Yes, you can import a car from China to Nigeria safely, and see it parked in your compound. Our clients do it every week. The ones who do it without any “had I known” stories follow one important rule: never pay for a car without doing proper due diligence.

Whenever people engage us to import a vehicle for them they usually have the same two worries:

1. “What it will cost?”
2. “How do I not get scammed?”

These are both very fair questions. Most of the people who lose money when they try to import their dream cars are the ones who paid before they did proper due diligence. The ones whose cars land safely check if the seller is real, see the car with their own eyes (or through someone they trust) and make payments in milestones rather than one lump sum.

This guide will walk you through the entire process of importing a vehicle from China to Nigeria. From the moment you make an inquiry about your dream car to the moment it is parked proudly in your compound. We’ll cover how to verify if the seller is a real person or company or a fraud, how money moves from Nigerian to Chinese payment rails, what the whole process costs, how the car is actually shipped, the papers you will need to get your car out of the port and how to handle last mile transportation to your driveway.

We’re going to start with why increasingly, Nigerians are choosing to import vehicles directly from China, instead of other places in the world.

Can you import a car from China to Nigeria safely? Yes, and here’s why buyers are increasingly choosing Chinese cars

People import cars from China every single week, and for practical reasons: Jetour, Geely, Changan, BYD and Chery are all top automotive brands, with their parent companies located in China.

Before you get carried away, though, the car itself has to pass one test: its age test. As of 2026, this means any car you import must have been manufactured in 2014 or later. In other words it must be less than twelve years old.

Buying directly from the source doesn’t mean the process is straightforward. The car crosses an ocean and passes through several hands before it reaches you. Every step where money moves is a chance to lose it: a fake seller, a wrong document, or a payment made too early. That’s why having a team on the ground in China matters.

This guide follows the same principle we outlined in how to import from China to Nigeria safely, our guide for bringing in machinery, cargo and air freight: verify the seller, inspect what you’re buying, then pay. This one is specifically for cars. Let’s start with the first and most important step: verifying that the seller is a real, legitimate business.

How we verify the seller, inspect the car, and protect your payment

Here’s how it typically goes wrong. You find the exact car you want on a Chinese marketplace. The photos look good. The seller answers fast. You pay a deposit. Then comes the ask: send the balance before the export licence (the paper that lets the car leave China) is ready.

The safe way runs in the opposite direction: verify the seller, inspect the car, then pay. And inspecting the car is the part most guides skip. There are only two ways to do it: you fly to China and see it yourself, or have a trusted party on the ground in China inspect it for you.

Here’s exactly what we check before your money reaches the seller’s bank account:

1. Business licence: verified on gsxt.gov.cn, China’s official company registry
2. Export qualification: confirmed on origin.customs.gov.cn, China’s customs site, to ensure the seller has permission to ship goods out of China as a business
3. Credit and lawsuit history: checked through Qichacha and Tianyancha, China’s two major business-record platforms
4. Identity cross-match: we confirm that the company name, registration number, address, bank account and company seal all belong to that one business, and that the person signing is who they say they are

If anything doesn’t match, we don’t go ahead.

Your money doesn’t enter China until our team has inspected the car and you’ve approved.

Want to see the car yourself? You can fly in, and our China team will guide you to the right showrooms and supplier locations. Or, if you’d rather not travel, we can handle the purchase on your behalf.

Once the seller has been verified and the car has been inspected and approved, the next question is how the money actually moves.

How to pay from Nigeria: in naira, in stages, with your approval at every step

You pay in naira, here in Nigeria, into our Nigerian account. You don’t need to find dollars or yuan. It’s one of the first questions our clients ask (how to import from China to Nigeria in naira).

Here’s how it works. We pay the supplier for you in their own currency: Chinese yuan, called RMB. You see the exchange rate for that day first, and you approve it before we make any FX conversions.

You never pay everything at once. You place a deposit. We inspect the car in the supplier’s city and send you the report. Only when you approve the report do you pay the balance.

One of the most common questions we get from clients buying cars from China for the first time is “How much does the whole process cost?”

What it actually costs to import a car from China to Nigeria

The seller’s price on the car is not the only expense when it comes to importing cars. There are four other main costs: duty, freight, clearing and delivery. Customs, not the seller, sets most of these. The published breakdown on the official Nigeria Customs tariff page is the source you should trust.

Duty is calculated on the customs value that Nigeria Customs assigns from the car’s VIN, its vehicle identification number. A computer system has set that value automatically since May 2022, so it can differ from what you actually paid. Here’s how the duty breaks down on that customs value:

• Import duty: 20 percent
• NAC levy: 5 percent
• ETLS (the ECOWAS trade levy): 0.5 percent
• Surcharge on the duty itself: 7 percent of the import duty (about 1.4 percent of the customs value)
• CISS (an inspection levy): about 1 percent
• Green levy: 2 percent for engines from 2.0 to 3.9 litres, 4 percent from 4.0 litres up (EVs are exempt)
• VAT: 7.5 percent, applied on the running total

At a $4,500 customs value, this adds up to roughly ₦2.3 million. That is an illustration, not a quote. Your own number may vary based on the exchange rate and your engine size. Your duty assessment comes in naira, at the exchange rate that day.

• Freight. Market ranges as of August 2026: about $435 per CBM (cubic meters, the unit you measure shared container space in), $2,970–$3,630 for a 20-foot container, $3,150–$3,850 for a 40-foot. Which freight rate applies to you depends on how your car ships. We always advise our clients to book three to four weeks ahead in order to account for port congestion.
• Clearing and terminal. There are no standard rates for this category of costs. However here is a rough demonstration (note that these are rough figures, not quotes from us and should not be taken as such): the clearing agent’s fee is cited at ₦100,000–₦150,000, and terminal plus shipping handling adds another ₦150,000–₦200,000 per vehicle. When cargo sits past its free days, demurrage (the daily fee the port charges for storage) and terminal storage add a further 10–15 percent on top of CIF, duty and VAT. CIF is calculated as the car’s cost plus insurance and freight.
• Delivery. Depends on the distance. Where you are receiving your vehicle will determine your quote.

