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Have you forgotten your National Identification Number popularly called NIN?
Did you register for this earlier and suddenly need it for documentation purposes? Are you wondering how to check your NIN? Are you about to conduct a transaction and they suddenly ask you for your NIN before you can proceed? If yes to any of the above, then this article is just for you as it explains how to check your NIN.
What is NIN?
The National Identification Number (NIN) is a unique number assigned to every citizen or resident of Nigeria that serves as an identification for life. This unique number is issued to Nigerians by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) after your enrolment at their office or with any of their agents.
What is NIN used for?
This 11-digit number can be used by different agencies to match you with your biometric data and other details in the National Identity Database during verification and authentication.
In addition to this, NIMC has decided that the NIN will be used for every transaction done in the country that requires identity verification. This means if you want to perform transactions such as obtaining your National e-ID card, getting an international passport, a driver's licence, registration for voting during elections and even to open a personal bank account, you will need your NIN.
Other transactions that will require your NIN include participating in the National Health Insurance Scheme, buying or selling land, paying of your taxes, contributing to your pension, accessing welfare from the government and every other transaction that has social security implications.
Also, NIMC recently announced that all network operators in Nigeria are now required to tell ALL their subscribers to provide valid NIN to update SIM registration records. This means to even own a working SIM card in Nigeria, you need to have your NIN and also know how to check NIN whenever it is needed.
It is absolutely necessary to be always armed with your NIN any time you want to conduct any of the above transactions or services.
Most people get a NIN slip when they register for it. But there are times when you could have misplaced this slip or you did not carry it with you and you are suddenly in need of your NIN. The question now is how to check your NIN number without having to go back home for this card? If you are wondering how to check your NIN, here are the steps you need to follow:
What you need in order to check your NIN
You can easily check your NIN if you have the following;
- A phone and a SIM card: You need a phone that has a SIM card inserted in it. This SIM card needs to have been registered with NIN earlier as the NIN you registered on this line will be given to you when you try to check your NIN.
- Enough airtime: You also need to have at least ₦20 (twenty Naira) airtime balance as checking your NIN on your phone comes with a charge.
- A pen and paper to record your NIN when you retrieve it using the steps explained below. You can also save it on your phone.
How to check your NIN
It is quite easy to check your NIN and this is made possible with NIMC’s USSD service. This is a service that allows you to retrieve your NIN conveniently using your mobile phone. To check your NIN simply follow the following steps;
1. Dial *346# on your phone
2. Dialling this code brings up a menu with different options on how to check your NIN.
3. To check for your NIN from the options displayed, select “NIN Retrieval”, by typing in ‘1’ in the box provided.
4. If you are using the same phone number you enrolled with for your NIN, the next step tells you the charge to retrieve your NIN. Please note that this service is not free as it comes with a charge of ₦20 (twenty Naira) from your airtime balance each time you want to check your NIN.
5. Type in '1' in the box provided and this brings up your NIN. Please note that this transaction will fail if you do not have enough airtime on your phone.
Save your NIN
The next menu that appears shows your unique NIN. Please save this number as you get charged again if you want to check your NIN another time. You can write it down somewhere safe or save it on your phone so you can have access to it anytime you are asked for your NIN.
From the above steps, you can see that checking your NIN number can easily be done on your phone using the USSD service provided by NIMC. Simply follow the steps explained above and you will have no issues checking your NIN. That’s it on how to check National Identification Number (NIN).