Shipping from China to Nigeria

How Long Does it Take Shipping from China to Nigeria

by Sea Freight and Air Freight

Shipping from China to Nigeria: The Complete Guide

If you are planning on importing to Nigeria from China, you will definitely to know the details involved.

That is why I have prepared this complete guide to offer you all the information you may need.

This includes understanding the customs procedure in Nigeria as well as ways of shipping to Nigeria.

China Nigeria flags

Chapter 1: Best Freight forwarder shipping from China to Nigeria

There are many forwarders that you can engage to ship your cargo from China to Nigeria.

But not all the forwarders are reliable hence you need to be careful on which forwarder you choose.

Allow me to reduce the risk of falling into a wrong forwarder by giving you tips on finding a reliable forwarder.

Freight Forwarder

· Experience

This needs to be the first point of contact when you are engaging a potential forwarder.

The shipping industry is wide, and as such you need a forwarder who has the experience on your shipping needs.

There is a way in which a company that has been in the industry for a long time can facilitate your shipping.

Such a company will tend to know quicker solutions to problems that may occur during shipment.

Experience does not necessarily mean how long a forwarding company has been in the industry, though it is essential, but the quality of their services.

Check if the potential forwarder has the necessary attributes that you need for your shipping.

· Services they offer

Also, you may check on what types of services the forwarding services provide.

As you may know, there are different types of services of you may need for your shipping depending on your cargo.

Shipping container

You might not get some of the Special services such as RORO and REEFER from all forwarders though they may be relevant to your part.

Check on this too, before settling on a forwarding company.

· Financial background

Another hint that a forwarding company is reliable if it has a sound financial history.

Remember, your shipping process needs to be smooth.

There are some payments your forwarder needs to make before reflecting the bills to you for payment.

A forwarder with the strong financial background will be able to ensure a smooth flow of your cargo.

· Check if your forwarder has networks in Nigeria and China

The forwarder you choose for your shipping needs to have a network of offices both in China and Nigeria.

A physical office will enable you to contact them in case of any problem.

Large shipping network

Also, a company that has offices in Nigeria and China understands the customs procedure and will facilitate faster clearance of your cargo.

· Member of global associations

There is a way in which a company that has a membership of an internationally recognized body such as FIATA offers their services.

This is because they have a reputation to uphold.

 FIATA

As a result, always go for a company with such membership which will ensure you have quality services for your shipping.

· Communication

Lastly, when it comes to international shipping, communication is critical.

A reliable forwarder needs to keep in touch with throughout the shipping process.

You need to select a forwarder who will inform you of the details that happen during the shipping process.

There are things which keep fluctuating during the shipping journey.

For instance, your shipping cost may fluctuate due to fuel adjustments fee.

Having a reliable forwarder will always inform you of such changes.

Chapter 2: Recommended shipping companies in China to Nigeria

You will need the services of a shipping company to import your cargo from China to Nigeria.

https://youtu.be/isIcqkYUHws

A reliable shipping company will facilitate your shipping as well as secure your cargo.

To help you choose a reliable shipping company, here is a look at the top shipping companies that you can use.

To start with, here is a look at the shipping companies that you can use when shipping via ocean.

· COSCO Shipping Company

You can locate this company at its headquarters in Shanghai, China.

The company started its operations in 1969 and had a total 1114 shipping vessels making it the largest shipping company.

COSCO

The total capacity of these vessels is 85.32 million DWT with a specialty in dry shipping bulk or container cargo.

· Mediterranean Shipping Company

Having been in operations since 1979, Mediterranean shipping company has grown to become a global shipping company.

This shipping company has its headquarters in Italy and has a total of 471 shipping vessels.

MSC

These vessels have a total capacity of 2,435,000TEUs meaning that you can ship virtually any size of cargo.

· American President Lines

With a total of 153 shipping vessels, American President Lines has its headquarters in Singapore.

You can conveniently ship through this company that started operations in 1848 making it the oldest shipping company.

APL

The parent shipping company is the CMA CGM shipping company.

You have the option of choosing one of its 153 shipping vessels to ship your cargo from China to Nigeria.

· Orient Overseas Container Lines

Orient Overseas Container Lines has its headquarters in Hing Kong and traces its operations in 1969.

You can conveniently ship your cargo via this company that has a total of 59 shipping vessels.

 OOCL

These vessels have a total handling capacity of 21,413 TEU.

· Evergreen Shipping Company

The operations of this company date back to the year 1968 and has its headquarters in Taiwan.

The advantage of this shipping company is that it has reefer vessels that you can use to ship perishable cargoes.

The company boasts of having 150 container ships that can handle 400,000 TEUs.

This gives you an advantage of having a ready vessel each time you want to ship your cargo.

Evergreen

Apart from ocean or sea freight from China to Nigeria, you may also go for air shipping to Nigeria.

If you want to use air shipping to import your cargo from China to Nigeria, the following are the top cargo airlines that you can use.

· Cargolux Airlines

If you are planning on using this airline, then you can locate it at its headquarters in Luxembourg, Germany.

Cargolux

The airline boasts of having a total of 28 fleets from which you can choose to ship your cargo.

· China Airlines

With a total of 88 fleets, you can conveniently ship your cargo via this airline that has its headquarters in the Republic of China.