A quote prices all four costs: freight by method and space, duty after Customs values the car from its VIN. Engine size, model year and port decide where your number lands. The full worked table is covered in detail in what it really costs to import a car from China to Nigeria. One choice is still open: how the car actually makes the trip. The cost of shipping depends on the method you choose, and that is the next decision to make.

RoRo or container: choosing between cost and protection

Both methods are perfectly legal and will work just fine. The choice comes down to how much protection you want for your car during the voyage. The sealed container costs more. RoRo (roll-on, roll-off) means the car is driven onto the ship and driven off at Apapa or Tin Can Island, the two ports where most vehicle imports land.

	RoRo	Container (20-foot or 40-foot)
How the car travels	Driven on and off the ship	Packed inside a sealed box
Protection	Less: parked on a vehicle deck for the crossing	More: sealed from loading to offload
Suits	Everyday cars, where the price matters most	Higher-value cars you want untouched

You don’t need to manage the shipping logistics yourself. We handle the whole shipping side for you. On shared container space, we pack and price by CBM (cubic meters), with shipping and clearing as one rate, not the two separate market prices above.

Before the ship sails, two things need to be sorted: the car’s age verification and the import paperwork.

The age rule and the three documents you need before your car ships

Before your car can ship, two things need to be in order: the car must pass the age limit, and three key documents need to be filed in the correct sequence.

As we covered earlier, the national limit is 12 years from the year of manufacture: 2014 or later as of 2026. Tin Can Island applies a stricter port-level limit of 10 years (2016 or later), while Apapa enforces the national 12-year rule. If you want to keep your options open across all ports, go for 2016 or newer.

1. Form M

   • What it is: The import declaration you open through an Authorised Dealer Bank (a licensed commercial bank).
   • When to file: Before the car ships, but after the Product Certificate (item 3 below). Required for imports above $1,000 and valid for six months.
   • Watch out: Its value must match the commercial invoice exactly. It cannot be backdated.
   • Reference: Central Bank of Nigeria’s Form ‘M’ page

2. PAAR (the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report)

   • What it is: The report your clearing agent files through NICIS II, Customs’ online portal.
   • When to file: Before the ship arrives. Customs assesses your duty on this report, based on the VIN value.

3. SONCAP (Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme)

   • What it is: The certificate that confirms a used car meets the standards for entry into Nigeria.
   • The chain: A Product Certificate starts the file (you need this before the Form M above) → an approved inspection agent checks the car and issues the CoC (Certificate of Conformity) → SON converts that into the SONCAP Certificate that Customs demands at clearance.
   • Watch out: The exemption list covers “used products other than automobiles”. Used cars are not exempt, so the SONCAP Certificate still applies.
   • Reference: SONCAP pre-shipment verification (SON)

The voyage itself runs roughly three to six weeks depending on the route: Shanghai to Lagos takes 35–40 days, Guangzhou to Calabar 20–25. Open Form M late and the car waits on the water. Get all three filed before the ship sails, and your car moves through the port without unnecessary delays or demurrage fees.

Electric vehicles from China: 0% duty is not automatic, and parts need a check first

Chinese EVs are a big part of the appeal, and they come with a duty story of their own. The 0% duty you may have read about, though, is not automatic, and for a single car it effectively doesn’t exist.

To qualify for the 0% duty and VAT exemption under the federal PiCNG & EV programme (the Presidential Gas for Growth Initiative), all of the following must be true:

• The vehicle is a pure EV or extended-range EV with 200km+ electric-only range
• It is not a hybrid
• Its value is under $100,000
• The entire container must be filled with qualifying EVs
• An iDec application has been filed: twelve steps, a TIN (your tax ID number) and a fee, submitted through the government portal

That last condition is what matters for you as a private buyer: the exemption requires a full container of electric cars, and nobody buys a container of EVs for themselves. In practice the 0% rate only works at dealer scale: bulk shipments, full containers, confirmed before anyone commits. We don’t currently offer iDec filings, so the 0% rate isn’t something we can guarantee for your import. If you’re importing in bulk as a dealer, ask us about the iDec path directly.

So what do you actually pay for one electric car? The same duty breakdown as every other car, minus the Green levy.

Parts availability has been growing as more Chinese vehicles arrive in Nigeria: routine service items for Jetour, Geely and Changan are now available in the major Lagos and Abuja parts markets. However when it comes to body panels and trim for a specific model, those are worth checking before you commit. Ask us and we’ll tell you what’s available for your car.

One more thing to keep in mind. Chinese vehicles ship with Chinese apps and menus on the infotainment system. We can advise you on what to expect for your specific model. And if you’re going electric, know that public EV charging infrastructure outside Lagos and Abuja is still limited, so factor that into your decision.

Neither of these should stop you. Just ask us before you commit so there are no surprises.

Now that you know what your car will actually cost in duty, here’s what happens when it arrives at the port.

From the port to your compound: what the timeline really looks like

The voyage takes three to six weeks. Then comes clearing: getting the car officially out of Customs’ hands.

Clearing takes as long as Customs takes. The Nigeria Customs Service states a 48-hour goal, but Customs decides when it releases the car. We work with experienced clearing agents on the ground. Once the car is released, we clear it quickly, usually the same or next day, and keep you updated throughout.

Your duty is settled with Customs during this step, on the Nigerian leg of the journey.

