Nigeria Oil and Gas industry services business in 2023

All companies conducting oil and gas activities in Nigeria, including providing goods and services to the industry are required to register with i) the Petroleum Regulatory Agency of Nigeria to secure a permit from the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and ii) the Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB).

What is a DPR certificate?

There are 3 categories of DPR Permit for oil and gas industry services in Nigeria:

  1. General Permit– Minor supplies, works and maintenance services that do not require specialized or certified competences.
    • Detailed list of services included in this category

      TypeServices
      Minor supplies Civil Maintenance Materials

       Mechanical Maintenance Materials

       Electrical Maintenance Materials

       Plumbing Materials

       Computer Accessories/Consumables

       Welding Materials

       Catering Services

      Minor works Welding

       Plumbing

       Painting

       Photographic

      Minor maintenance Civil

       Mechanical

       Electrical

  2. Major– services that require applicants to have relevant, verifiable technical skills for conducting oil and gas activities in Nigeria.
    • Detailed list of services included in this category

      TypeServices
      Rehabilitation/Upgrade/Fabrication Works Civil; electrical; mechanical
      Equipment/Material Supply General supplies; heating, cooling & energy products; safety, lab & chemical supplies; mechanical parts
      Consultancy  Media and publicity; training/manpower development; community relations; Nigerian manpower supply; security services; medical consultancy; information technology; legal services; architectural services; engineering services; quantity surveying and estate management; local freight/clearing and forwarding; horticulture/landscaping; furnishing and interior/exterior decoration; insurance brokerage; QA/QC services; events planning; geotechnical services, hydrogeology; outsourcing and expediting services.
      Water borehole Drilling; treatment; maintenance
      Protocol and logistics Car/vehicle hire and leasing; protocol services; travel agencies; vehicle documentation
      Laboratory Environmental quality monitoring; bio-monitoring/bio-degradability studies; petroleum quality monitoring; medical investigation; sample storage and preservation; geochemical; material safety investigation; chemical/mud testing; geological (bio-stratigraphy, sedimentology etc); geotechnical;
      Onshore Environmental/ Waste Management Environmental assessment/studies; office and domestic waste management (non-hazardous); office fumigation and sanitation; sewage evacuation & disposal; waste/used oil transportation.
      Installation and Maintenance Civil; mechanical; electrical; plumbing; fire and gas systems; meters & flow meters; security and information equipment
      Aviation Support Supply, installation and maintenance of air navigational/communication equipment; aviation logistics; aviation equipment certification and inspection
      Survey Land, topographic, geodetic survey services
      Integrity Test Pressure testing/leak detection of vessels/pipelines; surface and underground oil and gas storage tanks
      Calibration Calibration of petroleum storage tanks; oil and gas measurement/equipment; relief/pressure safety valves certification, etc.; laboratory equipment
      Haulage Road haulage (goods/materials); petroleum products haulage
      Medical/Pharmaceutical Pharmaceutical supplies; medical equipment supplies; dietitians; veterinary services
      Hospitality Lodging/boarding; onshore catering and other related services; laundry; lease of office accommodation/guest house
      Printing Publishing and corporate branding; educational material
      Automobile Sales and maintenance of cars/vehicles
      Data and measurement Ullage, fiscalization, cargo survey

  3. Specialized– services that require applicants to have certified technical skills.
    • Detailed list of services included in this category

      TypeServices
      Onshore pipeline laying and construction Banking/finance
      Facility maintenance International freight/clearing and forwarding
      Major construction Insurance
      Drilling/production Automobile
      Exploration Hyperbaric
      Technical consultancy Hospitality (offshore/onshore catering; offshore housekeeping & laundry)
      Special transportation Manufacturing
      Dredging Environmental restoration services
      Waste management services Marine support services
      Underwater inspection & services Local gas distribution services
      Hospital/medical Rope access
      Heavy duty equipment supply, installation & maintenance Specialised oil and gas training services
      Communication Heavy equipment hire & leasing only

  4. Checklist of documentation required with each specific DPR permit category application:
    • Steps to getting your Registration with DPR - Detailed checklist

      DocumentGeneralMajorSpecialized
      CAC issued Certificate of Incorporation
      Certified true copy of the M&AA
      FIRS tax & VAT registration certificates
      Employee compensation scheme (NSITF)
      Company profile, business & operational plan
      List of employees & resumes of key staff-
      List of approved expat quota positions & Nigerian understudies-
      Training programme for the development of Nigerian staff-
      List of equipment/facilities to carry out requisite functions-
      Regulatory permits or accreditation by relevant professional body-
      Technical service agreement or MoU with relevant Nigerian company-

  5. Healy Consultants Group will assist our Clients fulfil the DPR requirement for company registration by i) identifying the correct categories applicable to the relevant business activity ii) completing and submitting a quality OGISP application iii) assisting with collating an accurate list of supporting documents iv) liaising with DPR officials throughout the licensing process including DPR permit verification, and v) negotiating waiver of additional documents (if required);
  6. The estimated timeframe to secure DPR approvals for permits are i) up to four weeks for general purpose and ii) six to eight weeks for major and specialized categories;
  7. Complete guidelines, requirements and government fees for each of each OGISP can be found on the DPR webpage.

Participating in local tenders

  1. Companies that intend to participate in tendering activities issued by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) must also register on the Nigerian Petroleum Exchange (NipeX);
  2. While not legally required, in practice the Nigerian authorities prefer to conduct business with oil and gas industry subsidiary contractor and subcontractor companies that are majority-owned by Nigerian citizens;
  3. Consequently, to bid for government contracts, Healy Consultants Group recommends our multi-national Clients’ subsidiaries be majority-owned by Nigerian citizens and appoint at least one local resident director, who is also a Nigerian citizen;
  4. If required, Healy Consultants Group PLC will supply our Client passive nominee shareholder & director services.

Healy Consultants Group PLC fees

The average Healy Consultants Group PLC fees to setup a Nigerian oil and gas service LLC and assist our Client in Nigeria apply for an oil and gas industry service permit amount to US$44,950. This includes i) Nigeria LLC company formation with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) ii) a Lagos city centre address iii) multi-currency bank account opening with a top-tier bank iv) tax and VAT registration with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) v) estimated government registration fees vi) professional fees covering cost of DPR permit (1 category) & NCDBM registration vii) provision of a nominee passive professional 51% Nigerian national shareholder and viii) assistance to secure a local residence and employment permit (CERPAC).

View invoice PDF

Contact us

For additional information on our company setup services in Nigeria, please contact our in-house country expert, Mr. Kunal Fabiani, directly:
client relationship officer - Kunal
Central bank of Nigeria Nigeria customs service (NCS) Financial services regulation coordinating committee (FSRCC) in Nigeria The lagos chamber of commerce and industry Federal ministry of finance in Nigeria