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?
| Mode | Typical time | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean freight FCL | 45–60 days | Port-to-port 31–36 days (published schedules); Lagos clearance and dwell add the rest |
| Ocean freight LCL | 42–62 days | Consolidated from Shenzhen, four sailings a week |
| Air freight | 7–12 days | One stop via DOH, ADD, IST or CAI; 3–6 days airport to airport |
| Express courier | 3–5 days | Door 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 from | Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Nansha, Ningbo and Shanghai |
| Destination ports | Apapa, Tin Can Island and Lekki (Lagos); Onne (Port Harcourt) |
| Direct sailings | Direct South China calls to Apapa and Lekki, one to two a week, plus transhipment services via Singapore, Colombo and Tema |
| Container options | 20GP, 40GP and 40HQ; LCL accepted from 1 CBM |
| Duty and tax | Import duty 5–35% of CIF under the ECOWAS tariff, plus 7.5% VAT and levies of roughly 2% of CIF |
| Importer of record | A Nigerian entity with a TIN; Form M must be opened before shipment above USD 1,000 and is valid 180 days |
| Certification | SONCAP for regulated products before shipment; NAFDAC registration for food, drugs and cosmetics |
| Clearance channel | Green 3–7, Yellow 5–12 and Red 7–21 working days |
| Quote turnaround | A 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?
| Scope | Company | Customer | Responsibility transfers |
|---|---|---|---|
| DDP — double clearance, duty paid |
|
| 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