One step sits between release and the road: registering and plating the car in your state. The office that handles it, the documents, the fees and the days vary by state, so you always do your research on (or ask us) what your state requires.

Once the car is released, our Nigeria operations team takes over. They transport the car to Abuja or your city, inspect it, and handle any touch-ups needed before handover. The entire handover is documented with photos and video for your approval.

And that’s the complete journey, from making your first inquiry to seeing your car parked proudly in your compound.

Questions our clients ask before importing a car from China

How long does it take to ship a car from China to Nigeria?

Roughly three to six weeks on the water: Shanghai to Lagos takes 35–40 days, Guangzhou to Calabar 20–25. Clearing depends on customs, usually same or next day once customs releases the vehicle. Registration and plating in your state is the last step.

Does the full payment include duty?

Nigerian Customs assesses duty on the VIN-based customs value, in naira, settled here in Nigeria. Whether duty is inside the staged payments or settled separately depends on how the shipment is set up. Get it in writing before you commit.

How much is shipping for a car from China?

Rates depend on your shipping method and when you book, and the cost breakdown above has the current market ranges. Message us for the current rate for your specific vehicle.

Where is your office?

Our office in Abuja is at Bengate Plaza, Plot 1387, Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2.

How do I avoid scams when buying a car from China?

Check the seller on the official Chinese registries before anything else. Never pay the balance before you’ve inspected the car and the export papers are ready. Pay in milestones. A scam asks for the balance early, and that ask is how you spot it.

Work with a verified agent to import a car from China

A Chinese car is a real option in 2026, and our clients do it every week. Picture the end: a car you chose, parked proudly in your compound, with every naira accounted for along the way. The age rules are published, the duty structure is known, and the difference between a safe import and an expensive lesson comes down to one thing: the car is properly inspected before your money moves. That is our car service in one line: verify the seller, inspect the car, then pay. We run the China side, and you approve each stage. Full details: Import a car from China — Yodo’s car service.

Nazido is our own company on the ground in China, the same team that inspects your car for you.

Message Yodo on WhatsApp at +86 130 4174 1021 if you’re already in China, with the make, model and year. You’ll get a real answer on what it takes to land that car before anyone asks for a deposit.

We’re going to walk you through how to import goods from China to Nigeria in seven steps.

You pay in naira, here in Nigeria, to Yodo. Our Guangzhou team pays the factory in RMB (Chinese yuan). Following these steps in the right order keeps your money safe: we pay the supplier only after the seller is verified and the goods are inspected.

This walkthrough covers seven steps:

1. Spec the factory has to quote against
2. Factory checks on the real registries
3. Inspection in China before you pay
4. Staged naira payment
5. Air-or-sea shipping
6. Clearing with Form M, PAAR and SONCAP
7. Delivery, with the full landed cost priced before you commit

Our clients do this every week. We handle the China side, and you approve before we pay the supplier.

The first step: write a clear spec, before any money moves.

Step 1: Decide what to import and write a clear spec for sources, samples and price

More Nigerian shop owners order directly from Chinese factories. The difference between a clean order and a costly one usually comes down to something that happens before you pay: the spec you write. First-timers message “I want shirts” or “I want phones”, and the factory quotes the wrong thing, because a vague description means they guess.

Write this before you message any supplier:

• Material: what the product is made of, and what it must not be
• Sizes and quantities: per item, per pack, per carton
• Packaging: how the goods must be packed to survive the journey
• Standard: what “good quality” means for this product, written so the factory can follow it without guessing

Your spec is what the factory quotes against, what we check the sample against, and what we inspect the final goods against. The principle behind every step, verify, inspect, then pay, we cover in detail in our guide on how to import from China to Nigeria safely.

Step 2: Find and verify the supplier is a real factory

If you want to find suppliers, the listing part is easy. Factories, trading companies and middlemen list side by side on the major China sourcing platforms, so a listing proves nothing on its own.

Here’s exactly what we check in China before a kobo reaches the supplier’s bank account:

1. Business licence: our Guangzhou team verifies it on gsxt.gov.cn, China’s official company registry
2. Export qualification: our Guangzhou team confirms it on origin.customs.gov.cn, China’s customs site, so the seller has permission to ship goods out of China as a business
3. Credit and lawsuit history: our Guangzhou team checks it through Qichacha and Tianyancha, China’s two major business-record platforms
4. Identity cross-match: our Guangzhou team matches the name, number, address, account, chop and signatory to that one business. If anything doesn’t match, we do not go ahead.

Worth noting: Qichacha routes visitors outside mainland China to an international portal, and Tianyancha blocks them outright. You can only run these checks from inside mainland China, which is why our Guangzhou team handles them.

Passing the registry checks doesn’t mean the goods are right. That’s what the inspection confirms.

Step 3: Inspect the goods in China before you pay, and approve before we pay the balance

One of our clients once paid us in full for a camera order. The money was already with us, and we still inspected the camera in the supplier’s city and confirmed it matched the order before a kobo reached the supplier. That’s how we work: we don’t pay the supplier until we have seen the goods and you’ve approved.

Inspection means we see your exact goods against the spec from Step 1, record a video condition report, and send it to you before any balance is paid. Most inspections come back clean. When the goods don’t match, our inspection process caught flood damage on a car worth millions of naira.

If your supplier is not in Guangzhou, we travel to their city to see the goods before we pay. You approve the same video report before any balance moves.

The safe order is always the same: verify the seller, inspect the goods, then pay.

Step 4: Pay safely from Nigeria in naira, in stages, with the rate confirmed first

You pay us in naira here in Nigeria. We pay the supplier in RMB (Chinese yuan) after you’ve approved, at the current exchange rate, which we confirm with you before converting. You don’t need to find dollars or yuan.

