Importing from China to Nigeria

Nigeria is one of China's largest trading partners in Africa. Our Nigerian clients include traders supplying markets in Lagos, Onitsha and Kano, retailers, distributors, and businesses buying machinery and building materials.

The biggest risks Nigerian buyers tell us about are suppliers who take a deposit and disappear, goods that don't match the samples, and shipments held because the paperwork is wrong. Checking the supplier, inspecting the goods and getting the certificates right deals with all three.

Before goods ship, the importer must open a Form M, the electronic import declaration, through an authorised bank on the Nigeria single window platform. The bank needs the pro forma invoice and, for regulated products, the SONCAP product certificate. Make sure the Form M is approved before the supplier ships.

SONCAP is the Standards Organisation of Nigeria's conformity programme for regulated products. It works in two stages.

1. 1Product certificate. The exporter gets a product certificate from a SON-accredited certification body, usually based on test reports and, in some cases, a factory audit. You need it to open the Form M.
2. 2SONCAP certificate. For each shipment, the goods are inspected and a certificate is issued, which you need for customs clearance in Nigeria.

Which route applies depends on your product and how often you ship it. Check the current rules with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria or an accredited certification body.

Food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices are regulated by NAFDAC, which has its own registration and approval process.

Nigeria applies the ECOWAS common external tariff, with duty bands that depend on the product, plus VAT and other levies. Rates for some products are much higher than others, so check your product's tariff code with the Nigeria Customs Service or a licensed customs agent before you order. Our landed cost calculator helps you see the full cost.

1. 1We check suppliers before you pay anything, including their business licence and bank account name.
2. 2We help you get the test reports and documents needed for the SONCAP product certificate.
3. 3We inspect the goods before the balance is paid, with photos and video.
4. 4We arrange freight to Lagos with partner forwarders and check the documents match the Form M.

Our guide to what sourcing agents cost and the red flags to watch for explains how to avoid the most common scams.