Shipping to Nigeria? What the UK government, the ports authority and a US trade guide say, what could not be read, and the cars, ports and cities covered.
International Movers and Shipping to Nigeria
A household shipment to Nigeria normally lands at one of the Lagos ports, Apapa or Tin Can, or at Onne in the east, and every container is inspected on arrival. The ports authority publishes import steps written for companies, a US guide copies the restricted list, and the customs service site could not be read. Quotes from partner firms cover packing, the voyage and the paperwork.
Which entry rules and travel warnings apply before a move to Nigeria?
Visitors need a visa obtained online in advance, a yellow fever vaccination certificate and a passport valid for six months after arrival. Parts of the country are closed to travel, which matters for the road leg from the port.
Visa, passport and vaccine
The UK government’s Nigeria entry page covers the basics briefly. “You must have a visa to enter Nigeria as a visitor.” “Visa on arrival is no longer available.” The exception it gives: “If you have a valid Nigerian residence permit (CERPAC or Green Card), you do not need a visa to enter Nigeria.” The passport has to run for at least six months beyond the arrival date, and the page asks for proof of yellow fever vaccination, an online health declaration and landing and departure cards completed before the flight. The warnings page was updated on 28 October 2026. A visitor visa does not settle living there, and the page points to the High Commission in London for that. We have not read what the High Commission asks of a resident.
Areas the UK government advises against
The warnings page lists states where travel is advised against. In the south it says: “FCDO advises against all travel to the riverine areas (the river and swamp locations accessible by boat, but not by road) of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.” It adds all but essential travel advice for the non-riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states, and in the north it names states such as Borno for no travel and Kano and Kaduna for essential travel only. Lagos is not on any of the lists read. A delivery address in or near an area on the lists needs a conversation with the partner company before a date is agreed.
Roads between the port and the new home
The safety page says: “Criminal groups may kidnap victims by stopping cars on major highways”, and names the Abuja-Kaduna highway. It adds that kidnapping risk “is also high in many central and southern states (including Niger, Kogi, Kwara, and the Abuja Federal Capital Territory)”. For anyone planning to drive their own car, the same page says: “You can drive in Nigeria with a UK driving licence for up to 3 months.”
Goods the UK page says are illegal
The same entry page warns of strict rules on what goes in and out of the country. On imports: “It is illegal to import beer, mineral water, soft drinks, sparkling wine, fruits, vegetables, cereals, eggs, textile fabrics, jewellery or precious metals.” And on the way out: “It is illegal to export African art, particularly antiques, without written authorisation from the Department of Antiquities.” Several of those items turn up in a household, such as curtain fabric, a bottle of sparkling wine or jewellery, so a packing list should be read against that sentence.
Heading elsewhere in Africa? The Africa page lists each other country with its entry rule and points to the guides that exist.
Customs and clearance
What is published about clearing a household shipment in Nigeria?
No first-hand rule for a private household could be read, because the Nigeria Customs Service website refused our requests. What is published is an import guide for companies, a US trade guide and a UK travel page, so relief for personal effects is not yet confirmed.
The ports authority’s import steps are written for companies
The Nigerian Ports Authority’s step-by-step guide starts with business set-up. It says an importer must first: “Register the company name in Nigeria and hence have a Certificate of Incorporation/Registration of the company in Nigeria.” It adds: “Select a Bank of choice in Nigeria to act as the Authorised Dealer Bank (ADB).” Then the first of ten steps: “The importer opens a Form M on the Nigerian Trade Platform (Single Window system)”, with the documents attached. Near the end: “The PAAR is issued and the importer commences the clearance of his goods.” The guide also names a conformity certificate, SONCAP, issued through an accreditation firm. The page does not say whether a family moving its own furniture follows these steps, and its page data carries a March 2024 date stamp. Ask the partner company who files the paperwork and in whose name.
Every container is inspected on arrival
A US trade guide aimed at exporters states: “Nigeria has transitioned from pre-shipment inspection to destination inspection for imports, requiring all goods to be inspected upon arrival.” It continues: “This has contributed to delays in cargo clearance due to inefficiencies and limited use of available technology.” On the remedy: “Initiatives include improving port decongestion and implementing a 48-hour cargo clearance system.” And: “The Single Window Portal and the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) system remain critical tools for simplifying customs processes.” Treat the stated aim of a quick clearance as an aim: the same guide reports delays, and no clearance time for a household shipment was found.