You don’t pay everything upfront either. You place a deposit. We inspect and send the report. You pay the balance after you approve. The split depends on the order. No single percentage fits every shipment. We won’t ask you to clear the balance early.

A scam asks for the balance before you see the inspection. That ask is how you spot it. Pay in stages instead.

Step 5: Ship by air or sea, and understand what the quote covers

By the time your goods pass inspection, you’ll already know whether to ship by air or sea. We price heavy or bulky cargo by CBM (cubic meters), the volume your goods fill once packed. We price light or urgent air cargo per kilogram. A machine for your workshop and a household container for your compound go the same way: if it fills space, it ships by CBM.

We handle shipping, and the quote shows you what you pay for.

When we ship door-to-door, we quote one rate for shipping and clearing, and you see the all-in cost before you approve.

Cars are the exception: car quotes cover getting the car to Lagos, and we quote clearing separately.

By sea, we charge per cubic meter, and we quote your all-in price when you ask. The number you approve is the number you pay.

A container tracking number exists only when you own the entire container. Shared containers don’t get one. What you get instead is updates from us at every stage, because one shared box carries many owners’ goods and the forwarder tracks the box, not your cartons.

Step 6: Clear customs in Nigeria and take delivery (the three documents and the clearing timeline)

Once your goods are on the water or in the air, the Nigerian side requires three documents, and filing them in the right order is just as important as having them:

1. Form M
   – What it is: the import declaration, which you open at your bank (an Authorised Dealer Bank).
   – When to file: before the goods ship.
   – Watch out: required for commercial imports above $1,000, its value must match the commercial invoice exactly, and it stays valid for about six months.

2. PAAR
   – What it is: the pre-arrival assessment report, Customs works out your duty assessment before the goods reach Nigeria, and your agent files it through NICIS II (Nigeria Customs’ clearance system) against your Form M number.
   – When to file: before the vessel arrives.

3. SONCAP
   – What it is: inspectors verify conformity in China, before anything ships (SONCAP, per the Standards Organisation of Nigeria).
   – Watch out: the SONCAP Certificate is mandatory for customs clearance, the Product Certificate behind it is required to open Form M, and processing typically takes 2–4 weeks, so start early.

Our cargo is electronics, gadgets, machinery and general goods, so SONCAP applies and NAFDAC (the food and drug regulator) does not come into it. If your goods fall outside those, ask for a check before you commit.

Here’s how long clearing actually takes.

Sea clearing. Nobody can give you an exact date, because customs decides when goods are released. Release normally comes through in 7 to 10 days. If it takes longer, we follow up, but we can’t make them move faster. Plan around that while Customs decides. Once your goods are released, we clear them quickly, usually the same or next day, and keep you updated.

Air clearing. Air clearing is usually same-day, sometimes two-day.

The process is public on the Nigeria Customs Service site.

When your goods land in Lagos, we clear them. We price delivery to where they land next, which is why we confirm the quote before you commit. The details for general goods are on our general-goods import service page.

Step 7: Take delivery in Abuja or your city

We bring the goods to Abuja, or to your city: delivered to your shop, stored in your warehouse, or delivered to your compound, and we send photos and videos of the handover for you to approve. Approve the handover, and the goods are yours.

That’s the entire process from deposit to delivery.

What it costs and how long it takes to import goods from China to Nigeria

The landed cost of importing goods from China to Nigeria has four main costs, and we can price every one of them before you commit:

1. Duty, VAT and levies: duty follows your HS code, the tariff category your goods file under. Most general goods land in the 5–20 percent band, inside a full CET range of 0–35 percent. VAT adds 7.5 percent on the CIF value (goods, insurance and freight to port) plus the duties. Official rates: Nigeria Customs CET tariff.
2. Freight: China to Lagos, by air or sea.
3. Port and terminal charges: the port-side work and fees between the ship and the gate.
4. Delivery: Lagos to Abuja or your city.

Freight moves every few weeks, so only a fresh quote counts. Air door-to-door runs $8.99–$14.99 per kg all-in: express in 3–4 days, normal air in 7 days, battery goods in 14 days.

For sea, forwarder listings show about $435 per CBM and $2,970–$3,850 for a full container. That is the ship alone, without documentation. Our sea door-to-door runs 45–60 days including unpacking. It can slip by about a week; not guaranteed. Send your goods and route and we confirm your price and time before you commit.

Demurrage, terminal charges and local trucking can add 10–15 percent on top of CIF, duty and VAT. That covers the port extras. The Reddit first-timer’s 25–30% above product and shipping is a wider cushion: “Customs required a lot more paperwork than I expected. If I were starting again, I’d budget at least 25–30% above product and shipping costs.”

When we price every cost before you commit, there are no surprises on the final bill.

FAQ: paying in naira, who can import, sea timelines, and doing it with an agent

Can I pay in naira?

Yes. You pay in naira, here in Nigeria, into our Nigerian account, and we pay the supplier in RMB after you’ve approved. We confirm the current rate with you before we convert. You don’t need to find dollars or yuan.

Do I need a company to import?

There is no special import licence to obtain. The import process requires a Form M, which you open at your Nigerian bank (an Authorised Dealer Bank). File the paperwork in the right order. That’s what an agent manages with you.

How long does sea freight take?

Our sea door-to-door for goods runs 45–60 days including unpacking and delivery (can slip about a week; not guaranteed). At the port, sea release normally comes in 7–10 days, and once Customs releases your goods we clear them, usually the same or next day.

Does the full payment include duty?

For air and general-goods shipments, we include clearing in the shipping cost we quote you. Duty itself is separate: Nigeria Customs assesses it in naira on each shipment’s value. Your quote breaks down all four costs so you know the total before you commit.

Do I have to go to China myself?

