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If you don't have a birth certificate, registration is still possible with a sworn affidavit from a Commissioner for Oaths. Many people use this route.

NIN registration is completely free. If anyone at the centre asks for payment, report it to the NCRA supervisory officer.

Your guarantor must physically sign the form in front of the Immigration clerk — a pre-signed form will be rejected. Make sure your guarantor is available on the submission day.

Always do the title search before paying any deposit to the seller. There are land disputes in many areas of Freetown — an encumbrance on the title can block your registration entirely.

Go to the bank early — the CAC escrow queue at Rokel gets very long after 11 am. I arrived at 8:45 and was done by 9:30.

Go on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning — Monday is always the busiest day and Fridays can be slow because staff leave early.

Use a solicitor who is registered with the Sierra Leone Bar Association. There are unlicensed "deed preparers" who produce invalid deeds — the OARG will reject them.

Double-check your business name spelling on Form A before you submit. A single typo means paying to amend and waiting another day.