Nigeria, a leading market in Africa, witnesses a substantial influx of goods from China annually, ranging from machinery and equipment to electronics, furniture, and more. For a seamless import process from China to Nigeria, a systematic approach is essential, covering aspects like supplier vetting, procurement of goods, logistics coordination, customs clearance, and final delivery. Although this process can appear intricate, strategic planning and expert support can minimize risks and costs substantially. Explore our comprehensive guide for importing from China to Nigeria, designed to facilitate a smoother import transaction for your business.

Our freight forwarding expertise simplifies the import of machinery, electronics, furniture, and more. Navigate the complexities of supplier selection, procurement, logistics, customs clearance, and delivery with precision. Discover how our step-by-step import guide for China to Nigeria can reduce risks and costs, ensuring a streamlined import experience. Trust our professional logistics services to facilitate your international trade needs.

Guide to importing from China to Nigeria

1 Find the Right Products

First, you have to choose products for your business. This actually means what you want to import from China to Nigeria. To do this, you have to research your market and find out the trends and seasonality. You can also consider daily consumer goods. Also, you need to check the annual sales of these goods in order to pick the right goods for your business.

2 Choose the right supplier

The first step to successful import is to choose a reliable supplier, which will directly affect the quality of the goods and the smooth progress of the transaction.

• Online platform screening: Find suppliers through platforms such as Alibaba and Made-in-China.
• Field investigation: If the purchase volume is large, it is recommended to inspect the factory in person or through a third party to ensure the production capacity and qualifications of the supplier.
• Check qualifications: Require suppliers to provide documents such as business licenses, export licenses and quality certifications.
• Negotiate terms: Clarify price, delivery time, payment method and transportation conditions (such as FOB, CIF).

3 Sign the contract and arrange payment

Sign the purchase contract:
The contract should specify the specifications, quantity, unit price, delivery time and transportation method of the goods.
Both parties should agree on the scope of liability (such as damage to goods, delayed delivery).

Arrange payment:
Small orders: It is more convenient to pay by credit card or PayPal.
Large orders: It is recommended to pay by bank letter of credit (LC) or telegraphic transfer (T/T) to reduce risks.

4 Cargo preparation

When your product is manufactured, you need to prepare it for shipping from China to Nigeria. This includes proper packaging using cartons, bubble wrap or other protective materials to ensure the safety of the product during transportation. But here, the size of the packaging box must be similar to the size of the product to avoid wasting space and incurring additional shipping costs.

After that, label the box with the details of the Chinese supplier and the Nigerian buyer. In addition, the packaging must also indicate the cargo information, including the quantity of goods per box, the type of goods and handling instructions.

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5 Prepare import documents

Importing to Nigeria requires a series of documents, and importers need to work closely with suppliers to ensure that the documents are complete:

• Commercial Invoice: Records detailed information about the goods, including value and quantity.
• Packing List: Lists the packaging details of the goods, such as the number of boxes, weight and dimensions.
• Bill of Lading: Required for sea freight, and Air Waybill for air freight.
• Certificate of Origin: Proves the origin of the goods.
• Nigeria Import License (Form M): Must be applied for through the electronic platform of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
• SONCAP Certificate: Ensures that the goods meet Nigeria’s standard certification requirements.

6 Shipping and Tracking

Once all documents and payment processing are completed, choose the appropriate mode of transportation based on the type of goods and needs, and ensure that the goods are safe and intact during transportation. Your China freight forwarder Presou Logistics will manage this process on your behalf. If necessary, your freight forwarder can also handle customs clearance procedures.

Shipping from China to Nigeria options:

• Sea freight: suitable for large quantities of goods, with lower transportation costs.
• Air freight: suitable for urgent goods or high-value goods, with fast delivery time.
• Express: suitable for small quantities of goods or urgent documents, usually carried by companies such as DHL, FedEx.

In addition, you can also track the real-time location of the shipping vessel from the port of departure to the port of destination. This way you can monitor the progress of the goods and keep abreast of its estimated arrival time.

7 Customs clearance and tax payment in Nigeria

Customs clearance is one of the core steps of importation, which requires submission of complete documents and payment of relevant taxes and fees.