No. We source, inspect and ship on your behalf, and you approve at every stage. If you’d rather see with your own eyes, you can fly in and we will guide you to the right factories and warehouses. Nazido is our company on the ground in China. That’s who sources, inspects, and ships on your behalf.

Where is your office?

Our office in Abuja is at Bengate Plaza, Plot 1387, Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2. Walk in, or message us on WhatsApp first if you’re outside Abuja. A real office means your money has somewhere to find us. Our China team works from Guangzhou, and if your supplier is in another city, we travel to them.

Verify the seller, inspect the goods, then pay. Nazido is our company on the ground in China. That’s who inspects your goods before we pay the supplier. The end result: your goods, cleared and delivered, in your shop or your compound, with every cost accounted for. Message Yodo on WhatsApp at +234 904 190 9777, or +86 130 4174 1021 if you’re already in China, with what you want to import and where it should land.

We often get asked what a car from China really costs once duty, freight, clearing and delivery are all in.

Nigeria Customs values the car from its VIN, set automatically since May 2022, and no agent can negotiate it. Duty is charged on that number, even if you paid the seller less. Below we price every charge line by line, from the 20% duty to the 7.5% VAT, so you see the landed cost before you commit.

Two questions come up every time: what does it cost, and how do I not get scammed. This page covers:

• the four main costs at a glance
• the seven-charge duty table on your VIN value
• sea freight priced by CBM, with RoRo versus container
• clearing through Form M, PAAR and SONCAP, with agent and terminal ranges
• the sea-to-Abuja timeline
• what duty-free really means for one electric car
• what pushes your quote up or down

We go through each of these costs from cars our clients clear every week. We start with the four main costs, so you know where every naira goes.

What it costs to import a car from China to Nigeria: the 4 main costs at a glance

The landed cost of a car from China to Nigeria is the full price of getting one specific car from a seller’s yard in China to your compound:

Landed cost = seller’s price + duty on the VIN valuation + sea freight per CBM + clearing and terminal + delivery to your city.

Demurrage (the port’s daily storage fee) is extra. It isn’t in those four costs, and extra fees are where the “had I known” stories usually start. Filing the documents correctly keeps extra fees off the bill.

We cover the safety rules for the trip in how to import a car from China to Nigeria safely. Hold the VIN value as the fixed starting point, and price freight, clearing and delivery around it before you commit. Duty comes first, because you don’t get to negotiate it.

The customs duty charges, line by line: the table that sets your landed cost

A client wanted a 2025 Jetour T2 4WD petrol. Our inspection found flood damage plus an incident involving a person, neither visible on sight. That finding saved the client millions of naira and the expensive mechanical problems that would have come with it.

Duty is calculated on the customs value Nigeria Customs assigns from the car’s VIN (vehicle identification number), set automatically since May 2022. It can differ from what you paid, and no agent can negotiate it. Our Guangzhou team must inspect that specific car before you pay.

The full list of charges (Nigeria Customs CET tariff):

Charge	Rate	Applied to
Import duty	20%	Customs VIN value
NAC levy	5% (15% before May 2026)	Customs VIN value
ETLS (the ECOWAS trade levy)	0.5%	Customs VIN value
Surcharge	7% of the import duty (about 1.4% of the value)	The duty itself
CISS	about 1%	FOB value (the car’s price before freight and insurance)
Green levy	2% (2.0–3.9L) or 4% (4.0L up), petrol and diesel, EVs exempt, from July 1, 2026	Engine size
VAT	7.5%	Running total

At a $4,500 customs value, the charges add up to roughly ₦2.3 million. That’s an example, not a quote from us. Your assessment comes in naira, at the exchange rate that day, and your engine size moves the Green levy.

We don’t pay anyone in China until the Guangzhou team has seen the car and you’ve approved. If your supplier is not in Guangzhou, the China team travels to their city to see the car first. You don’t pay everything upfront either. You place a deposit and we inspect and send the report. You pay the balance after you approve, in stages rather than one lump sum. We pay the supplier only after you have approved.

That is how the duty number stays the one you expected: verify the seller, inspect the car, then pay.

Sea freight for a car from China: RoRo vs container and what per-CBM means for your landed cost

Sea freight prices a car one of two ways: by CBM (cubic meters, the space your car fills, length × width × height in metres) on shared container space, or by the whole container. We book shipping for your car through our forwarder network, not the spot market. Listings show about $435 per CBM and $2,970–$3,850 for a full container. That is the ship alone, without documentation. A full container with us costs about double because it includes the $7,000+ documentation. Freight moves every few weeks, so send your car and route and we confirm your price and time before you commit. Book 3–4 weeks ahead, because Lagos congestion adds delays.

RoRo (roll-on, roll-off) means the car is driven onto the ship and off at Apapa or Tin Can Island, with lower handling and less protection. A container costs more and seals the car from loading to offload. If you want lower handling choose RoRo. If you want the car sealed choose a container. We normally use a container for cars, whatever the model is worth, and our car quotes cover delivery to Lagos, clearing priced as its own stage.

Next is clearing. Filing the documents correctly keeps extra fees off the bill; mistakes add them.

Clearing, terminal handling and the documents that change your landed cost

Clearing is three costs: the documents Customs needs to release the car, the agent and terminal fees, and the demurrage if the documents were wrong. One Nigerian buyer described the fee problem like this: “The prices do change. Some of these customs agents you know they just wake up and you know whatever price they just feel like you know they just give you.” Let’s take the documents in filing order.

1. Form M
   – What it is: your import declaration, opened through an Authorised Dealer Bank (a licensed commercial bank).
   – When to file: before the car ships, never backdated. Required above $1,000, valid for six months.
   – Watch out: its value must match the commercial invoice exactly, or PAAR (the next document) is rejected.

