NYSC Certificate Of Exemption:- Every Nigerian graduate is mandated to pass through the one-year National Youth Service Corps program before proceeding to full employment.
Companies often ask for a proof of completion which is the NYSC certificate. If you didn’t pass through NYSC, you can only be given a free pass if you have the NYSC Exemption Certificate/Letter.
The NYSC exemption certificate is a certificate given to anyone who is exempted from the NYSC service year due to any of the reasons contained in section 2 subsection (1) of the National Youth Service Corps Decree of 1993. You can also learn how to write NYSC request Letter here.
1) Anyone, older than thirty years by the time he/she graduates from the university or polytechnic can apply for an exemption certificate.
2) Anyone who has served in the Nigerian Police or any arm of the Armed Forces of Nigeria for at least nine months can apply for a certificate of exemption.
3) Anyone who is a staff member of any of four organization or agencies listed below can apply for a certificate of exemption:
The Defence Intelligence Service
The National Intelligence Agency
The Nigerian Security Organization
The State Security Service
4) Anyone who has been conferred with a National Honour can apply for an exemption certificate.
How To Collect The NYSC Exemption Certificate
As explained on the NYSC official site, the process for applying and obtaining the NYSC exemption certificate for Nigerian graduates is different from the process for foreign graduates.
NYSC exemption certificate collection process for Nigerian graduates
The collection process for NYSC exemption certificate consists of the following steps:
- Your University/Polytechnic/College of Education has to submit the master lists of their graduate showing you graduated from the school along with their results approved by the Senate to the National Youth Service Corps.
- The National Youth Service Corps will classify those that are to be called up for service and those that are to be exempted.
- A print-out containing both groups will be sent back to your institution to verify and make necessary corrections before sending it back to NYSC.
- After the print-out have been sent back to the NYSC office, the Certificate of Exemption will be processed, documented and sent to your institution.
- Your institution then gives the certificates out to the appropriate persons. You can pick yours up at your convenient time from the appropriate office in your University/Polytechnic/College of Education.
Note – Nigerian graduates can collect their NYSC Exemption Certificate only at the institution from where they graduated and not at the National Youth Service Corps office.
NYSC Certificate of Exemption for foreign graduates
- The collection process begins with the submission of your credential and related documents to the NYSC office.
- Followed by the evaluation of your credentials and documents.
- After the evaluation, you will complete a registration which is done physically at the National Youth Service Corps directorate headquarters in Abuja.
- The classification of those that will be called-up for service and those that will be exempted is done at this point of registration.
- The Exemption Certificate will be processed for those who have been classified to be exempted.
- The Certificates of Exemption for foreign graduates is to be picked up at the National Youth Service Corps directorate headquarters at the time stipulated.
Note: The collection of NYSC exemption certificate can only be done in person, with identification such as International Passport.
Complaints and corrections regarding NYSC Certificate of Exemption
For Nigerian graduates
If you have any complaint or correction regarding your NYSC certificate of exemption, for instance, misspelled name, you are to table such complaint through the institution from which you graduated. The institution will then forward your complaints with the necessary documents attached to it such as a photocopy of the print-out to the National Youth Service Corps for corrections and other necessary actions.
For foreign graduates
If you have any complaints or corrections needed to be made, you are to write an application and submit it to the National Youth Service Corps directorate headquarters in Abuja. You are to attach the original copy of your Certificate of Exemption and the photocopy of the data page of your International passport to your application. The application is to be addressed to the
Director-General,
NYSC NDHQ, Abuja
and you must indicate their address and telephone number on it.
Replacement of NYSC Certificate of Exemption
For Nigerian graduates
If you misplaced your certificate of exemption and you need to get a new one, follow the steps below:
- Write a letter of notification and request addressed to the Director-General, National Youth Service Corps.
- This letter must be routed through the institution from which you graduated.
- Get a Police Report or Extract.
- Get a Court Affidavit.
- If you have a copy of the misplaced Certificate of Exemption, attach it also to the letter.
For foreign graduates
- Write a letter of notification and request addressed to the Director-General, National Youth Service Corps.
- Get a Police Report or Extract.
- Get a Court Affidavit.
- A photocopy of the data page of your International Passport.
- If you have a copy of the misplaced Certificate of Exemption, attach it also to the letter.
How To Print NYSC Exemption Letter
The process of printing the exemption letter is not complicated. First, you need to visit the official site of NYSC portal.nysc.org.ng. Log into your already existing account with your credentials and a password. There you will find an option to print the letter.
As a policy of the NYSC Scheme, you are not to reprint a lost or burnt certificate. A letter of confirmation is to be issued to you instead.