Africa route

Shipping from China to Nigeria

Typical door-to-door shipping from China to Nigeria takes 45–60 days by ocean freight, 42–62 days by LCL consolidation, 7–12 days by air freight and 3–5 days by express courier. Published carrier schedules put the ocean leg itself at 31–36 days port to port into Apapa or Lekki, and Lagos clearance plus terminal dwell of 12–25 days accounts for the rest — so the door-to-door range is issued with your quotation, not assumed. Form M must be opened by the Nigerian importer at an authorised dealer bank before shipment for any value above USD 1,000, and a foreign seller cannot act as importer of record.

Ocean, air and door-delivery combinations for commercial cargo moving from China to Nigeria.

Looking for the destination side of this lane — duty, importer of record and certification? Open the Nigeria destination guide.

How long does shipping from China take?

ModeTypical timeBasis
Ocean freight FCL45–60 daysPort-to-port 31–36 days (published schedules); Lagos clearance and dwell add the rest
Ocean freight LCL42–62 daysConsolidated from Shenzhen, four sailings a week
Air freight7–12 daysOne stop via DOH, ADD, IST or CAI; 3–6 days airport to airport
Express courier3–5 daysDoor to door with DHL or FedEx

Typical ranges measured from supplier pickup to signed delivery. They are not a commitment; the binding range is issued with your quotation.

Lane facts

Loading fromShenzhen, Guangzhou, Nansha, Ningbo and Shanghai
Destination portsApapa, Tin Can Island and Lekki (Lagos); Onne (Port Harcourt)
Direct sailingsDirect South China calls to Apapa and Lekki, one to two a week, plus transhipment services via Singapore, Colombo and Tema
Container options20GP, 40GP and 40HQ; LCL accepted from 1 CBM
Duty and taxImport duty 5–35% of CIF under the ECOWAS tariff, plus 7.5% VAT and levies of roughly 2% of CIF
Importer of recordA Nigerian entity with a TIN; Form M must be opened before shipment above USD 1,000 and is valid 180 days
CertificationSONCAP for regulated products before shipment; NAFDAC registration for food, drugs and cosmetics
Clearance channelGreen 3–7, Yellow 5–12 and Red 7–21 working days
Quote turnaroundA formal quotation is issued within one hour once the cargo details are complete

What does this cover?

We confirm the lane after reviewing the commodity, origin, destination city and the import arrangement. Lagos and the surrounding industrial areas take most of our Nigeria volume, and DDP door delivery is quoted where a compliant import structure is confirmed.

Who is this for?

  • Commercial imports for wholesale, retail and distribution
  • Factory-to-buyer shipments arranged on a delivered or port-to-port basis
  • Consolidated cargo from several Chinese suppliers
  • Buyers who need a duty-paid door price rather than a port-to-port rate

What is included in the service?

  • China pickup, consolidation and warehouse handling where the scope includes it
  • The transport combination quoted — ocean, rail, road, air or express
  • Export declaration and shipping document guidance
  • Destination clearance under the confirmed arrangement where a door scope is quoted
  • Delivery to the agreed address within the quoted delivery area

What do you need from us to quote?

  • Product name, material, use and photographs
  • Declared value with currency and whether the goods carry a brand
  • Piece count, gross weight, volume and package dimensions
  • China origin city or the supplier address
  • Destination city, full address and LGA
  • Whether the consignee is a Nigerian company able to open Form M and act as importer of record
  • Any SONCAP or NAFDAC regulated attribute of the product
  • Cargo-ready date and any required delivery window

Who is responsible for what?

ScopeCompanyCustomerResponsibility transfers
DDP — double clearance, duty paid
  • China pickup and warehouse handling where included
  • Export declaration
  • International transport
  • Destination import clearance under the confirmed arrangement
  • Duty and tax settlement for the declared goods
  • Delivery to the agreed address
  • Providing accurate product information, declared value and consignee details
  • Confirming the final charges and the release instruction before dispatch
  • Paying any charge arising from information that differs from the declaration
  • Ensuring the delivery address and consignee can accept the shipment
Responsibility passes on delivery and signature at the agreed address, on the terms stated in the confirmed quotation.

What does the quotation cover?

The quotation states the total for the scope described in it. It is built from the cargo data, the origin and destination, the transport mode and the delivery scope agreed at that time.

What is included?

  • China pickup and consolidation as quoted
  • Export declaration and main transport on the quoted routing
  • Destination import clearance under the confirmed arrangement
  • Duty and tax for the declared goods where the scope is DDP
  • Delivery to the agreed address within the quoted delivery area

What is not included?

  • Customs revaluation where the declared value is not accepted
  • Certification, registration or testing required by the destination authority
  • Storage, demurrage and inspection costs arising at either customs point
  • Remote-area delivery outside the quoted area
  • Unloading equipment or labour at the destination address

What might cost extra?

