Background checks for Nigeria
Good hiring in Nigeria starts with trust. Zinc backs that up with the right checks for Nigeria and everywhere else you hire globally.
Checks and features
Pre-employment screening built for Nigerian hiring
Nationwide criminal history
Zinc's Criminal History Verification runs through the Nigerian Police Force, covering 39 types of risk and the whole country, with a seven-year lookback.
Help navigating new rules
The Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, and its 2025 implementation directive, are still fairly new. Zinc's compliance team is on hand to help you understand what's changed and what it means for your hiring responsibilities.
One audit-ready dashboard
Every check and every result lands in one place, so you've got a clear, documented record if you ever need to show how you reached a hiring decision.
9.8
/10
3
days
Average criminal check completion
24
days
Average education check completion
Faster answers you can trust
Don’t let wait times hold you up. Nigeria's Criminal History check comes back in under three days on average, so you spend less time waiting and more time getting to work.
Help untangling the nuance, when you need it
Our 24/7 AI chatbot helps you answer your background checking questions, whenever you need it. And if you need more support, our London-based customer support team is typically on hand Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 6 pm to help you work through any issues.
A single global hiring system
Your Nigerian hiring doesn't need its own standalone process. Zinc keeps checks and progress reports on the same dashboard as every other country you hire in, so your team isn't managing two different systems side by side.
“Checks come back in a timely manner, which means that most candidates and new hires have the majority of their checks completed before they start employment, even when the turnaround time is very short. In addition, the automated downloading of Zinc reports into employees’ job profiles in our HR system means we don’t have to worry about missing information or gaps in our reporting.”
Checks that work everywhere you do
Full visibility, transparent pricing, and adaptable checks for borderless hiring.
Industry-leading global turnaround times
Adaptive checks, not extra admin
Integrated with your HR tech stack
Truly transparent pricing
Pricing
Built for global teams
Whether you're a growing team or an enterprise hiring across borders, Zinc has a plan for you.
Under 20 hires annually
Pay As You Grow
Get started in minutes. Our Pay As You Grow plan is built for lower hiring volumes — a flat rate per check, with no hidden costs or setup fees.
Start checking in minutes, no setup needed
Flat rates per check, no hidden fees
Pay only for what you check, every month
20+ hires annually
Custom solutions
For larger volumes, our experts build a plan around your needs. Credit is flexible with your hiring and never expires, with integrations, setup, training, and support all included for free.
A custom plan built around your hiring
Credit pool that rolls over and never expires
Integrations, setup, and training included for free
“It’s good to have all of your processes in order before you scale up, and having tools like Zinc really helps with that. If you’re looking to automate your processes, Zinc fits nicely into the HR tech stack.”
What does Zinc's Nigerian criminal check cover?
Zinc’s Nigerian criminal check covers Criminal History Verification via the Central Criminal Record, 'D' Dept Force CID Annex, nationwide, with a seven-year lookback. Before you run criminal checks, you need to get candidate consent.
Coverage includes citizens and foreigners over 18, spanning offence categories including homicide, fraud, burglary, forgery, and offences against currency, telecoms, and public health, among others.
The check doesn’t include convictions considered spent or minor under Nigeria's Penal Code and Road Traffic Act, such as petty theft, minor traffic violations, and minor property disputes.
What law governs background checks in Nigeria?
In Nigeria, background checks are regulated by the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) and its General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID) 2025, both newly in force.
Can Zinc run checks for our Nigerian employees alongside our global workforce?
Yes, that's exactly what Zinc is built for. Your Nigerian hiring sits on the same platform as your other international hires, so you’re using one centralised system instead of paying for localised solutions.
All your checks progress is available in a centralised dashboard, including country-by-country breakdowns. If you have multiple hiring teams globally, user groups allow you to share checks packages across Zinc without exposing candidate data to users who don’t need to see it.
Can Zinc run credit checks in Nigeria?
Yes, Zinc can run credit checks in Nigeria through Corporate Affairs Commission-linked data going back to 2015, with the candidate's consent. The check is sourced through XDS Nigeria and covers citizens and foreigners registered with a financial institution in Nigeria, drawing on commercial banks, financial institutions, and leasing companies nationwide.
Nigerian credit checks return Delinquency Information, Credit Account Summary, and Credit Agreements Summary, and don’t leave a footprint on the candidate's creditworthiness.
What languages does your customer service support in Nigeria?
Our 24/7 AI chatbot can respond to candidates in English, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, and Nigerian Fulfulde, so they can get support in the language they're most comfortable with.