China Airlines

· Air China Cargo

Founded in the year 1988, the airline has its headquarters in Beijing, China.

The parent company of this airline is Air China that boasts of having a fleet of 405 planes.

Air China Cargo

· Lufthansa Airlines

Lufthansa airlines began operating in 1955 and have a total of 283 fleets that you can choose to ship your cargo.

Lufthansa

· Cathay Pacific Airlines

Cathy Pacific airline is another airline that you can use with its headquarters in Hong Kong.

Cathy Pacific

The operations of this company began in 1946 and presently, they have a total of 146 for you to use.

Chapter 3: How to Ship your Goods from China to Nigeria

You need to choose a convenient method of shipping your cargo from China to Nigeria.

The method you want will depend on various factors.

These factors include the shipping cost, the urgency of your cargo, the size of the shipment and nature of your shipment.

What you need to know is that whichever method you use, it needs to serve you as per your conditions.

Here are the main methods of shipping your cargo from China to Nigeria.

· Sea freight shipping from China to Nigeria

Sea freight is the typical way of shipping your cargo from China to Nigeria.

This is because of its characteristics which fit in most importers’ plans.

Did you know you can use ocean freight to ship virtually anything to Nigeria?

Yes, you can. This is because the regulations in ocean freight are not as tight as in air freight.

 Sea route from China to Nigeria

For starters, you can ship bulk cargoes conveniently using ocean freight.

Shipping vessels can carry a vast volume of cargo at a relatively cheaper cost.

Also, you can use ocean freight to ship irregular cargo and cargo that require unique holding capacity.

This is due to the availability of special vessels to ship these cargoes.

The disadvantage of using ocean freight is that it is slow.

 Sea port in Nigeria

When you compare with air freight, your cargo will take a bit longer to arrive in Nigeria from China.

To conquer this, you need to plan well in advance and schedule the demand of your cargo to align with your shipping duration

· Air freight shipping from China to Nigeria

If you want urgent delivery of your cargo, then air shipment needs to be your preferred method of shipping.

Your shipment will take between a few hours to a couple of days to arrive in Nigeria from China.

However, there are several limitations that you will encounter when shipping via air.

For starts, it is quite expensive when you compare to ocean freight.

You, therefore, need to factor the shipping cost early enough before settling on air freight.

The other limitation is that you cannot ship certain cargo via air.

Always confirm with your freight forwarder to check if you can ship your can ship via air.

Murtala Muhammed International Airport

The other limitation is on the size of your cargo.

There is a limit in the weight of cargo you can import to Nigeria from China.

You cannot, therefore, ship heavy goods via air.

· Express shipping from China to Nigeria

If you are in quick need of your cargo, then you can opt to have it shipped via express shipping.

This method of shipping is similar to air shipment but faster and expensive.

Express shipping

Your cargo will take between a few hours to a few days to arrive in Nigeria from China.

However, you need to note that apart from this method being expensive, you have a limit to the load of cargo you can ship.

Chapter 4: How Long Shipping from China to Nigeria

As an importer, time plays a crucial role when it comes to shipping your cargo.

You need to understand how long your cargo will take to plan.

You see, a longer shipping duration can make you have problems with your clients.

You can avoid these problems by aligning your clients according to the shipping duration.

Here is a look at how long your cargo will take to arrive in Nigeria from China.

Chapter 5: How much Cost when Shipping from China to Nigeria

Another factor that is crucial to your importation business is the shipping cost.

You need to budget well in advance to ensure smooth shipping of your cargo from China to Nigeria.

In this section, we get into the details of your shipping cost using various modes of shipping.

Keep reading.

· Cost of LCL shipping from China to Nigeria

For LCL shipping, you’d better give us your goods details, so our sales will update you best shipping rate from China to Nigeria.

· Cost of Shipping 20ft Container from China to Nigeria

If you are shipping a 20ft container from China, better you give us details for a quick quote.

· Cost of Shipping 40ft Container from China to Nigeria

The cost of shipping a 40ft container from China to Nigeria from different ports will be different based on different time and different goods, please leave your details for a quick quote.

· Cost of Air Freight Shipping from China to Nigeria

Several factors constitute the shipping cost of your cargo via air.

They include

1. Destination

The cost of your shipping via air will be higher if the port of destination is far from the port of origin in China.

If you can, minimize the shipping cost by choosing a port that has a shorter distance.

2. The payment currency

The global market tends to change rather fast which has an effect on the currency of trade you are using.

The impact of this is that you might end up paying a higher or a cheaper amount depending on market activities.

A tip for your consideration is that when you are shipping from China to Nigeria, always insist on a stable currency.

The change in such currency is not significantly affected by changes in the global market.

3. Port charges

Port charges are those charges that are levied by different ports around the world.

These charges are generally for development purposes as such they differ from port to port.

These charges will affect your shipping cost.

4. Fuel surcharge

Perhaps one of the common costs that keep fluctuating during your shipping is the cost of fuel.

Market prizes for fuel keep fluctuating which affects your shipping cost.

You might pay a lower or a higher amount depending on the fluctuation rate.

A reliable forwarder needs to inform you of these changes early enough so that you can plan.