  • Remote or difficult-access delivery beyond the standard service area
  • Customs inspection, holds or revaluation at either end
  • Storage where cargo cannot be dispatched inside the agreed free period
  • Detention and demurrage when a container or vehicle is held beyond free time
  • Oversized, overweight or special loading equipment
  • Cargo that arrives without the documents required for the confirmed route
  • Special cargo approved after review but requiring extra handling or documentation
  • Address change, re-delivery or a failed delivery appointment after dispatch
  • Peak-season or fuel surcharges applied by the carrier
  • Duty or tax reassessment where customs does not accept the declared value

Freight rates and space change with the market, so each quotation carries its own validity period. Once it expires, or if the rate or space changes before booking, the price is reconfirmed before dispatch.

Cargo is weighed and measured after it reaches the warehouse. If the piece count, weight, volume, packing, cargo attributes or delivery address differ from the original inquiry, the charge is recalculated and sent to you for confirmation before payment and dispatch.

How long does each stage take?

Transit is counted from the stated start point to the stated end point for each stage. Carrier schedules, port and customs conditions, and the destination delivery arrangement all affect the outcome.

  • Pickup and warehouse intake: Typically 1–3 days from supplier release (calculated from Pickup arranged from the supplier address to Cargo received, counted, weighed and measured at the warehouse)
  • Consolidation and waiting: Typically 2–5 days, longer if later suppliers are still producing (calculated from Cargo accepted at the warehouse to Container loaded and sealed, or cargo handed to the carrier)
  • Export and ocean transit: Typically 31–36 days port to port to Apapa or Lekki (calculated from Container loaded on board to Vessel arriving at the destination port)
  • Import clearance and duty handling: Typically 5–21 working days depending on the customs channel (calculated from Vessel arrival at the destination port to Customs released and duty or tax settled where the scope includes it)
  • Final delivery: Typically 2–5 days in Lagos; longer for inland destinations (calculated from Customs released to Delivered to the agreed address and signed for)

Estimated total: An estimated total is issued with the quotation, expressed as a range with the calculation start and end points stated. It is an estimate, not a guaranteed arrival date.

Last verified 2026-09-15.

How is the shipment handled?

Illustrations generated for this page, showing the handling stages your cargo moves through. They are not photographs of a specific shipment.

What must be confirmed before booking?

  • DDP is only quoted where a Nigerian importer of record and the Form M arrangement are confirmed before shipment
  • Terminal dwell at Apapa and Tin Can Island has been reported at 12–25 days from discharge to gate-out, with anchorage waiting of 3–10 days; storage and demurrage after the free days fall outside the quoted scope
  • SONCAP, NAFDAC and other registrations are product-specific and are confirmed from the product details, not assumed
  • Dollar availability at the importer bank affects Form M processing and can move the schedule
  • Destination postcode and address type must be supplied before delivery can be confirmed

What mistakes should we avoid?

  • Booking before Form M is opened, which makes the pre-arrival assessment impossible
  • Assuming the seller can be the importer of record in Nigeria — the law requires a Nigerian entity
  • Ignoring SONCAP until the cargo is at the port, when the shipment certificate can no longer be issued in time
  • Budgeting on the port-to-port transit and forgetting Lagos clearance and dwell time
  • Under-declaring so the duty outcome changes after the cargo has shipped
Questions

What else do buyers ask?

Can you combine goods from multiple suppliers?

Yes. We receive goods from several suppliers, register each delivery separately, check piece counts and outer packing, and consolidate everything into one shipment that you release once the last supplier has delivered.

Consolidation means one export declaration, one main transport movement and one delivered scope instead of several separate shipments. The shipment is held until you confirm that all suppliers have delivered.

Can I track the shipment?

Yes. Warehouse data and shipment progress can be queried through our system, and your service representative provides updates and handles exceptions.

Tracking visibility can cover warehouse receipt, booking, dispatch, international transit, customs clearance, delivery and receipt. Standard warehouse records include arrival photographs, while dedicated inspection reports and specified-angle filming are value-added services.

Is DDP available for every country and every product?

No. DDP is available where a compliant import arrangement can be built for that country and that commodity, which is confirmed per shipment. Where it cannot, an alternative such as DDU is quoted instead.

Some destinations do not allow an overseas seller to complete import and tax formalities, and some commodities need registration or certification before they can be imported at all. We confirm the importer-of-record position and the duty treatment for each shipment instead of promising universal DDP coverage.

How long does shipping from China take?