2. PAAR (Pre-Arrival Assessment Report)
   – What it is: the duty assessment your clearing agent files through NICIS II, Customs’ Single Window, using your Form M number.
   – When to file: before the vessel arrives.
   – Watch out: a value mismatch with the Form M delays it, and delayed cars sit past their free days.

3. SONCAP
   – What it is: the pre-shipment conformity certificate done in China before shipping. The chain: Product Certificate, then CoC (Certificate of Conformity) from an approved inspection agent, then the SONCAP Certificate Customs demands.
   – Watch out: used products are exempt except automobiles, so a used car is not exempt. Details: SONCAP: Standards Organisation of Nigeria.

General cargo gets the same chain in the step-by-step import process from China to Nigeria.

After release, clearing agents generally charge ₦100k–₦150k per car, and terminal and handling fees add ₦150k–₦200k. Both are market ranges, not our prices, and both move. Cargo that sits past its free days adds demurrage and terminal charges, another 10–15% on top of cost, insurance, freight, duty and VAT.

We can’t give you an exact date for sea clearing, because customs decides when to release goods. We work with experienced clearing agents on the ground. Sea clearing usually takes 7–10 days. Once customs releases the car, the last steps are usually the same or next day, and we keep you updated. Exceptions depend on customs, and we follow up.

You can price every one of these costs before you commit, but nobody can promise the exact day customs will release the car.

How long until the car reaches you in Abuja

There is no single number for China to Abuja, because the trip is four stages and customs controls the clearing stage. We confirm the times below at booking; we do not promise them:

Stage	Typical time
Sea, China to Lagos	Our door-to-door for cars runs 45–60 days including unpacking (can slip about a week; not guaranteed)
Clearing at the port	normally 7–10 days, customs decides release
Registration and plates	after release; we confirm details at booking
Delivery to Abuja or your city	after release; we price it by distance

We confirm those ranges for your route and car at booking.

Once customs releases the car, our Nigeria operations team receives it, delivers it to Abuja or your city, and documents the handover with photos and videos for your approval. We perform a final inspection and any necessary touch-ups before you see it. You approve the photos and videos before we release the car to you. We price that last leg by distance.

At the end of the trip the car is in your compound, and you already know the full landed cost.

Electric vehicles and what duty-free really means for your landed cost

“How does the current free import duty on EV affect price? Is this policy currently reflecting at the ports?” One Nigerian buyer asked exactly that on Nairaland and got no answer in the thread. The exemption is real, and a single car cannot reach it.

Under the federal PiCNG & EV programme (the Presidential Gas for Growth Initiative), pure electric vehicles and extended-range EVs (ERevs) pay 0% import duty and 0% VAT. Hybrids do not qualify, and neither do EVs valued at $100,000 or more. EVs are exempt from the Green levy.

Reaching the 0% rate takes all of the following:

• A qualifying vehicle: a pure EV or EREV with 200km+ electric-only range, with a value under $100,000, no hybrids
• An iDec accreditation: a 12-step application with a TIN (your tax ID number) and an administrative fee, which you file on the government portal
• A full container: every vehicle in it must be a qualifying EV

That is why a single EV is effectively unavailable to a private buyer. We do not hold iDec accreditation ourselves. Access is indirect only. We have never run one, and we will not guarantee a benefit we cannot confirm. The 0% rate is for bulk and dealer shipments, confirmed with you before you commit.

One electric car today pays the same charges minus the Green levy.

What pushes cost up or down, and how to get an exact landed-cost quote

Six things move your landed cost:

• Parts network: Chinese car parts are available in Nigeria in general, but check the network for your model before you buy. The model you pick moves your long-term cost.
• Engine size: the Green levy steps from 2% to 4% at 4.0 litres. EVs skip it.
• Year and condition: duty is based on the customs value assigned from the VIN, not your purchase price, and has not been negotiable since May 2022.
• Model and trim: the trim level affects the valuation, so two cars of the same model with different trims do not assess the same.
• Port: the official age rule is 12 years from manufacture, 2014 or newer in 2026. Tin Can Island runs a stricter port-level 10-year practice, so the working year there is 2016 or newer. If your car is near those years, confirm the year for your port with us before you commit.
• Shipping method: RoRo costs less and protects less. A container costs more and keeps the car sealed.
• Paperwork: a Form M that matches the commercial invoice exactly clears PAAR without a delay. Mismatches lead to demurrage.

An exact landed-cost quote prices all four main costs for your car: duty by VIN valuation, freight by method, clearing by stage, delivery by distance. You bring the make, model, year and trim. We return the four lines.

Landed-cost questions our clients ask

Does the full payment include duty?

No. Nigerian Customs assesses duty separately on the VIN-based customs value, in naira, on top of the car price and the shipping. On our side, you pay us in naira, here in Nigeria, and we pay the supplier in RMB (Chinese yuan) at the current exchange rate you approve before we convert. You don’t need to find dollars or yuan.

How much is shipping for a car from China?

RoRo costs less and protects less, so choose by that trade-off. Our car quotes cover delivery to Lagos. We price clearing as its own stage. Message us for the rate on your specific car.

How long does the whole trip take?

The sea leg for our cars runs 45–60 days door to door including unpacking (can slip about a week; not guaranteed). Clearing normally takes 7 to 10 days; customs decides release. Our operations team delivers to Abuja or your city after that.

Where is your office?

Our office in Abuja is at Bengate Plaza, Plot 1387, Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2. Bring a car you have in mind, or just a budget, and we price the landed cost with you.

Price the landed cost before you commit

A car from China is a real option in 2026, and our clients do it every week. The end result: the car you chose, in your compound; we account for every naira. The rule is the same every week: verify the seller, inspect the car, then pay. That inspection is Nazido, our own company on the ground in China, the same team from the duty story above.