1. Submit documents: Submit commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, etc. to Nigeria Customs.
2. Pay customs duties and VAT: Duty rates vary depending on the type of goods and are usually calculated based on CIF (value + freight + insurance).
3. Cargo inspection: Nigeria Customs may inspect the goods to ensure that the declared information is true.
4. Pick up goods: After customs clearance is completed, the goods can be collected from the port or airport.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) uses the Customs Cooperation Committee Nomenclature (CCCN) to assign customs duties and tax rates. Import duties range from 5% to 35% of the cost, insurance and freight value of the goods. The percentage is usually higher for luxury goods and lower for ordinary consumer goods.

In addition, your goods are subject to VAT at a rate of 7.5% of the CIF value. On the other hand, the import of alcohol and tobacco products is subject to excise duty. You need to pay these taxes in the Nigerian currency, Naira, when the imported goods arrive at the port of entry.

8 Final Delivery

After customs clearance in Nigeria, the goods can be delivered to the final destination:

• Door-to-door service: Using professional freight forwarding companies, we can arrange for the goods to be delivered directly to the designated address.
• Distribution Management: Depending on the type of goods, we arrange warehousing and logistics in Nigeria to ensure efficient distribution.

Shipping from China to Nigeria

You can ship goods from China to Nigeria using one of the following methods. Let’s take a look at them one by one:

Sea Freight from China to Nigeria

In this mode of shipping, your goods are shipped from Chinese ports to Nigerian ports by ship. This is the slowest way to import goods from one country to another. Because it usually takes 30 to 45 days to deliver your goods to the destination port in Nigeria.

• Best for large quantities of goods or heavy goods.
• Container shipping (such as 20-foot or 40-foot containers) is a common choice.
• Lagos Ports (Apapa Port and Tin Can Port) in Nigeria are the main destinations for sea transportation.

Air Freight from China to Nigeria

Air freight is more expensive than sea freight for importing from China to Nigeria. But it is fast and generally arrives at the destination airport in Nigeria within 3 to 7 days. You have to pay according to the volumetric weight of the goods.

• Suitable for lightweight, high-value or time-sensitive goods.
• It takes 3-7 days to fly from major Chinese airports (such as Guangzhou, Shanghai) to Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
• Air freight costs more, but the delivery is fast.

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Shipping costs from China to Nigeria

The cost of importing goods from Chinese to Nigerian ports varies depending on the shipping company. Moreover, the type of item you want to ship and your chosen exporting and importing sites also impact the importation prices. You can get a general idea from the following table:

Shipping Method	Shipping Costs
Sea Freight – LCL	$100 to $200 per CBM
Sea Freight – FCL	$2500 to $3800 for 20’ container $3000 to $5500 for 40’ container
Air Freight	$3 to $8 per kg

Shipping Time from China to Nigeria

The shipping time from China to Nigeria depends on the shipping method you choose. In addition, the departure and arrival ports will also affect the shipping days and total shipping time. Below is the estimated time to ship goods from China to Nigeria by sea.

Origin City	Destination Port	Transit time
Shanghai	Lagos	32 to 38 days
Shanghai	Tincan	32 to 39 days
Shanghai	Apapa	33 to 39 days
Guangzhou	Lagos	32 to 41 days
Guangzhou	Tincan	35 to 43 days
Guangzhou	Apapa	33 to 40 days
Shenzhen	Lagos	34 to 42 days
Shenzhen	Tincan	30 to 40 days
Shenzhen	Apapa	31 to 42 days
Xiamen	Lagos	31 to 43 days
Xiamen	Tincan	30 to 42 days
Xiamen	Apapa	33 to 42 days

Best Shipping Company From China To Nigeria

Presou is a leading logistics and freight forwarding company providing shipping services from China to Nigeria. Every best shipping company from China to Nigeria has special contracts with Presou, which allow us to provide the best competitive price for our clients in Nigeria.

Our dedicated customs clearance team closely monitors Nigerian customs policies and never misses any update. Our customs clearance team makes sure you receive your goods in Nigeria within the shortest possible time.

We deal with all of your goods with expert people. From Electronics to food items, furniture to machinery and equipment or restricted items, all of your products are handled with expert hands. Our product transportation team is specialized for each product.

We have the necessary certifications, and we prepare all of your documents with expert persons.

If you are looking for cheap shipping from China to Nigeria without compromising the quality send us a message or ask for a quotation. Our 24/7 customer service will answer your query and send you the best quotation within a short period of time.

By following the above steps, you can have a clearer understanding of how to import from China to Nigeria and optimize your trade process. Proper planning and cooperation can ensure that imports are efficient, safe and cost-effective.