5. Nature of your goods

Cargoes that need special conditions such as reefer cargoes will be charged an extra amount for shipment.

These charges are typically meant to facilitate the maintenance of your cargo during shipment.

· Express Shipping Cost from China to Nigeria

Express costs may also differ when it comes to goods details and when you ship your goods. better give us your details for quick quote.

Chapter 6: How to Track your Goods when Shipping from China to Nigeria

The security of your cargo during the shipping process is essential.

You, therefore, need to have real-time information on the movement of your cargo.

One way of doing this is by tracking your cargo from the point of departure in China to the point of arrival in Nigeria.

But how do you go about tracking your cargo?

Here is a look at the answer to this question…

 China Airline Cargo Tracking

The important thing that you need to bear in mind when you want to track your cargo is to have the tracking number.

It is this tracking number that you will use to track your cargo.

What happens is that on the website of the shipping company, you will see the option of either a multiple or single shipment.

Select the shipment you want to track.

Once you click track shipment, you will find the tracking number in the confirmation shipping email.

In case you have multiple shipments, you will have to click on the shipment you want to track.

The confirmation email will detail to you the steps to follow to view the position of your cargo.

Chapter 7: Most used Incoterms When Shipping from China to Nigeria

You will likely interact with various incoterms during your shipping process from China to Nigeria.

These Incoterms 2010 can be confusing if you are not keen.

But don’t worry, allow me to break down these incoterms for you.

Keep reading.

· FOB (Free on Board)

The use of this incoterm places some responsibilities to your supplier.

FOB

Your supplier is responsible for the cargo from their warehouses up until the goods are on board the shipping vessel at a named port.

• The responsibilities of your supplier include:
• Loading of the goods from their warehouses onto a truck.
• All charges of moving the goods from their warehouse to the port of origin
• Loading of the cargo onto the shipping vessel at the port

Once the goods are on board the shipping vessel, you take charge of all the responsibility.

This includes the shipping charges and any risk that occurs during shipment.

· EXW (Ex- works)

A named place follows the use of this incoterm typically.

For instance, EXW Abuja means that the delivery of your goods will be at your premises from your supplier’s premise.

 EXW

However, what you need to note are the charges and ownership.

Under Ex- works, you are responsible for all the expenses incurred during the shipment of the cargo.

Also, you gain ownership of the cargo once it leaves the premises of your supplier.

In addition to these, you need to arrange for insurance of your cargo.

This is the common incoterm that many importers use since it places the maximum risk on them as well as reducing supplier’s cost.

· Cost and Freight (CFR)

Under this incoterm, your supplier undertakes to cover the cost of shipping your cargo from their warehouse to a named port of destination.

 CFR

Some of the responsibilities of your supplier under this incoterm include:

• Loading onto a truck at their warehouse
• All charges incurred when moving your cargo to the port of origin
• Loading your cargo onto the vessel
• Cost of shipping

However, you will be responsible for all risks incurred during the shipment of your cargo.

As such, make sure you purchase an insurance cover for your cargo.

You are also responsible for the final delivery of your cargo from the port of destination to your address.

You need to limit the use of this incoterm to non-containerized sea freight only.

· Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF)

The use of this incoterm is similar to Cost and Freight except for the insurance.

Under this incoterm, your supplier agrees to cover all cost from their warehouse to a named port of destination.

This includes purchasing the insurance cost for your cargo.

CIF

The responsibilities of your supplier will include:

• Loading to a truck at your supplier’s premises
• All charges incurred during transportation to the port of origin
• Loading the cargo to the shipping vessel
• Shipping charges
• Purchasing an insurance cover for your cargo

You will be responsible for shipment of your cargo from the port of destination to your address

· Delivery Duty Paid (DDP)

The use of this incoterm places maximum responsibility and control on your supplier.

Your supplier is responsible for all the cost from their warehouse to the final point of destination in Nigeria.

DDP

They are responsible for all the risk that may occur during shipment as well as customs clearance both in China and Nigeria.

Also, they will transport your cargo to your warehouse.

However, you need to use this incoterm with caution since you lose the control of your cargo until they are in your warehouse.

Chapter 8: Modes of shipping from China to Nigeria

There are various modes that you can use to ship your cargo from China to Nigeria.

The choice you make will depend on multiple factors.

These factors include the size of your cargo and the cost of using the mode for shipping your cargo.

In this section, we take an in-depth look at these modes.

Have a look.

· FLC Shipment from China to Nigeria

If you are importing bulk cargo from China to Nigeria, you need to utilize an FCL shipment mode.

This is where you book a whole container from your forwarder to load only your cargo.

The best thing about using an FCL is that you dont have to fill up the whole container even though it is economical if you do so.

The reason is that you will be charged the same price as one who has booked the whole container.

The advantage of this mode is that you have minimal risk of losing your cargo since you secure the goods by yourself.

There are a variety of containers that you can use to ship your cargo that is 40FT, 20FT or 40HD containers.

· LCL shipment from China to Nigeria

At times the volume of the cargo you are importing may not be enough to fill a whole container.

In this case, you can still import your cargo using LCL shipment.

LCL Shipping

LCL is where your forwarder consolidates your cargo with those of other importers who are heading your direction.

