
    Typical timeline
    Planning
  2. 2Apply and pay the licence fee
    Agency
    NFVCB
    What is required
    Exhibitor: application ₦10,000 with licence fee ₦150,000 (national) or ₦100,000 (regional); community exhibitor ₦3,000 processing and ₦10,000 licence. Distributor: application ₦12,000 with licence fee ₦200,000 (national or online), ₦7,500/₦100,000 (regional), ₦1,000/₦10,000 (community).
    Documents
    Application form; fees per tier
    Typical timeline
    Weeks
  3. 3Submit films for censorship and classification
    Agency
    NFVCB
    What is required
    No person may exhibit, distribute or supply an unexempted film or video recording without a Censorship Certificate. Every film produced in or imported into Nigeria must first be submitted to the Board for registration, censorship and classification.
    Documents
    Film/video master; submission form; censorship fee
    Typical timeline
    Typically 2-4 weeks
  4. 4Release under the classification
    Agency
    NFVCB
    What is required
    Release only with the Censorship Certificate and display the assigned classification. Exhibition premises require their own premises licence; online distribution requires the online distributor licence.
    Documents
    Censorship Certificate; classification marking
    Typical timeline
    On issuance

Primary source: https://www.nfvcb.gov.ng/fees-charges/ · confidence: high

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The numbers behind the decision

Knowing the process is half of it. ONYX also tracks the operating environment you are entering — daily grid generation, official FX, state-level input prices and inflation, and sector output — each figure source-linked and dated.

ONYX publishes what the responsible agencies publish, with a link to each source. Requirements, fees and timelines change, and an officer's reading of a rule can differ from the published text. Verify against the linked source before you commit money — this is reference information, not legal advice.

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