Importing from China to Nigeria

Why this route works the way it does

Nigeria is the biggest economy in West Africa and Lagos is where the boxes land: Apapa and Tin Can Island together handle about 70 percent of the country's trade. Settle one thing before you book. As things stand no cargo tracking note is in force here, unlike several neighbours, but procurement restarted in 2026 and the Shippers' Council wants it live before year end, so re-confirm the position when you fix the booking.

Currency and regional trade rules

The naira floats. There is no peg, unlike the euro-linked CFA franc next door, so exchange risk runs from the day you order to the day duty is assessed in naira at clearance. Import payments go through a CBN-authorised dealer bank against a Form M, valid for a set window, typically six months for general merchandise and longer for plant and machinery, extendable through the bank. Confirm the current terms. Nigeria applies the ECOWAS common external tariff but shares no currency with its neighbours, and it keeps a genuine import prohibition list: check yours before ordering.

How the process actually works

1. 1Define the product precisely: specification, materials, packaging, quantity and target unit cost. Vague briefs are the single biggest source of wrong goods arriving.
2. 2Identify and verify suppliers. Company registration, export history and factory type matter more than a polished profile page.
3. 3Sample and approve before production. Approving a physical sample gives you something concrete to inspect against later.
4. 4Inspect before the goods leave China. Once a container sails, a defect becomes a freight problem instead of a production problem.
5. 5Book freight and prepare documents together, not one after the other. Missing paperwork is what holds cargo at destination.
6. 6Clear customs in Nigeria and arrange the final leg to your warehouse in Lagos.

Documents you will need

• Commercial invoice
• Packing list
• Bill of lading (sea) or air waybill (air)
• Certificate of origin
• Any product-specific certificate or conformity document your goods require

The invoice, the packing list and the transport document must describe the same goods in the same terms. Most clearance delays trace back to a mismatch between these three, not to a missing exotic certificate.

Common questions

How long does shipping from China to Nigeria take?

Sea freight typically runs 30 to 40 days port to port to Apapa (Lagos), Tin Can Island (Lagos), Lekki Deep Sea Port, and air freight 5 to 10 days to Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos (LOS). Production time comes before that and customs clearance after, so plan the whole chain rather than the transit leg alone.

Should I use air or sea freight to Nigeria?

Sea freight wins on cost for anything heavy, bulky or not urgent. Air freight is worth it for high-value, low-volume goods, for samples, and when a stock-out would cost you more than the freight difference. Many importers ship the bulk by sea and air a small first batch to start selling.

What causes the most delay on this route?

For regulated goods the order of operations catches people out. A Product Certificate, issued by a SON-accredited inspection firm at origin, has to exist before your bank will open the Form M, and the Form M has to be open before the goods ship and before you can pay your supplier through the banking system. Conformity is therefore a factory-selection question, not something to handle after a deposit has gone out. Once the container has sailed the certificate is no longer available, and a default charge against the value of the consignment applies instead.

Can I import small quantities to Nigeria?

Yes. Groupage, also called LCL, lets you pay for part of a container instead of the whole thing. It costs more per cubic metre and usually takes a little longer, because the container waits until it is full, but it makes small first orders realistic.

Which port will goods shipped to Nigeria actually arrive at?

Apapa and Tin Can Island are the working ports and both are shallow: Tin Can's berths run from about 7 metres to 13 at the container quays, which is one reason big China services have historically fed Nigeria through hubs like Lomé or Tema. Lekki Deep Sea Port, operational since April 2023, offers about 16.5 metres and takes those ships directly. Draft is no longer the binding constraint; getting the box out is. Lekki has no rail link in service, so the road corridor towards Epe carries almost everything, and dwell across Nigerian ports has been running near 18 to 21 days against a global norm closer to four. Ask which terminal yours discharges at, then price the haulage.