Once the container is full, shipment of your cargo takes place.

With this method, you will pay for the space that your cargo occupies.

The disadvantage you will experience with this shipment is the lack of control of your cargo.

You may experience delays in your shipment since there will be several stoppages of offloading your cargo. Your cargo may also be at risk of damage during the offloading stages.

· Out of Gauge shipment from China to Nigeria

Out of Gauge shipment allows you to ship irregular cargoes from China to Nigeria.

Such cargoes include heavy machinery and equipment which cannot fit in an ordinary container.

 OOG Shipping

There are different types of containers that you can use to ship such cargoes. Such containers include open tops and flat rack containers.

The choice of which container to use will depend on the nature of your cargo regarding size and shape.

The shipping companies typically charge for the lost slots that your cargo occupies on the shipping vessel.

The lost slot is the space that your cargo occupies outside the container.

The amount you will pay as lost slots will depend on factors such as the port rotation of the ship, lost slots and how full the ship is.

· Roll on Roll off shipment from China to Nigeria

You can easily ship any automobile cargo using RORO shipping.

RORO shipping refers to the use of special shipping vessels to ship your automobiles.

These vessels usually have ramps that enable your cargo to roll into and out of the ship.

There are different kinds of RORO vessels that you can use.

They include ones that have only the ramps and others that combine the ramps and cranes.

· Door to door shipping from China to Nigeria

Door to door shipping from China to Nigeria allows your forwarder to undertake your shipping for you.

They will collect your goods from your supplier, transport it to the port and onto the carrier.

Again, when your cargo arrives at the port of destination, they will collect your cargo and transport it to your location.

Door to door shipping

The importance of this is that you won’t waste your time monitoring your shipment along the way.

Your forwarder covers all this for you till your cargo arrives at your premises.

Usually, forwarders offering Door to Door shipping from China to Nigeria will charge more.

However, a reliable freight forwarder will always provide the full range of services they provide under this method.

Also, they will negotiate with you to have a favorable shipping cost.

Chapter 9: Customs Clearance in China and Nigeria

One area of primary concern during the shipping process is the customs clearance.

You need to be careful when clearing your cargo at the customs.

A slight mistake may cause a delay in clearing your cargo as well as penalties.

Always ensure you adhere to the customs regulations in Nigeria for smooth clearance of your cargo.

Nigeria Customs

Let me take you through the customs clearance process.

To start with, here is a look at the duties and taxes that you are liable to pay every time you import cargo to Nigeria.

Your goods will be subjected to a surface duty commonly abbreviated as ID.

This duty depends on the type of your import calculated as a percentage of the CIF.

Another tax that you will encounter is the surcharge which is generally for port development purposes.

The surcharge is at 7% of the ID.

There is also CISS which is at 1% of the FOB value. Since you are importing from China, you will pay an Ecowas Tax Liberation Scheme of 0.5% of the CIF value.

Lastly, you will pay VAT on your cargo which will be 5%*(CIF+ID+Surcharge+CISS+ETLS).

There are taxes such as levies such as sugar, rice, cigarette, automotive taxes that you will pay on related cargoes that you import.

Apart from the taxes and duties, there are goods that you need to be careful when importing them.

They include the prohibited and restricted goods.

Restricted cargoes mean you can only import such cargoes after you have received the necessary permits.

On the other hand, there are some goods that you are not allowed to import into Nigeria.

The customs will confiscate these cargoes if you import them.

You may also pay fines for importing the cargoes. Such cargoes include:

• Cold rolled steel sheets
• Galvanized steel sheets
• Roofing sheets
• Wheelbarrows
• Head pans
• Security and razor wine
• Wood particle boards, doors, and panels
• Wood Fiber Boards and Panels
• Plywood boards and panels
• Toothpicks
• Glass and Glassware
• Kitchen utensils and tableware
• Tiles-vitrified and ceramic
• Textiles
• Woven fabrics and clothes
• Plastic and rubber products, polypropylene granules, cellophane wrappers
• Soap and cosmetics
• Tomatoes/tomato pastes
• Foreign currency
• Drone

Part of the ban on importation of these items is to enable the local industry to grow.

Export procedure in China mainly deals with CIF terms and payments are made through a letter of credit.

Some of the processes that you will go through at the customs in China includes establishing an export contract and preparing export commodities.

You will also prepare necessary documents, customs declaration and booking an insurance cover for your cargo.

You won’t pay any custom tax when importing from China.

However, you need to pay attention to the list of prohibited and restricted cargo.

There are some cargoes you cannot export from China. The customs will confiscate such cargoes if you ship them.

Chapter 10: Documents when Shipping from China to Nigeria

To facilitate your shipping process from China to Nigeria, you need to have proper documentation.

These documents will help you in getting clearance at the point of entry.

The disadvantage of not having these documents is that the customs may hold your cargo.

You might also incur penalties which will increase your shipping cost.

To prevent this, here is a look at the documents that you need to have for your shipping process.

· Form M

The central bank of Nigeria will give you this document through any commercial bank.

The details of this document include the harmonized codes for the product you are importing.

Harmonized codes are essential when it comes to calculating the customs duties that you will pay.

 From M

You tax Identification Number will come in handy when you are registering for the Form M.