Who to ask
The ports authority’s agencies page points to the customs website, www.customs.gov.ng, as the place for customs information. It refused our requests when we tried, so the position on household effects relief, an inventory format and any deadline after arrival is not yet confirmed. Put each of those questions to the partner company in writing, and to the High Commission. The UK customs documentation checklist covers the British side.
What may be restricted
Are suitcases, carpets and used appliances restricted when shipping to Nigeria?
A US trade guide copies Nigeria’s restricted import list, and it includes bags and suitcases, carpets and used fridges. The list is written for trade goods, so whether it bites on a household shipment is not stated.
Items on the restricted list that many homes contain
The guide’s page, last published in June 2023, lists among restricted imports: “All types of footwear, bags and suitcases” It also lists “Carpets and other textile floor coverings”, and “Used compressors and used fridges/freezers”. Those are goods many households would pack. A line on a trade list is not a ruling on personal effects, and nothing read says either way.
Luggage and baggage
Suitcases appear on the list above, which is the only published statement found about baggage. Nothing read describes an allowance for a traveller, a baggage declaration or a time limit for baggage that follows. If you plan to send cases ahead of you, ask the partner company what the paperwork says before anything is packed.
Taking art and antiques out
On exports, the UK government page says: “It is illegal to export African art, particularly antiques, without written authorisation from the Department of Antiquities.” Anyone who buys local art while living there should keep that in mind when moving home again.
Cars and vehicles
Can I ship my car to Nigeria, and what duty applies?
A used car more than fifteen years past its year of manufacture is on the restricted list. The only duty figures found are in a US trade guide: 20% duty plus a 15% levy for a used vehicle. Neither the valuation nor a right-hand-drive rule could be read.
The age limit
The restricted-imports page lists “Used motor vehicles above fifteen (15) years from the year of manufacture”. So age is counted from the year of manufacture, not from the day you ship, and a car made in 2010 is sixteen years old in 2026. The page is from June 2023, so confirm the wording with the partner company.
Duty and levy: a US government figure
The US trade guide says: “NCS retained a duty rate of 20% for used vehicles as was transmitted by ECOWAS with a National Automotive Council (NAC) levy of 15%.” For a new car: “New vehicles will also pay a duty of 20% with NAC levy of 20 percent as directed by the Ministry of Finance in April 2022.” Those are rates for imports in general. The guide also warns that “Nigeria maintains several supplemental levies and duties on selected imports that significantly raise effective tariff rates.”. It does not say how a used car is valued, so the duty on a particular car cannot be worked out from these pages. Ask for the valuation basis in writing, and do not rely on one total until the shipper confirms it.
Vehicle traffic at the ports
The ports authority’s report for the second quarter of 2026 says: “Vehicle traffic increased during the period under review.” It gives the number: “A total of 44,147 units were handled in Q2 2026 compared with 37,306 units recorded in Q2 2025”. That is every vehicle the ports handled, not private cars alone, so it says nothing about the cost or papers for one family car, but it confirms that vehicles move through the ports in volume. The roll-on roll-off berths in Lagos are on the Lagos page.
What is not yet confirmed about cars
No source read says how a car is valued for duty, whether a right-hand-drive car is accepted, what a returning resident may bring or what papers a private owner needs. The guide to shipping a car when moving abroad covers the British side, and the shipper has to answer the Nigerian side.
Ports and shipping
Which Nigerian ports handle containers?
The ports authority lists seven ports: three in Lagos, and Calabar, Warri, Port Harcourt and Onne in the east. Containers go through Lagos, Onne and Calabar; the Port Harcourt terminals listed carry bulk cargo. Your partner company decides which port a shipment uses.
The ports on the authority’s list
The authority’s home page says: “The major ports include; Lagos Port Complex, Lekki Deep Sea Port and Tin Can Island Port Complex in Lagos State.” Then: “The Calabar Port Complex in Cross River State, Delta Ports in Warri, Delta State and the Rivers Port Complex and Onne Port Complex both in Rivers State.” The terminal table gives each berth its cargo type, which is what makes the next two cards possible.
Port Harcourt and Onne: which one takes containers?