Typical door-to-door transit from China is 25–35 days by ocean FCL and 25–38 days by LCL to the UAE, 25–35 days by FCL to Saudi Arabia, 35–45 days by FCL to the United Kingdom, and 25–35 days by FCL to the US West Coast or 35–50 days to the East Coast; air freight typically takes 4–12 days door to door and express courier 3–6 working days. These are typical ranges, not a commitment; the confirmed range is issued with your quotation.

The ranges above are measured door to door and cover five stages: pickup and warehouse intake, consolidation and waiting, international transport, import clearance and duty handling, and final delivery. Ocean transit between the ports themselves is only one part of the total, which is why a port-to-port figure cannot be read as a door-to-door timeline. Sailing schedules, carrier space, port congestion and customs conditions can all extend the outcome, so the quotation states a range with its calculation start and end points rather than a guaranteed arrival date.

Why is one quote much cheaper than another?

The most common reason is that the two quotes do not cover the same thing. Check whether pickup, export, freight, destination charges, duty, tax and delivery are each included before comparing the totals.

A port-to-port rate excludes import clearance, duty, destination terminal charges and onward transport, while a delivered price includes them. Chargeable weight or volume may also be calculated differently between quotes, so a lower headline figure often means a smaller scope rather than a cheaper service.

When do I pay, and when does the cargo leave?

The standard sequence is: cargo arrives and is measured, the final charge is confirmed with you, you approve and pay, and then the shipment is dispatched.

Cargo is received and measured first, so the charge you approve is based on actual data rather than a declaration. Credit terms, monthly settlement or staged payment can be discussed for established and project customers, and every payment is recorded against a company order.

What happens if the cargo is damaged, delayed or goes missing?

We notify you as soon as an issue is confirmed, state the impact, give you the options, and keep updating until it is resolved. Responsibility and compensation are then determined by the cause, the contract terms and the insurance position.

We do not promise unconditional compensation for every loss. Claims depend on where responsibility sat at the time, what the contract says and whether insurance was in place, so we recommend confirming the insurance position for each shipment before dispatch.

Can you guarantee a fixed transit time?

No. We do not guarantee a fixed arrival date. Transit is issued as an estimated range with its calculation basis, and carrier schedules, port and customs conditions and delivery arrangements can all extend it.

We state the calculation basis and the factors that can extend transit, and where a route is exposed to a known risk we plan a primary and an alternative option instead of promising a date.

Is the $800 de minimis exemption still available for US imports?

No. Duty-free de minimis treatment for imports under $800 has been suspended for all countries since 29 August 2025, so commercial shipments now require a customs entry and payment of applicable duty regardless of value.

A US shipment can therefore no longer be treated as a small parcel exempt from duty. Every entry needs an importer of record and a customs bond, and duty together with MPF and HMF is assessed on that entry.

Do I need a US importer of record and a customs bond?

Yes. Clearing goods into the United States requires an importer of record and a customs bond covering the entry, and the position is confirmed before booking. Where a compliant arrangement exists we quote DDP; where it does not, we quote DDU.

A customs bond is a financial guarantee to CBP rather than an insurance policy, and it can be continuous or single-entry. The quotation states which party imports and what the DDP price includes, so the responsibility is visible before the cargo ships.

Can you deliver to Amazon FBA warehouses and residential addresses?

Yes. We deliver to Amazon FBA and AWD warehouses, third-party fulfilment centres, commercial premises and residential addresses across all 50 states, provided the delivery appointment and labelling requirements are met.

Marketplace deliveries need the shipment plan, labels and appointment in place before the truck arrives. Storage, waiting time or rescheduling charges raised by the facility fall outside the standard quoted scope, and residential or remote addresses are confirmed before dispatch.

Can you deliver to Nigeria DDP when we do not have a Nigerian company?

Not with the seller as importer of record. Nigeria requires the importer of record to be a Nigerian entity with a TIN, and Form M must be opened at an authorised dealer bank before shipment for any value above USD 1,000, with a validity of 180 days. Where the buyer is not a Nigerian company, we confirm the compliant structure — normally the buyer’s Nigerian consignee or a licensed arrangement — before any duty-paid scope is quoted.

Nigeria requires a Nigerian importer of record and a Form M opened before shipment above USD 1,000, so we confirm the compliant structure before quoting DDP.

What certification does my product need before it can clear in Nigeria?

SONCAP is mandatory for products covered by Standards Organisation of Nigeria regulations: the exporter obtains a Product Certificate and then a Shipment Certificate from an accredited conformity assessment body before shipment. Food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices additionally need NAFDAC registration, where published processing times run to 90 working days for food and longer for drugs. Both are product-specific, so we confirm the applicable scheme from the product details.

SONCAP applies to regulated products before shipment, and NAFDAC registration applies to food, drugs and cosmetics — both confirmed from the product details.

Need a shipment-level answer?

Send the cargo details, origin, destination and preferred delivery scope for review.

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