· Insurance certificate

To minimize the loss, you may incur in case of accidents on your cargo; it is compulsory that you have this certificate.

Shipping insurance policy

You can obtain an insurance certificate from a reputable insurance company in Nigeria.

Remember, you cannot import if you don’t have this document.

· Bill of lading

The shipping company importing your cargo are responsible for handing you this document.

Bill of lading

The details in this document include the name of the importer and the supplier as well as the means of importation.

Also, it will indicate the port of origin as well as the port of discharge of your cargo.

The customs will use this document to counter reference on other shipping documents.

Also, it forms a basis of calculating the amount of customs duty to pay.

· Commercial invoice

A crucial document when it comes to calculating the cost of duties and taxes to pay.

Your supplier will issue you with this document.

Commercial invoice

The details of the document include the total cost of the goods as well as the individual cost of the goods.

Also, it indicates the quantity of the cargo you are importing.

· Agency certificate

You will need different types of agency certificate depending on the kind of goods you are importing.

For this, you will require the services of a freight forwarder to explain to you the exact document to have.

For instance, the Standard Organization of Nigeria will issue you with a SONCAP if you are importing manufactured goods.

SON

If you are importing certain food items, you will need to have an import permit for the goods.

For the food permits, you can obtain the certificate from NAFDAC.

Chapter 11: Main Chinese Cities shipping from China to Nigeria

When it comes to importing from China, you have various cities that you can use to import your cargo to Nigeria from China.

Allow me to take you through these various cities and the goods you can ship from these cities.

Take a look.

· Guangzhou

You can locate this city in the southern part of China in the province of Guangdong.

The port of Guangzhou serves as the main seaport that you can use for your shipment in Guangzhou ocean.

Guangzhou

If you choose to ship your cargo from Guangzhou via air, you will use the Baiyun International Airport.

You can locate this airport in Baiyun District.

The leading industries that you can locate in Guangzhou include: Automobiles, petrochemicals, electronics

· Shenzhen

The main industries that you can find suppliers in Shenzhen include industries that deal with:

Electronics, computer equipment, and software, telecom equipment and products, garment and textiles, furniture, jewellery.

 Shenzhen

The seaport that you can use to ship your cargo via Ocean in Shenzhen is the Shenzhen container port.

This port is the third largest container port in the world.

Port terminals that exist in Shenzhen include Yantian International Container Terminal, Chiwan Container Terminal and Shekou Container Terminal.

If you choose to ship via air, then you will have to do that through Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport.

This airport is north west of the city.

· Tianjin

Tianjin is another city that you can use to ship your cargo from China to Nigeria.

Tianjin

The main industries that you can locate in this city include:

• Iron and aluminium industries
• General and specialized machinery industry
• Food product industries
• Chemical and chemical product industries
• Automobile and transport industry

Shipping of your cargo can either be through the air or the ocean.

Through air, you will use the Tianjin Binhai International Airport which is in Dongli District.

If you choose to ship via sea, then you will use the Tianjin port which you can locate in Binhai Economic Zone.

The availability of modern infrastructures like road and railway allows for faster movement of your cargo.

· Hangzhou

In Zhejiang Province which is to the east of China, is Hangzhou which happens t be the capital city of the province.

Hangzhou

The existence of Port of Hangzhou will facilitate the shipment of your cargo via water.

If you are to use air, then there is Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport that you can use.

The common industries that you can find in this city include:

• Electronics and information technology companies
• Medical and chemical engineering industries
• Mechanical and equipment industries
• Textile and clothing industries
• Food and beverage industries

· Beijing

As the capital city of China, you can locate Beijing in the Northern part of the county.

Beijing

Some of the industries that you can use to source for your supplies include:

Automobile, rail locomotives, and shipbuilding industries

• Communications equipment, computers & others 2
• Medicine manufacturing industries
• Electrical equipment and machinery companies
• General machinery industries
• Non-metallic mineral product companies

You can ship your cargo from Beijing using air through Beijing Capital International Airport.

If you want to ship via sea, you can use Tianjin Port which southeast of Beijing.

The existence of a good transport infrastructure enables you to transport your cargo from your supplier to the port of origin at ease.

This includes high-speed rails.

· Shanghai

The location of this city is in Yangtze River Delta in East China Coast.

Shanghai

The main industries to source your products from in Shanghai include:

• Steel and aluminium industries
• Automobile vehicle plants
• IT related industries such as computers and software
• Mobile phones and accessories industry

You can ship via air through the Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.

The port of Shanghai is the main seaport that you can use to ship your cargo from Shanghai.

A well-linked infrastructure including road and railway enable faster transportation of your cargo from your supplier to the port of origin.

·Chongqing

Chongqing is located this city in the southwest part of China.

You can easily find a supplier of motor vehicle and motorcycles in this city.

Chongqing

This is because it is the third largest manufacturing centre for these items.

You can also find a supplier of aluminium due to the presence of the largest aluminium company in Asia.

Apart from that, you can also find the following industries in Chongqing:

• Electronics and IT industries
• Chemical production companies
• Medicine and medical equipment industries

The water transport available is inland ports that you can locate on rivers which you can use to ship to the nearest seaport.

