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The short answer
To make sachet or bottled water for sale in Nigeria you need NAFDAC registration, which starts with a factory inspection against NAFDAC's packaged water guideline (FSAN-GDL-002-01, reviewed May 2023): a fenced site with at least four rooms, a borehole of at least 150ft sited 30m from any septic tank, a treatment line ending in UV sterilisation, tested staff and a set of company documents. Fees are set in NAFDAC's separate tariff and are paid through Remita on a payment advice; SON product certification is a separate matter to confirm with SON.
Who regulates packaged water
NAFDAC registers food and drink products, including packaged drinking water, and inspects the factories that make them. Its Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN) Directorate publishes the Guidelines for Inspection and Requirements for Packaged Water Facility in Nigeria, reference FSAN-GDL-002-01, effective 1 June 2018 and reviewed on 31 May 2023. The guideline describes the minimum good manufacturing practice a sachet or bottled water factory must meet before its product can be registered.
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) sets industrial standards and runs product certification for local manufacturers. The NAFDAC guideline does not refer to SON or to a Nigerian Industrial Standard, so treat SON as a separate check: ask SON whether your product needs its certification, and see our guide to SON MANCAP certification for local manufacturers.
Factory requirements
Location and building
- The factory must be fenced off from residential or commercial buildings.
- It must not be near a cemetery, abattoir, quarry, sewage treatment plant, dump site, sawmill, oil depot or cement factory.
- The application must give the exact address; a P.O. Box is not accepted.
- At least four rooms: cloakroom, packaging material store, production section and finished product store.
- Toilets and the cloakroom must not open directly into production.
- The production room needs air conditioning, drainage, insect-screened windows and good lighting; the packaging store needs a UV sterilising lamp.
- Pallets or shelves in the stores, with wooden pallets covered; smooth, washable floors and walls.
Water source and treatment
| Item | Requirement in FSAN-GDL-002-01 |
|---|---|
| Source | Borehole, public mains or spring; dug-out wells not allowed |
| Borehole depth | Minimum 150ft, depending on topography |
| Distance to septic tank | At least 30m |
| Tanks | PVC or stainless steel; galvanised steel only if coated inside with food-grade paint |
| Pipes | Stainless steel or PVC, surface-mounted; no asbestos |
| Filtration | Sand bed and activated carbon, then micro filters in descending pore size, last at 0.5 micron or finer |
| Disinfection | Chlorination at 2–4 ppm, reverse osmosis or ozonation |
| Sterilisation | UV sterilizer just before filling, with an alarm for a failed bulb |
| Filling | Form-fill-seal machine minimising contact; bottling lines fully automated |
Staff and testing
The guideline asks for a technical officer with at least an OND or equivalent, separate quality control and production units, protective clothing, and food handler certificates for production staff covering sputum, Hepatitis B, Widal, stool and urine tests (see food handlers' certificates). Water must be analysed by a public analyst registered with the Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria.
Documents NAFDAC asks for
- Labels or packaging artwork.
- Evidence of payment to NAFDAC.
- CAC incorporation or business name registration.
- Trademark registration of the brand name in the owner's name.
- Contract manufacturing agreement, if someone else produces for you.
- Organogram with key staff names and qualifications; technical officer's appointment and acceptance letters.
- Index of standard operating procedures; list of production and QC equipment.
- Food handler certificates; certificate of analysis for raw and treated water.
- A current fumigation certificate (fumigation is quarterly).
- List of storage facilities. Two sets of documents are presented at inspection.
Steps to registration
- Write to the Director General, for the attention of the Director, FSAN, on company letterhead, with the facility address, email, phone and documents.
- NAFDAC vets the application and issues a payment advice. Generate a Remita invoice, pay at a bank and collect the receipt from NAFDAC's account office.
- Submit the letter, documents and receipt at the Director's liaison office in Isolo, Lagos, or the nearest NAFDAC office.
- NAFDAC schedules an inspection. An unsatisfactory inspection produces a Compliance Directive to fix and re-inspect.
- After a satisfactory inspection, samples are taken for laboratory analysis and the report goes forward for registration.
Answer NAFDAC queries within 15 working days or the application is closed. Renewal follows the same inspection process and needs the expired licence, the approved label and the renewal payment receipt.
Costs
The guideline refers to NAFDAC's tariff for fees but does not list them, and we did not confirm the current tariff from an official NAFDAC page as at October 2026. Ask for the payment advice amount in writing. Budget separately for the borehole, treatment line, form-fill-seal machine, analyst's report, fumigation and staff tests.
What to check first
- Is the site at least 30m from any septic tank and clear of the excluded neighbours listed above?
- Is the brand name registered as a trademark in the owner's name?
- Do you have a technical officer with at least an OND, with appointment and acceptance letters?
- Has a registered public analyst tested both raw and treated water?
- Is fumigation current, and are staff food handler certificates in date?
Many first inspections fail on layout rather than equipment: a toilet opening into production, an unscreened window or wooden pallets left uncovered. Fixing these before NAFDAC visits avoids a Compliance Directive and a second inspection.
Where Pryme fits
Water factories pay many suppliers and collect from many distributors. A Pryme Business Account offers invoicing and virtual accounts to match distributor payments, and records you can export at renewal time.
Questions people ask
What are the NAFDAC requirements for sachet water?
A fenced factory with at least four rooms, a borehole of at least 150ft sited 30m from a septic tank, a filtration and UV treatment line, tested staff, an OND-level technical officer and documents including CAC and trademark registration, under FSAN-GDL-002-01.
How much is NAFDAC registration for pure water?
Fees are in NAFDAC's tariff, issued on a payment advice after vetting. We could not confirm the current amount as at October 2026; ask NAFDAC.
Can I use a well for sachet water production?
No. NAFDAC's guideline does not allow dug-out wells; sources must be a borehole, public mains or spring.
Do I need SON certification for bottled water?
NAFDAC's guideline does not mention SON. Ask SON directly whether your product needs its certification.
Sources
- NAFDAC FSAN guidelines for inspection and requirements for packaged water facility, FSAN-GDL-002-01 (via PolicyVault) · accessed Oct 2026
- NAFDAC FSAN guidelines for packaged water facility: listing and dates (PolicyVault) · 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.