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Travel planning

Nigeria Packing List

Nigeria is a malaria country and yellow fever is compulsory at the border. The health preparation starts weeks before the packing does.
  • Country Nigeria
  • Guide Packing
  • Reviewed 20 August 2026
  • Length 1 min read

Credit Mr Trinity001, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Last reviewed 20 August 2026

Two things here need doing well before a bag comes out of the cupboard, and one of them will stop you at the border if you skip it.

The certificate you cannot enter without

Yellow fever vaccination is a condition of entry to Nigeria, not a recommendation. You need the certificate. Infants of eight months or younger and adults of sixty-one or older are exempt.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that travelers going to Nigeria take prescription medicine to prevent malaria. That is a conversation with a doctor, and depending on the medicine it starts days before you fly and continues after you get home.

The FCDO also lists schistosomiasis, Zika virus and dengue among the health risks in Nigeria.

The health half of the bag

  • Your yellow fever certificate. Without it you may not be allowed in.
  • Antimalarial tablets, prescribed, and started on the schedule your doctor gives you.
  • Insect repellent. Dengue mosquitoes bite in daylight and malaria mosquitoes at night, so this is an all-day measure.
  • Prescription medicine in its original packaging. Pharmacies are widely available and accept UK prescriptions, and a Nigerian doctor can write a new one for a fee.
  • Insurance covering medical evacuation. There is no national ambulance service.
  • Avoid swimming in fresh water, which is where schistosomiasis is contracted.

And the rest

  • Modest clothing. Nigeria is religiously diverse and conservative dress is the safer default in most of it.
  • Copies of your documents, kept separately from the originals.
  • A power adapter and a means of charging away from mains power.
  • Nothing on the prohibited import list. See the visa guide: it includes textiles and jewelry.
This guide is general orientation, not legal, medical or governmental advice. Entry, health and safety requirements change frequently and depend on your nationality, your route and your dates. Always confirm with the relevant authority before you travel.