WAEC Stops Correction of Date of Birth on Certificates -

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has disclosed that it no longer entertains requests for correction of the date of birth (DOB) on candidates’ certificates.

As of October 2019, WAEC candidates whose certificates bore incorrect dates of birth could apply for corrections at WAEC branch offices across the country.

However, a check by Edubase Nigeria on Thursday, January 9, 2025, revealed that the examination body has discontinued this policy.

a screenshot from WAEC digital certificate stating that it doesn't make amendment on certificate

Change in Amendment Policy

On October 17, 2019, when the process of correcting DOB was still possible, WAEC listed the requirements for amending the date of birth on certificates as follows:

Sworn Affidavit
Letter of Application
Administrative Fee of 10,000 Naira
Photocopy of Birth Certificate (Original must be sighted by WAEC staff when submitting your request)

However, in response to a series of questions from past candidates regarding DOB errors, WAEC stated:

“Please be informed that WAEC in the five member countries no longer entertains requests for amendment of date of birth on certificates.” – WAEC Digital Certificate

WAEC conducts the May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the November/December General Certificate of Examination (GCE). It recently introduced a resit examination for four out of its five member countries.

WAEC operates in Nigeria, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, conducting exams annually for millions of candidates.

Can I Contact Anyone Offering the Service?

If anyone claims they can change the date of birth on your WAEC certificate, they are likely engaging in fraud or a scam. WAEC has officially stopped providing this service, and anyone offering it may be producing a fake certificate.

Note: Forging a fake WAEC certificate is a criminal offence. Do not engage in or aid such activities.

Can I Sue WAEC for a Wrong Date of Birth on My Certificate?

Anyone or any organization can be sued if found to have violated an individual’s rights. However, errors on WAEC certificates often occur during the registration process, either at the school, the exam center, or through a third party responsible for the registration.

Therefore, suing WAEC in such cases may be futile, as the examination body relies on the information submitted during registration.

It is your responsibility to carefully check and cross-check your details, including the spelling of your name, date of birth, and other critical information, before final submission.

Some schools or examination centers even print a prototype of the information entered in the online form and distribute it to students for review, allowing corrections before final submission.

If an error exists on your WAEC certificate, you should hold yourself or the person responsible for handling your registration accountable, not WAEC. WAEC believes that all details sent to it have been properly verified before being uploaded to its database.

How to Avoid Errors on Your WAEC Certificate

Stay with the person registering the exam for you and cross-check your information before submission.

If someone else is registering on your behalf, ensure they send you a screenshot of the form for review before final submission.

If registering at a public cyber-café, remain present during the process to prevent errors.

Can I Still Use My WAEC Certificate If It Has a Wrong Date of Birth?

There are two options if your WAEC certificate contains an incorrect date of birth:

Newspaper Publication and Court Affidavit:

Publish your correct date of birth in a newspaper and use it to obtain a sworn court affidavit bearing your correct details. You can attach the affidavit to your certificate whenever necessary.

Minor Errors (Month or Day):

If the error is only in the month or day, you can leave it as it is and make corrections in other documents, such as your NIN.

If your correct date of birth is 24-09-2000 and your WAEC certificate reads 22-09-1997, option one is the better approach.

However, if your correct date of birth is 24-09-2000 but your WAEC certificate reads 27-09-2000, option two is suitable.

It is essential to double-check your details whenever you are making online submissions. In most cases, once you click the “submit” button, your submission cannot be retrieved. WAEC will not be liable for any errors or mistakes on your certificate, as it relies solely on the information provided during registration.

Opeyemi Quadri

Ope is a seasoned content creation specialist and researcher with over a decade of experience writing on education, student aid, and government policies. He is deeply passionate about education-related data.

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