You can achieve this by combining with other forms of transportation such as rail or road.

The Jianbein International Airport is the main international airport that you can use to ship your cargo from China to Nigeria.

· Suzhou

You can locate Suzhou in Jiangsu province in the eastern part of China.

Suzhou

There are some industries in Suzhou that you can choose to supply your cargo.

Such industries include:

• Electronic and Telecommunication industries
• Smelting and Pressing of Ferrous Metals
• Textile industry
• Electric Equipment and Machinery companies
• Raw Chemical Materials and Chemical Products companies
• Ordinary Machinery Manufacturing companies

The main port for ferrying your cargo from Suzhou via water is the Port of Suzhou.

You can then organize for ocean shipment since that is a port on a river.

When it comes to air transport, you can ship your cargo via three main international airports.

They include Sunan Shuofang International Airport, Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, and Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

· Chengdu

The location of this City is in Sichuan province on the Western part of China.

 Chengdu

The following industries can help you by supplying the following items to you:

• Auto spare parts
• An electronic gadget such as mobile phones and software and also cameras
• Food products such as beverage
• Medicines and medical supplies

If you want to export your cargo via air, you can do so via the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.

There is no major sea or ocean around Chengdu that you can use to ship your cargo.

However, there are other modes of transport that you can use to transport your cargo to the nearest port.

They include a well linked modern rail transport as well as highways.

Chapter12: Main Nigeria Seaport and Airport

Your imports will get into Nigeria from China either through a seaport or an airport in Nigeria.

As a result, you need to understand the available airports and seaports in Nigeria.

Let me take you through the major airports and seaports in Nigeria.

· Lagos Port Complex

Also known as the port of Lagos, operations in this port begun in 1914.

You can locate this largest seaport in Nigeria in the Apapa area of Lagos.

 Lagos Port Complex

The port complex consists of 19 berth that specializes in general cargo and two berths for bulk cargo.

It also has six berth that specializes in container handling and one berth for handling RORO operations.

The main terminal operators you can find in this port include Greenview Development Nigeria limited, AP Moller terminal, Apapa bulk and Consortium limited.

The port is ideal if you are importing to the western part of Nigeria.

Among the facilities that you can locate in this port include a bulk wheat grain silo that can store 76,000 tons of grains.

· Tin Can Island Port

Tin Can Island begun operations in the year 1997 and merged with Roro port in the year 2006.

This is the second busiest port in Nigeria that you can use to use to ship your cargo from China.

Tin Can Island Port

You can locate this port in the Apapa region of Lagos.

Among the terminal operators that you can find at this port include:

Tin Can Island Container Limited, Port and Cargo handling services, five-star Logistics Limited, Port and terminal Multiservice Limited and Josephdam Port services.

· Calabar Port

You can locate this port n the ancient city of Calabar in the Cross-River State capital.

This port consists of three terminals: The old port, the new port, and The Dockyard terminals.

 Calabar Port

However, you can find several crude oil terminals at the port.

The main terminal operators at this port include INTELS Nigeria Ltd, ECM Terminal Ltd, and Shoreline logistics ltd.

You can conveniently import through this port if you are in the eastern part of Nigeria.

The main roads leading to this port that you can use include; the east-west lang Calabarltu Road and north-south Calabar lkomYola road.

· Rivers Port Complex

Rivers state complex acts as one of the essential seaports in Nigeria that you can locate in the Coastal River State.

The port consists of Port of Port Harcourt and Okirika Refined Petroleum oil jetty and Haastrup/ Eagle bulk cement jetty.

River port complex

There is also Ibeto jetty, Macobar jetty, Bitumen jetty, and Kidney Island jetty.

The main operators that you can find at this port include; Port & Terminal Operators and BUA Port & Terminal.

Unlike other ports, this port is not under the operations of the Nigeria Port Authority.

The port can accommodate eight modern sea vessels at the same time.

Currently, there is an upgrade of transport facilities linking the port to the mainland including road and railway upgrade.

· Onne Port

You can locate this port in River State around the Ogu creek near Bonny river.

It is convenient if you are importing cargo to areas such as Bonny, Elleme, and Ogu- Bollo regions.

 Onne Port

The port consists of three terminals namely; Federal Ocean Terminal, Federal Lighter Terminal and the West Africa Container terminal.

The West Africa Container Terminal can handle vessels of up to 4000 TEUs.

When it comes to air shipping, the following are the main airports that you can ship through from China.

· Murtala Muhammed International Airport

This is one of the main international airports that you can ship your cargo through from China.

The airport conveniently serves the city of Lagos as well as the Southern part of Nigeria.

 Murtala Muhammed International Airport

The management of this airport is under the Bi- Courtney Aviation services.

International operations at the airport began in 1979 with the opening of the international terminal.

The commissioning of Murtala Muhammed Airport terminal 2 was in 2007 and begun cargo handling in the year 2010.

Cargo services you can find at this airport include large cargo capacity, online payment, and 24-hour security services.

You will also find automated and calibrated weighing scales.

· Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport

Operations at this airport begun in the year 2002.

You can locate this airport in the capital city of the federal republic of Nigeria.

You can conveniently ship your cargo through this airport to Abuja and its surroundings.

 Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport

The management and ownership of this airport are under the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.

