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The short answer
Update next of kin through each institution's own change form: your bank's customer information update form, and for a pension your PFA, which PenCom says will only change next of kin after data recapture. But know its limits: a Daily Trust explainer quotes a tier-one banker saying next of kin is not automatically entitled to inherit, and banks release a deceased customer's money only on probate (with a will) or letters of administration.
Most Nigerians abroad filled in a next of kin box years ago: on a bank account form, a pension registration, a passport application. Since then people marry, divorce, have children, or lose the parent they named. Updating the record matters, but it helps to be clear first about what next of kin actually does, because the most common belief about it is wrong.
What next of kin is, and is not
Next of kin is the person an institution contacts if something happens to you. It is not a beneficiary designation. Daily Trust's explainer (10 December 2023) quotes a tier-one banker saying no Nigerian framework recognises 'payable on death' instructions, and that a deceased person's funds are released only after probate (where there is a will) or letters of administration (where there is none). Naming your spouse as next of kin does not, by itself, let them withdraw your money.
Pensions work slightly differently. KPMG's summary of the Pension Reform Act 2014 says that on death, group life insurance is paid to the named beneficiary, while the PFA pays the RSA balance to the personal representative on a will admitted to probate or letters of administration. So for a pension, both the beneficiary on the group life policy and a will matter.
Where your next of kin is recorded
- Bank accounts. Each Nigerian bank holds its own record. Banks' customer information update forms cover changes like this; FirstBank, for example, lists 'Customer Information Update (Individual)' forms on its downloads page, and Access Bank's account management form covers personal detail changes.
- Pension (RSA). Your PFA holds it. PenCom has said next of kin alterations require completion of data recapture for RSAs opened on or before 1 July 2019.
- Passport. The Nigeria Immigration Service passport application asks for next of kin; it is updated when you renew.
- Investments. Stockbrokers, registrars and fund managers keep their own records.
Updating a bank record from the UK
- Ask the bank, through its official channel, for the current customer information update form and how it accepts it from abroad (email, app upload, courier).
- Fill in the new next of kin's full name as on their ID, relationship, address and phone number.
- Attach your ID. For diaspora customers, Access Bank's form lists a passport plus visa or a notarised residence permit.
- If the bank wants a certified signature, get the form certified in the UK; see using a UK notary for Nigerian documents.
- Ask for written confirmation of the change.
Updating your pension record
Contact your PFA. If you joined the scheme on or before 1 July 2019 and have not been recaptured, you will need to do that first; PenCom's list for active contributors includes a valid ID, your NIMC enrolment slip, and a birth certificate or sworn age declaration. The full process, including what may be possible remotely, is in updating your PFA records from the UK. While you are there, ask who is named on your employer's group life policy.
What actually protects your family
Because next of kin does not decide inheritance, the steps that make a difference are these:
- A will that covers Nigerian assets. See making a will in the UK with assets in Nigeria.
- A list of accounts kept somewhere your family can find it: bank, account number, PFA and RSA PIN, broker, property documents.
- Joint accounts where suitable, understanding the bank's own terms on what happens after a death; the banker quoted by Daily Trust treated joint accounts separately.
- Up-to-date contact details so institutions can reach your family at all.
A worked example
Example: Ada lives in Leeds and has ₦3,000,000 in a Lagos savings account and an RSA from her old job. Her brother is next of kin on both. If she dies without a will, her brother can tell the bank and the PFA, but neither releases the money to him on that basis. Her husband and children, or whoever the court appoints, must obtain letters of administration first. If Ada had a will admitted to probate, the executors named in it would act instead. Updating next of kin to her husband would speed up contact, not inheritance.
If the worst has already happened, letters of administration are the route. In Lagos, the process described by Tope Adebayo LP needs at least two administrators, a certificate from each bank, two sureties and a 21-day newspaper publication. For estates with property, see handling a deceased parent's property in Nigeria from the UK.
Where Pryme fits
Fewer scattered accounts make all of this easier for a family. A Pryme Personal Account, which can be opened from the UK, holds naira and pounds together with local details for each, so a single account record covers both currencies. Naira deposits are held by a licensed Nigerian microfinance bank, regulated by the CBN and insured by the NDIC up to the applicable limit. See how Pryme works.
Questions people ask
Can my next of kin withdraw money from my Nigerian account if I die?
Not on that basis alone. Banks generally require probate or letters of administration before releasing a deceased customer's funds.
How do I change my next of kin with my bank from abroad?
Request the bank's customer information update form through its official channel, complete it, attach ID (a passport with visa or notarised residence permit is accepted by some banks) and ask for written confirmation.
How do I change next of kin on my pension?
Through your PFA. If your RSA was opened on or before 1 July 2019, PenCom requires data recapture before next of kin can be changed.
Is next of kin the same as beneficiary?
No. Next of kin is a contact. For pensions, group life insurance goes to the named beneficiary, while the RSA balance goes to the personal representative under probate or letters of administration.
Sources
- Daily Trust: Explainer - why next of kin cannot access a deceased's inheritance, 10 Dec 2023 · accessed Oct 2026
- ThisDay: PenCom - no access to RSA without data recapture, 29 Jan 2024 · accessed Oct 2026
- KPMG Nigeria: Pension Reform Act 2014 summary (Jul 2014) · accessed Oct 2026
- FirstBank: Download forms · accessed Oct 2026
- Mondaq (Tope Adebayo LP): Letters of administration in Nigeria, a practical approach, 29 May 2024 · accessed Oct 2026
- Access Bank: Account Management Request Form (PDF) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.