How To Import Goods From The UK To Nigeria

Want to import goods from the United Kingdom to Nigeria? If so, this post is here to serve as a guide.

If you are thinking of bringing in goods from the United Kingdom down to Nigeria, there are things you need to consider first. Some of these are the cost of the goods, shipping costs, time, and, most importantly, the profit you are going to make from those goods.

Additionally, you need to be ready to go through the hurdles of shipping fees and custom duties.

The United Kingdom is an ideal place to import mostly foreign food items, used clothes (popularly known as okrika), second-hand phones (known by many as “London used phones”), and different electronics and electrical appliances.

Now let’s get straight to the topic by explaining some of the prerequisites and procedures involved.

Importing Goods From The United Kingdom To Nigeria

Firstly, before buying anything over there, you should endeavour to contact a shipping company and reach an agreement with them. This will make the process faster.

Once you’ve reached an agreement with your shipping company, Next is to buy goods, gather all your papers and documents because you will be presenting them to different authorities in charge of importation.

Some of the documents you need are proof of payment (I.e. the receipt), import permit, bill of lading, and custom forms. An inability to provide this document may cause your goods to be impounded at the ports.

In order to avoid issues like this, try to obtain every document necessary and have them at hand before shipping. Any mistake in not obtaining any of these documents will not only cause you stress, but it will also cost you extra money before the customs releases them. And that’s after you must have redone those documents and paid penalty fees.

If you are just getting started in the importation business, it’s best that you import goods in small quantities over and over again. This is because if there’s a single mistake in documentation, your goods can be lost forever. Also, small goods take less time to arrive and it’s easier to import.

The Processes Involved 

One important thing you need to get done is look for a shipping company that will help ship your goods. You will have to book an appointment with them, negotiate on fees, pay them, and provide them with all the needed documents. If you can get it all done, you can be rest assured that your goods will reach Nigeria safely.

You will also need to provide documents like payment receipts, export license from the UK, bill of lading, invoice receipts, and if what you are importing is food, you will need to provide a food control plan.

After all these have been done and your package has reached the Nigerian ports. The next thing that you have to do is customs clearance.

Once your goods reach the Nigerian ports, the customs service will have to access your documents and also access your goods to check if what you are importing is accepted into Nigeria. So you will have to show them the papers listing all your goods.

Your last process is getting your goods to reach your destination from the port. Before that, you may need to hire professional parkers to help keep your goods safe till your truck or logistics gets there to pick them up.

Alternative

If you don’t have the capability to go through these hassles involved, just hire a company to do that for you.

There are several agencies who specialise in helping people ship their goods from the UK to Nigeria and also transport them to their location.

They will help you with all the documentation, including custom forms and bills of lading. Once you pay them, you can put your mind at rest as they will handle everything for you. Though this might be a little expensive, it’s actually the easiest.

However, you need to be mindful of the agency you hire for this. You need to make sure they are trusted, tested, and reliable before making any transactions with them.

Bottom Line

It’s actually not easy to get goods shipped down to Nigeria from the UK. But, it could be easier if you got your license and forms ready first. You can actually employ an agency to help you with everything if you can’t go through the stress involved.