There are two terminals at the airport that can serve you.

Plans are underway to upgrade the airports to reduce traffic.

This will include a new cargo handling design.

· Kaduna International Airport

If you are importing to areas such as Kaduna, Abuja, and Zaria, then this needs to be your ideal airport to use.

Kaduna International Airport

Kaduna international airport management and ownership are under the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria.

· Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport

You can locate this airport in the ancient city of Kano in the Northern region of Nigeria.

Mallam Aminu Kano International airport is convenient if you are importing to the Northern areas of Nigeria.

Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport

Operations at this port begun in the 1980s and is one of the oldest airports in Nigeria.

The airport consists of two terminals that will serve you either if you are shipping to Nigeria or domestically to other parts of Nigeria.

The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria owns and operates this airport.

· Akanu Ibiam International Airport

You can conveniently import your cargo to areas such as Enugu, Onitsha, Nnewi, Awka, Abakaliki, Nsukka and Ogoja through this airport.

The airport’s location is in Enugu state in the South Eastern part of Nigeria.

The administration and ownership of the airport are under the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria.

The availability of cargo warehouses at the airport allows you to store your cargo as you prepare for further transportation.

Chapter 13: Popular Importing Goods from China to Nigeria

For you to establish a successful business, you need to import goods that have a higher stock turnover.

Such goods will increase your profit margin as well as reduce your stock holding capacity.

Section of YiWu

The top imports from China to Nigeria include the following categories:

· Electrical gadgets and appliances

Under this category, you can import the following goods to China to Nigeria

• Tablets which are common as an alternative to laptops
• Earpiece and headphones are of common use especially for the youthful generation
• Memory cards and flash disk for savings files.
• Laptop and laptop chargers
• Smartphones and wrist watches

· Fashion accessories

You can import the following items under this segment

• Footwear especially for women
• Makeup kits which are in use by virtually all ladies to add beauty to their looks.
• Kids’ clothing
• Sportswear which you can target the sports world especially football kits

· Office and home electronic appliances

These refer to the electronic appliances that you can install around your homestead for security purposes.

You can also use them to increase the performance of your work.

Items that you can import under this category include:

• Computers which include desktops and laptops for office applications.
• CCTV cameras which you can install to enhance security around the homes and offices.
• Projectors which are common when making presentations in the office.
• Office safes which you can use to safely store important documents in the office or even at home.
• Printers and scanners which can be of use when you want to print documents.
• Decoders which are essential when you want your employees to watch TV stations.
• Wireless servers which can be used to connect an office network.
• Printing materials such as ink, tonners, photocopy papers which are vital in printing office materials.

Also, you can import the following items which are on demand in Nigeria:

• Auto parts such as car doors, brakes, tires, etc. which are essential in maintaining a vehicle
• All types of batteries that you can use in various appliances.
• Agricultural equipment which can find its application in the agricultural sector
• Solar based equipment such as solar panel, solar generators, etc.

Chapter 14: How to Start Your Business Importing from China to Nigeria

The process of importing might seem tough, but the truth is that it is straightforward.

You need to go through this process before you start the importation business.

Lagos Nigeria

This chapter takes you through the process of starting your importation business.

Keep reading.

1. Start by registering your company

The first step that you need to take is to register your company name and the physical address of your location. The Nigerian government will issue you with a Certificate of Incorporation.

You will also have to register with the Federal Inland Revenue Services.

Here, you must have a valid Tax Identification Number (TIN) and a proof that you have been remitting your taxes.

Also, you need to have a valid email linked to your TIN as well as your mobile number.

If you fail to register your TIN, you will not be able to submit any documents from the Nigerian central bank in the future.

As such, you won’t be able to submit any export declarations to the Nigerian Customs Services.

At this point, you can select a commercial bank of your choice to do transactions during your shipping process.

2. Acquire regulatory and a Trade insurance Certificate

You cannot do your export business without having a Trade Insurance certificate.

The importance of this certificate is to minimize the loss you may incur in case of accident to your cargo during shipment.

This includes piracy and loss of your cargo due to natural calamities such as the sinking of the ship.

You, therefore, need to check with a reputable insurance company in Nigeria to obtain this certificate.

Also, if you are importing goods that require regulatory certificates such as permits and conformity documents, make sure you have them.

These documents will come in handy especially during customs clearance.

Such goods include foodstuff, electronics, automotive and construction materials.

Check with the authorities on which regulatory documents you need.

3. Register for the Trade Portal

Now you are ready to register as an importer in Nigeria which will allow you to use the Nigeria Single Window Trade Portal.

You can locate this portal on the FIRS website.

You will need the Nigeria Single Window Trade portal to facilitate your shipping business.

It allows the parties involved in the shipping process to access the necessary information.

You can access trade information, follow up on your transactions and gain access to customer care for any clarification.

You will need to have a valid email address, a telephone number and the details of your company for you to register to this portal.

Once you submit this information to FIRS, you can register as a user using your Tax Identification Number and your email.

You will obtain a password that you can log into the portal.

4. Fill Out and Submit e-Form “M”

This step involves you logging into the Nigeria Single Trade Window portal and filling the form to a commercial bank of your choice.