Message Yodo on WhatsApp at +234 904 190 9777 with the make, model, year and trim, and you’ll get a real landed-cost answer before anyone asks for a deposit. Service details: import a car from China with Yodo.

How do you pay a supplier in China from Nigeria without finding dollars or yuan?

One of the easiest ways is to pay in naira, here in Nigeria. We pay the supplier in RMB (Chinese yuan), at a rate you see and approve before we convert.

The rule that keeps your money safe is simple: never pay the supplier until the seller is verified and the goods are inspected. The rest of this guide shows you how.

People who come to us usually want two things: the real cost, and a way to pay that doesn’t lose them the money to a scam. Both rest on that order. First, here is what happens when people skip that order.

Why importing from China feels risky: the real ways Nigerians lose money

Importing from China to Nigeria fails in three predictable ways: goods that never ship after the money goes, goods that look nothing like the photos, and goods that turn out to be “chinko” clones of the original.

These are the kinds of losses that show up:

• $30,000 went out to an agent who vanished
• ₦10m went out for hair that arrived fake
• $50 went out for a $100 tablet that landed as $40 quality

One buyer put it this way: “there are products that are total clone of the original products, if you are not careful and vigilant, you will be scammed and get a clone which will damage your business.”

Every failure above happened because the buyer paid before the seller was verified and the goods were inspected. If you run the checks first, you avoid those losses. You don’t need Mandarin or a flight to Guangzhou. Your approval sits between every stage.

How to verify a Chinese supplier is a real factory: what we check before you pay

We verify a Chinese supplier with four checks, all before any money moves. Whether it is a factory or a trading company, the records tell you which one before you commit.

Here is what we check:

1. Business licence: we verify it on gsxt.gov.cn, the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, China’s official company registry, so the company on the invoice is a real registered business
2. Export qualification: we confirm it on origin.customs.gov.cn, China Customs’ verification portal, so the seller can ship goods out of China as a registered business
3. Credit and lawsuit history: we check it through Qichacha and Tianyancha, China’s two major business-record platforms, so a dirty record means we don’t go ahead.
4. Identity cross-match: we match company name, registration number, address, bank account, company chop (the official company seal) and person signing against that one business. If anything doesn’t match, we don’t go ahead.

Qichacha and Tianyancha block access from outside mainland China, so our Guangzhou team runs these checks from inside the mainland.

Once those four line up, the company on the invoice is the company that receives the money. If they don’t line up, we don’t go ahead, and no money moves.

Inspect the goods in China before you pay: we don’t pay the supplier until you’ve approved

Our team in China sees the goods first. A client wanted the 2025 Jetour T2, the 4WD petrol version. We found that spec. The inspection found two problems the photos didn’t show. The car had flood damage. It had an accident history involving a person. Rejecting it saved the client millions of naira. It also saved them the expensive mechanical problems that would have come with it.

That is what an inspection is for. You approve from the inspection report our Nigeria operations team sends you.

The same rule applies even after you pay us. In one camera order, the client had already paid us in full. We still confirmed the camera before we paid the supplier a kobo. Money with us is not money with the supplier.

A lot of inspections come back clean, and the Jetour is why we still look.

If your supplier is not in Guangzhou, we travel to their city to see the goods before we pay. Want to see with your own eyes instead? You can fly in. Our China team guides you to the right factories and warehouses.

How to pay safely from Nigeria: pay in naira, we pay the supplier in RMB (Chinese yuan), rate confirmed first

You pay us in stages. We pay the supplier only after you approve the inspection. You see the current exchange rate and approve it before we convert; that is the rate that moves.

1. Deposit. You place a deposit.
2. Inspection report. You get the inspection report: the China team inspects the goods and our Nigeria operations team sends it.
3. Balance after approval. You pay the balance after you approve.

We set the split per shipment. One Changan UNI-Z order ran on staged installments, and the last naira to us waited until the car reached the Nigerian port.

A scam asks for the balance before you see the inspection and approve. That ask is how you spot it.

What it really costs to land goods in Nigeria

The landed cost of importing from China to Nigeria has four main costs: the goods themselves, duty and VAT, shipping, and clearing with delivery.

Here’s how the duty breaks down on your goods:

• Import duty: 5–20 percent for most general goods, inside the full CET range of 0–35 percent. It depends on the HS code, the tariff category your goods file under. Official rates: Nigeria Customs CET tariff.
• VAT: 7.5 percent. It applies on the CIF value (goods plus insurance and freight to port) plus the duties.
• SONCAP (China-side certificate, not a duty): $350 per shipment, charged by the accredited inspection firm in China for the consignment certificate. The product certificate is what lets you open Form M.

Freight is the cost everyone quotes first. Rates change every few weeks, so send us what you want to import and where it should land, and we will tell you the price and how long it takes before you commit.

What we quote you:

• Sea: we charge ₦480,000–₦500,000 per cubic meter (CBM). Door to door runs 45–60 days including unpacking. It can slip by about a week; not guaranteed. Forwarder listings show about $435 per CBM and $2,970–$3,850 for a full container. That is the ship alone, without documentation. A full container with us costs about double those listings because it includes the $7,000+ documentation.
• Air: we run door-to-door at $8.99–$14.99 per kg all-in. Express in 3–4 days, normal air in 7 days, and battery goods in 14 days. Clearing is in that price for air and general goods.
• Cars: we quote cars to Lagos without clearing, because car duty is assessed separately for each car.

The freight rate isn’t the full cost. Demurrage, terminal handling and trucking can add 10–15 percent on top of CIF, duty and VAT. That is not the same pile as the Reddit first-timer’s 25–30% cushion above product and shipping: “If I were starting again, I’d budget at least 25–30% above product and shipping costs.” Our rule: we price each of these costs before you commit, and you approve each one before you pay.

