There is no online portal. Here is what actually works, and how to tell a genuine certificate from a fake one.
If you searched for trade test certificate verification online and found nothing, that is because nothing is there. As of September 2026 there is no government website where you can type a certificate number and get an answer. Verification in Nigeria is done by a person, not by a machine.
There are two ways to do it and both of them work.
Trade test certificates are issued by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment through its Skills Development and Certification Department. It is the only government body that issues trade test certificates in Nigeria, and it holds the record of the certificates it has issued.
To verify through them:
If the certificate is genuine, the details should appear in their records. If the Ministry cannot confirm the record, ask the officer to explain the result and what further checks are available. Records can be incomplete or held at a different office, so an unconfirmed result is a reason to keep asking rather than a final answer.
This takes time. You may be asked to come back. It is still the most reliable answer you can get, because it comes from the body that issued the document in the first place.
An accredited trade test centre may hold records of the candidates it examined. If you know which centre conducted the test, contact them directly and ask them to confirm the record.
This is usually faster than the Secretariat, and for most people it is the first thing to try. The limitation is obvious: it only works if you know the centre, and if that centre still keeps its records.
ServHub Training is accredited by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to conduct trade test examinations, and we examine on site. We hold the candidate records for everyone who tested with us.
If you sat your trade test here, you do not need to travel anywhere. Bring the certificate to 127 Igwuruta Road, Atali, Port Harcourt, any weekday between 9am and 4pm. Or message us on WhatsApp at +234 812 225 8218 and we will check the record for you.
You can also check your own application or training status on our status check page.
We do not charge for this. You do not need an appointment.
💬 Confirm My Certificate on WhatsAppA trade test certificate is a physical A4 document printed on official government stationery. It carries:
Be careful with this list. It tells you what a real certificate looks like. It does not tell you whether the one in your hand is real. A counterfeit can copy every feature above, including the seal. Appearance is a first check only. The record is what settles it.
If a document does not name a grade, or carries no seal, or was printed on ordinary paper, treat it as questionable. But even a document that passes every visual check still needs the record confirmed.
Three grades exist and they mean different things. Grade III is the entry level, for artisans with basic practical skills. Grade II is intermediate. Grade I is the advanced level, normally for people with several years of trade experience or who already hold Grade II.
Employers are checking credentials more than they used to. The people who ask for proof fall into a few groups:
There is a second reason, and it is the one we hear most often at our centre.
Some people are offered a certificate without going through an examination. A document can look official and still not be in the records. Do not assume a certificate is genuine because somebody sold it to you, and do not wait until it matters to find out. People discover the problem at the worst possible point, when an application is refused or an offer is withdrawn, with the money already spent.
Verifying early costs you nothing but time.
You are not the first and you will not be the last. What matters is what you do next.
If the Ministry has no record of the certificate, the document cannot be corrected or upgraded. The route forward is to sit a trade test at an accredited centre and earn one that is in the records.
If you have been working in your trade for years, that is not starting from zero. Your experience counts towards the grade you are eligible to sit for. Ask the centre what your experience qualifies you for before you assume anything. What you are replacing is the paper, not the skill.
You cannot verify what does not exist. If you work in a trade and have never been formally certified, the trade test is how you fix that.
Our Foundation programme runs 90 days and is built for people starting with no formal training. Our Advanced programme is for people already working in a trade who need the certification to match the skill they already have. Both include the certification fee.
We are direct about what we deliver and clearer about what we do not. A trade test certificate opens doors. It does not guarantee a job, and it does not guarantee a visa. Anybody who tells you otherwise is selling you something.
We do not charge to confirm a record for anyone who tested with us.
We are not aware of any official charge for verification at the Federal Secretariat. If you are asked to pay there, ask for a receipt and the name of the officer. And be careful with anyone offering to verify a certificate online for a fee, because there is no automated verification system to charge you for.
The same standard we are asking you to apply to a certificate should be applied to us.
ServHub Training is operated by ServHub Technologies Limited, RC 9494742. Our sister company, ServHub Workforce Limited, RC 9585009, handles the international pathway work. Search either number at search.cac.gov.ng.
See our partners and accreditors page for the full list.
Not as of September 2026. There is no automated online verification system in Nigeria. Verification is done manually, either at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment office in your state Secretariat, or through the accredited centre where the test was sat.
The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, through its Skills Development and Certification Department. It is the only government body that issues trade test certificates.
Through an accredited centre it can be same day. Through the Federal Secretariat it can take days or longer, depending on the office.
We do not charge for it. We are not aware of any official charge at the Federal Secretariat. Be careful with anyone offering online verification for a fee, because there is no automated system to charge for.
Grade III is the basic or entry level. Grade II is intermediate. Grade I is the advanced level, normally requiring several years of trade experience or an existing Grade II.
No. A counterfeit can copy the stationery, the layout and the seal. Appearance is a first check only. Confirming the record with the Ministry or the examining centre is what settles it.
Ask the officer to explain the result and what further checks exist, because records can be incomplete or held elsewhere. If it genuinely is not in the records, the document cannot be corrected. The route forward is to sit a trade test at an accredited centre. Your years of experience still count towards the grade you are eligible for.
Last reviewed: September 2026. Government processes change. If you find that something on this page is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.