The importance of this document is that it keeps track of the goods that you are importing to Nigeria.

It also helps when it comes to paying the necessary import duties.

You will need to have the following documents at hand before you log in to the Single Trade Window:

• Your password and username for the portal
• Your Tax Identification Number
• Any regulatory documents required by the customs.
• Scanned copies of necessary documents. You need to mark VALID FOR FOREX explicitly” or “NOT VALID FOR FOREX,” depending on the document.
• The Commercial Invoice
• The insurance certificate

Once you log in to the portal, you will locate the form on the left side on the “CBN Form Services” drop list.

You need to fill appropriately seven of the forms on the section.

These forms include Header, Names & Parties, Transport, Financial, Goods, Attachments, and Endorsement.

The attachment page will require you to submit the Commercial Invoice which needs to be valid for three months.

Also, you need to provide the insurance certificate and any permits and regulatory certificate necessary.

Once you are through, you need to submit the original copies of the following to your preferred commercial bank:

• Commercial Invoice
• Insurance certificate
• All necessary permits and regulatory certificates.

Once you get your completed E- form M, your commercial bank will:

• Confirm that you have properly filled your E- form M
• Confirm that you have attached all documents properly
• Verify the authenticity of the submitted documents.
• Approve your E- form M and mail it to the Nigeria Customs Service.
• Confirm the registration of the E- form M.

You can check the update of the process through the mail you provided.

You need to note that your E- form M is valid once the Nigeria Customs service registers it.

With the Single Trade Window portal, it is easier to track if your form has been accepted or rejected and the reasons therein.

• Nigeria Customs Service processing

Once the Nigeria Customs Service accepts your E- form M, it will start processing your form.

This includes creating a Pre- Arrival Assessment Report within 12 hours.

If you are importing general merchandise, the E- form M will be valid for three months, but you can seek an extension of three months from your commercial bank.

In case you are importing capital goods, the validity of the E- form M is 365 days with a room for another 365 days extension.

If you need a further extension, you will have to seek permission from the Director of Trade and Exchange office.

You can locate this office at the Central Bank of Nigeria.

• Documents preparations

This is the step where you need to prepare all the necessary documents that you will need for the importation process.  What happens here is that you will have to ensure proper filling of the documents.

For instance, ensure that your supplier indicates properly in an understanding language the description of the goods on the Commercial Invoice.

Also, you need to ensure that all the documents that you are transacting in are genuine.

Also, before handing over these documents to the bank, ensure that you have followed all the import procedure.

To ensure smooth clearance of your cargo, ensure that your supplier submits all documents to the bank on time.

You can instruct your supplier to make arrangements for the delivery of your cargo once the Nigeria Customs Service records your E- form M

• Follow up on your supplier ad your commercial bank.

There are some tasks that your supplier and the commercial bank that you will transact business through the need to do.

Your supplier, for instance, is responsible for the preparation of your cargo.

This includes testing, inspection, and certification of the cargo through the Standards organization of Nigeria.

Your cargo must pass through this stage to get the Standard Organization of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Program (SONCAP) certificate.

Most imports to Nigeria need this certificate for customs clearance at the ports.

SONCAP

Also, your supplier must submit four copies of the following documents to his commercial bank:

• Transport document, e. Airway bill, bill of Lading
• Packing list
• Commercial Invoice
• Certificate of Origin

Your supplier commercial bank will then forward these documents to your commercial bank to prepare for a Letter of Credit.

On the other hand, your commercial bank has some functions to perform.

Once they receive the documents from the supplier commercial bank, they will assess and endorse the documents.

After endorsement, they will upload the documents to the Pre- Arrival Assessment Report System.

Once complete, they will issue you with a Pre- Arrival Assessment report.

Your commercial bank must counter check on the documents to ensure that they are genuine.

They will also alert you once they receive all the documents within 21 days of shipping your cargo.

Once the SONCAP issues you with the certificate for your goods, goods, you can go ahead and import your cargo.

Remember to activate the SONCAP certificate on the Single Trade window portal and Apply for the Pre- Arrival Assessment Report.

• Custom clearance

You will have to clear with the customs at the port of entry before your goods can be allowed in Nigeria.

This includes inspection as well as paying the required customs duties and taxes.

The customs will calculate the duties and taxes based on the value of your imports, i.e. the CIF value.

The commercial bank you are transacting through is responsible for collecting the necessary import duty on your cargo

It is easier if your commercial bank is a designated one.

However, if your commercial bank is not a designated bank, you need to pay the amount to a designated bank and send a copy of the receipt to your commercial bank.

The designated bank ensures that you have paid the full tax and sends a notification to The Nigeria Customs Service if the amount is correct.

It will after that submit the amount you have paid to the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Central Bank of Nigeria

The Nigeria Customs Service will only release the documents to you have completed all the transactions.

You are then free to collect and transport your cargo.

Conclusion

I hope that this guide has cleared all the fears you may be having concerning importing your cargo from China to Nigeria.

You have seen how easy it is to do your shipping.

This guide illustrates the importance of having a reliable forwarder for your shipping.

Not only will they facilitate your shipping but also keep you informed during the entire shipping process.

For a reliable forwarder, get in touch with us today and let us introduce you to a new world of shipping.