Service
Import Licence & Documentation
The paperwork Nigerian importing actually requires, prepared properly the first time.
Most import problems in Nigeria are documentation problems. A Form M opened against the wrong description, a missing regulatory permit, a certificate of origin that doesn’t match the invoice — each of them is a delay measured in days and paid for in demurrage.
We prepare and manage the documentation set for the commodity you are actually importing, and we tell you what will be needed before the goods ship rather than after they land.
We start from the commodity rather than from the form. What the goods are decides which regime they fall under, which permits they need and which bank instrument has to be open before they ship, and getting that order wrong is what turns a straightforward import into a queue.
So we ask for the description, the HS code if the supplier has given one, and the intended use before anything else. Where the classification is arguable we say so at that point, while it can still be discussed, rather than at examination when it has become a dispute.
What drives the cost
- cargo weight and dimensions
- mode and routing
- whether the cargo is regulated
- handling and storage at destination
- duty and levies, which are set by Customs and not by us
What drives the timeline
- whether documentation is in place before the cargo ships
- Customs examination selection
- port congestion at the time of arrival
- onward road access to the delivery site
What's included
- Form M processing through your authorised dealer bank
- PAAR application
- SONCAP for regulated products
- NAFDAC permits for regulated goods
- Certificates of origin and supporting trade documentation
Questions
- Can you tell me what documents my shipment needs?
- Yes — and there is a tool on this site that will give you a first answer in a couple of minutes. For anything regulated, talk to us before the goods ship.