The terminal table lists two terminals at the Rivers Port in Port Harcourt, one for liquid bulk, dry bulk and break bulk and the other for liquid bulk and break bulk, with no container terminal. It lists container terminals at Onne Port, also in Rivers State, and at Calabar, where the new terminal handles container and general cargo. The Delta ports at Warri are listed for general cargo. A container for a home in Port Harcourt would therefore be expected at Onne or in Lagos, and the partner company confirms which.
How much the ports handle
The authority’s press release on its second-quarter report for 2026 says: “Container traffic increased by 11.3 per cent, rising from 541,229 TEUs in Q2 2025 to 602,392 TEUs in Q2 2026.” It also reports that “cargo throughput increased by 12.3 per cent, from 31,825,592 metric tonnes recorded in Q2 2025 to 35,740,362 metric tonnes in Q2 2026”. These are totals for all Nigerian ports, containers of every kind, and give no clearance time for a household box.
Lagos is where most of the detail is
Two of the three Lagos ports, Apapa and Tin Can, hold the container and roll-on roll-off terminals, and the authority publishes a truck sticker scheme for them. They are on the Lagos page, so this page does not repeat them.
Places named
Where are Abuja and Port Harcourt?
Abuja and Port Harcourt appear below with census or UN figures, the UK government’s remarks and the nearest port. Neither has its own moving rule in the sources read, so neither gets a page.
Abuja
Wikipedia says of the capital: “It replaced Lagos (the most populous city in Nigeria) as the capital on 12 December 1991.” “At the 2006 census, the city of Abuja had a population of 776,298”; that is a 2006 census figure. The UK government’s safety page lists the Federal Capital Territory among the places where kidnapping risk is high, and notes that protests take place in Abuja. It names a “British Deputy High Commission in Lagos or British High Commission in Abuja” for consular help. Abuja is inland, so a shipment lands at a port first and a long road leg follows, which is why the delivery address and the road route go into the enquiry.
Port Harcourt
Wikipedia calls it “a port city, capital and largest city of Rivers State in Nigeria”. For the metropolitan area it says: “The population of the metropolitan area of Port Harcourt is almost twice its urban area population with a 2015 United Nations estimate of 2,344,000.” It also says: “Port Harcourt, which is the current capital of Rivers State, is highly congested as it is the only major city of the state.” The authority’s terminal table places the Rivers Port Complex at Port Harcourt and the container terminals at Onne in the same state, as described above. The UK government advises against all travel to the riverine areas of Rivers state, so confirm the route to a particular street.
Lagos
The Lagos port complexes, the truck registration rules and the city itself are on the Lagos page. The earlier version of this site had a Lagos page, and its address now leads there.
Anywhere else in Nigeria
A town outside these three goes into the enquiry as plain text. No depot, customs office or charge for inland towns turned up in the sources, so the quote should spell out the road leg from the port and who drives it.
Related guides
Guides that apply to every Nigeria move
Nigeria has this page and a Lagos page. The guides below cover steps that are the same whatever the destination, and the neighbouring West African market.
Most likely Apapa or Tin Can in Lagos, but your partner company confirms it.
The ports authority lists seven ports. Containers are handled in Lagos, at Onne and at Calabar, and the listed Port Harcourt terminals carry bulk cargo.
Is a household shipment inspected?
Yes, a US trade guide says all goods are inspected on arrival.
Nigeria moved from pre-shipment to destination inspection. The guide reports delays, and no clearance time for a household shipment was found.
Can I ship an old car to Nigeria?
Not if it is more than fifteen years past its year of manufacture.
The restricted list covers used motor vehicles above that age. A US guide gives 20% duty and a 15% levy for used cars, and the valuation is not stated.
Can I send suitcases or bags?
Bags and suitcases are on the restricted import list.
The list is written for trade goods, and no baggage allowance was found. Ask the partner company before packing.
Do Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt have their own pages?
Lagos does. Abuja and Port Harcourt are named on this page.
Lagos has the port terminals and truck rules. For any other town, give its name in the enquiry.
Start your Nigeria move enquiry
Give the Nigerian town, the UK collection address, your preferred shipping month and a rough list of contents. If a car is travelling, add the year it was made. A partner company will read this and ask follow-up questions before it names any price.
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