HOW-TO

How to Get a SCUML Certificate (for DNFBPs)

If your business is a designated non-financial business or profession, banks increasingly ask for a SCUML certificate. Here is who needs it and how to register.

Step by step

1. Confirm you are a DNFBPSCUML covers Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions: real estate agents, dealers in jewellery, precious metals and stones, car dealers, chartered accountants, lawyers, notaries, trust and company service providers, and similar categories. Check your CAC-registered activity against the official DNFBP list before applying. If you are not a DNFBP, you likely do not need SCUML.
2. Register with CAC firstYou generally need to be incorporated or registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission before SCUML registration, because SCUML links to your CAC details. Have your certificate of registration and status report (or the older CAC forms) ready.
3. Gather your documentsCommonly required items include your CAC certificate and status report, a description of the nature of your business, valid ID for directors, trustees or the proprietor, a utility bill for the business address, and your TIN. Prepare clear scans. Never upload bank card numbers or your BVN.
4. Create a SCUML portal accountRegister on the official SCUML portal using a working business email address, because all correspondence, including your certificate, is sent there. As of 2026, confirm the correct portal address through official EFCC or SCUML channels, since several addresses circulate online.
5. Complete the DNFBP form and uploadFill in the online DNFBP registration form with your company information and the nature of your business, then upload the required documents in the format the portal specifies. Review everything before submitting, as errors slow verification.
6. Await verification and download the certificateSCUML officials review and verify your application; sources suggest this takes roughly one to three weeks, though it varies. Once approved, your SCUML certificate is issued electronically and you download it from the portal or receive it by email.

What a SCUML certificate is

SCUML stands for the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering, a unit that operates under Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Its job is to register and monitor a particular group of businesses that, by the nature of their trade, could be used to move or launder illicit money. When you register, SCUML issues a certificate confirming your business is on its register and subject to anti-money-laundering oversight. For many owners the certificate first becomes urgent at the bank, because banks are required to confirm that customers in these categories are SCUML-registered, and increasingly they will not open or keep an account for a qualifying business without it.

Understanding that banking link is the key to understanding why SCUML matters even to small, entirely legitimate businesses. It is not an accusation; it is a compliance step. From the start of 2026, SCUML has emphasised that reporting and registration run exclusively through its official portal, so the process is now firmly online, and getting the correct portal address is part of doing it safely.

Who actually needs one

SCUML registration is mandatory for Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions, usually shortened to DNFBPs. These are businesses outside the banking sector that handle high-value goods, property or client money. The categories commonly named include real estate agents, dealers in jewellery, dealers in precious metals and stones, car dealers, chartered accountants, notaries, lawyers in certain roles, and trust or company service providers, among others. Some guidance also brings non-governmental organisations within scope.

The practical test is to compare the business activity you registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission against the official DNFBP list. If your activity is on that list, you need to register with SCUML; if it is clearly not, you most likely do not, and you should be cautious of any “agent” who tries to convince an ordinary retail or service business that it must pay for a SCUML certificate it does not need. When in doubt, check the official list rather than take a salesperson’s word.

Get your CAC house in order first

SCUML registration is built on top of your corporate registration, so in most cases you need to be incorporated or registered with CAC before you begin. The portal links to your CAC details, which means you should have your certificate of registration and your status report, the document that has replaced several older CAC forms, ready to hand. Alongside those, assemble the documents SCUML typically asks for: a description of the nature of your business, valid identification for the directors, trustees or proprietor, a utility bill for the business address, and your Tax Identification Number.

Prepare these as clear scans in the format the portal specifies. One point deserves emphasis: at no stage does SCUML need your bank card number or your Bank Verification Number, and you should never upload them. The registration is about identifying your business and its principals, not your personal banking credentials.

Registering on the portal

You begin by creating an account on the official SCUML portal, and here a small detail matters a great deal. Register with a working business email address, because all correspondence, including the certificate itself, is sent to that address. A mistyped or abandoned email is a common reason people never receive their certificate. Because several different portal addresses circulate online, some of them out of date and some outright fake, you should, as of 2026, confirm the correct address through official EFCC or SCUML channels before you type anything in.

Inside the account you complete the online DNFBP registration form, entering your company information and describing the nature of your business, then upload the documents you prepared. Review the form carefully before submitting, since inconsistencies between what you type and what your documents show are the usual cause of a stalled review. The registration itself is free. There is no government charge, so a demand for a large payment “to SCUML” or “to EFCC” is a service fee at best and a scam at worst.

Approval, timelines and keeping it valid

After submission, SCUML officials verify your application against the documents. Timelines vary and the sources disagree, but a realistic expectation is somewhere in the region of one to three weeks, longer in busy periods. Once you are approved, the certificate is issued electronically; you download it from the portal or receive it at the business email you registered. Keep it safe and accessible, because your bank and, depending on your sector, other counterparties will ask to see it.

Registration also brings ongoing responsibilities. As a registered DNFBP you fall under anti-money-laundering reporting obligations, and from 2026 those reports go through the SCUML portal. Staying compliant, keeping your details current and meeting any reporting duties, is what keeps the certificate meaningful and your bank accounts open. This is general guidance rather than legal advice; if your sector’s obligations are complex, a compliance professional can help you map exactly what applies to your business.

SabiGuide is an independent guide and is not affiliated with any government agency. Fees, links and steps can change — always confirm on the official portal before you act. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.