Before you start

Passport with the visa page, and CERPAC once issued
NIN, if you have been resident two years or more
An unlocked handset
A residential address for fixed internet

Step-by-step

1
Register a SIM on your passport if you are under two years' residence
The NCC's business rules require the NIN for foreign nationals resident more than two years; those staying less present their international passport bio-data and visa pages instead. Say this clearly at the shop — agents used to serving Nigerians will ask for a NIN by reflex.
In personWho: YouDay 1–3
2
Register at an operator's own shop, not a roadside agent
SIM registration involves biometrics and identity capture, and the operators' own service centres handle foreign documentation correctly. Roadside registration is where mismatches and later deactivations come from. MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9mobile all have staffed centres across the island and mainland.
In personWho: You
3
Buy two SIMs on different networks
This is normal practice in Lagos rather than paranoia. Coverage and congestion vary sharply by area and by hour, and having a second network in a dual-SIM phone is what keeps you connected when one operator has a bad afternoon in your district.
In personWho: You
4
Check what fixed internet actually reaches the building
Fibre availability is street by street and building by building. Ask the landlord which providers are physically connected and whether other tenants use them, rather than checking a coverage map. Fixed-wireless and 4G/5G routers are the common fallback and work well in most of the island districts.
OnlineWho: You
5
Plan for power, because internet without power is nothing
A fibre line into a building is useless when the mains are off and the router has no battery. A small UPS for the router and access point is the standard fix and costs very little relative to the frustration it removes.
In personWho: You
6
Link the NIN when you cross two years
Once you have been resident two years and enrolled for a NIN, link it to your SIMs. NCC rules also allow a self-service route for resolving biometric mismatches, but only through the operator directly rather than an agent.
In personWho: YouFrom 2 years of residence

Documents you’ll need

Passport with bio-data and visa pages
CERPAC
NIN slip, if resident two years or more
Proof of address, for fixed internet

Things most newcomers don’t know

Foreigners under two years' residence register a SIM on a passport, not a NIN, and shop staff often do not know this.

The NCC's rules track the NIMC Act: foreign nationals resident for more than two years must have a NIN for SIM registration and number portability, while those staying less register on their international passport bio-data and visa pages. Because virtually every Nigerian customer needs a NIN, agents ask for one reflexively and newcomers conclude they cannot get a phone until they have a national ID. Go to an operator's own service centre and cite the exemption.

Source: Nigerian Communications Commission

Two networks in one phone is the local standard, and it is a coverage decision rather than a cost one.

Network quality in Lagos varies sharply by district and by time of day — a network that is excellent on Victoria Island can be unusable in parts of the mainland at peak. Nearly everyone carries two SIMs on different operators and switches without thinking about it. Buying one SIM and judging Nigerian mobile by it is how people end up with an unfairly poor impression of a genuinely capable network.

Source: community-reported

Fibre availability is a building-level fact, so ask the landlord and not the provider's map.

Coverage maps show where a provider operates, not which buildings have been physically connected. In Lagos two adjacent blocks can have completely different options, and a building with no fibre drop will not get one on your timeline. Asking which providers other tenants actually use — and whether the building has an internal riser — takes two minutes at a viewing and prevents a genuinely disruptive surprise for anyone whose income depends on the connection.

Source: community-reported

Put the router on a UPS on day one.

Even on a Band A feeder there are interruptions, and every switchover between mains, inverter and generator drops an unprotected router. A small uninterruptible power supply keeps the router and access point running through those transitions, which turns a dozen daily micro-outages into none. It is the cheapest single improvement to working life in Lagos and almost nobody arrives knowing to do it.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Being told you need a NIN for a SIM when the two-year exemption applies to you.
Registering a SIM through a roadside agent and being barred later for a mismatch.
Relying on a single network across a city with district-level coverage differences.
Signing a lease on the assumption that fibre 'covers the area'.
Running a router without a UPS and losing connectivity at every power transition.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.