The documents, the port, and delivery to your city

You file the paperwork before the goods ship. That’s what prevents delays at the port.

1. Form M
   – What it is: the import declaration your bank opens for commercial imports above $1,000.
   – When to file: before the goods ship.
   – Watch out: its value must match the commercial invoice exactly, and it is valid for about six months.

2. PAAR
   – What it is: the pre-arrival duty assessment.
   – When to file: before the vessel reaches Lagos, against your Form M number.
   – Watch out: late filing means Nigeria Customs assesses the duty at the port, not in advance.

3. SONCAP
   – What it is: the pre-shipment verification the accredited firm does in China. The SONCAP Certificate is a mandatory customs clearance document.
   – When to file: before anything ships. The Product Certificate is the one priced in the cost breakdown above.
   – Watch out: it covers most general goods, excluding specific regulated categories like food, drugs, and contraband.
   – Reference: SONCAP, per the Standards Organisation of Nigeria. Our cargo is electronics, gadgets, machinery and general goods, so SONCAP applies and NAFDAC (the food and drug regulator) does not.

How long does clearing take?

• Sea: normally 7–10 days. Sometimes customs takes longer than that. The agents who handle our shipments every week stay on it until Customs releases the goods.
• Air: usually same day, sometimes two days.

Once Customs releases the goods, we clear through those same agents. We hand them over, usually the same or next day. We keep you updated at each step, from inspection to handover.

We do not promise a fixed number of days from China to your door. We do not decide the release. If someone promises you that number, they promise a release they don’t control. The process is public on the Nigeria Customs Service site. The variable is Lagos Port congestion.

A tracking number exists only when you own the entire container. Shared containers do not carry one. If you are on shared space, a missing tracking number is normal, not a sign the goods are gone.

When your goods land in Lagos, we clear them and bring them to Abuja, or to your city. Then our Nigeria operations team hands them over: they deliver to your compound, stack in your shop, or store in your warehouse. Photos and video of the handover go to you to approve. You don’t need to manage the shipping yourself.

Cars vs gadgets vs general goods: which option applies to you

The rules depend on what you import: cars follow the age limit and VIN valuation, gadgets go by the kilo, general goods go by the cubic meter.

Cars follow a completely different set of rules:

• Age limit: 12 years from manufacture, so 2014 or newer in 2026. Tin Can Island runs a stricter port-level 10-year rule, which makes 2014 and 2015 a caution zone, not a sure thing. If you want to keep your options open across every port, go for 2016 or newer.
• Duty: comes from the Nigeria Customs VIN Valuation System. It has valued the car automatically from the vehicle identification number (VIN) since May 2022. Clearing agents cannot negotiate it, and the trim level moves the valuation. One extra note on electric cars: pure EVs and EREVs currently attract 0% import duty and VAT exemption, but all of the following must be true:
• The vehicle is a pure EV or an EREV with 200km or more of electric-only range. It is not a hybrid.
• The system values it below $100,000.
• You claim it through the IDEC portal (the government’s application site) with accreditation.
• The whole container must be EVs for it to apply.
  We confirm the current position and the paperwork for your specific car before you commit.
• Shipping: we inspect every car we ship, regardless of model, for the same reason as the Jetour. Photos miss what a check in person catches. We normally send them in a container. Car quotes still follow the Lagos-without-clearing line above.

The full process lives in our guide on how to import a car from China to Nigeria safely.

Gadgets go by the kilo, so they use the door-to-door air options above: express, normal air, and battery goods.

General goods go by the cubic meter, one rate covering shipping and clearing. Stock for your shop, a machine for your workshop, or a household container for your compound: if it fills space, it ships by CBM.

What you import changes the process, but the order is always the same: verify the seller, inspect the goods, then pay.

FAQ: the questions clients ask

Where is Yodo’s office?

Our office in Abuja is at Bengate Plaza, Plot 1387, Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2. Yodo Importation Services is registered with the CAC (Corporate Affairs Commission) under RC 9204391. Our China company is Guangzhou Nazido Trading Co., in Guangzhou. Walk in, or message us on WhatsApp first if you are outside Abuja.

Does the payment include duty?

Duty and VAT are government charges. Nigeria Customs assesses them in naira on each shipment’s value. We quote them per shipment, not as a flat fee. For air and general goods, we include clearing in your shipping quote. For cars, we quote clearing separately, because they land in Lagos first.

How long does the whole journey take?

By sea, our door-to-door runs 45–60 days including unpacking (can slip about a week; not guaranteed). The port clearing inside that is normally 7–10 days. We do not promise a fixed number of days from China to your door, because we do not decide the release. Air is faster: express in 3–4 days, normal air in 7 days.

What does shipping cost?

It depends on how you ship:

• Sea: we price by CBM (cubic meter), and we confirm the shared-container rate for your route at booking.
• Air: we price door-to-door by the kilo, and we already include clearing. The price is $8.99–$14.99 per kg depending on weight.

Market numbers change every two to three weeks. Use the quote we give you, not the table above.

Can someone inspect my goods before I pay?

Yes, that’s the most important part of how we work. The China team sees the goods wherever the supplier is. We pay out nothing until you see the inspection report and approve. Nazido, our own company in Guangzhou, is the same team that inspects your goods before we pay the supplier.

Is mini importation from China a scam?

It is real trade. The vanished agent, the fake hair, and the clone tablet above are what skipping those checks looks like. Run the checks in order: verify the seller, inspect the goods, then pay.

Ready to price your shipment? Message Yodo on WhatsApp at +234 904 190 9777. Send what you want to import and where it should land. We start with the seller check and the inspection before any money reaches the supplier. The people who deliver to your door every week quote you on that shipment.