Sea Freight from China to Kano
China → Kano · via KAN air / Apapa sea · clearance by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)
For buyers shipping into Kano, the practical question is not the ocean or flight time but what happens after arrival. Kano is the northern commercial and textile hub; cargo enters through KAN air / Apapa sea, and allow 3-5 days inland for the inland leg on top of clearance.
Clearance itself is handled by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and typical dwell at the gateway runs 7-21 days, longer at Apapa in peak season.
Import duty and tax position for Kano
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) assesses duty and tax on cargo arriving for Kano consignees. Current regime: VAT 7.5%; customs duty 0-35%, plus levies on selected goods, with a de-minimis position of No practical de-minimis for commercial cargo.
Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: SONCAP is required for most regulated goods and the certificate has to be issued before shipment; a Form M and a PAAR are required for the customs entry. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.
Restrictions and known friction points for Nigeria: SONCAP and the Form M have to be in place before the goods ship; this is the single most common reason a Nigerian consignment sits on the quay. Apapa congestion and the cost of the final road leg inside Lagos are frequently larger than the ocean freight itself.
How this lane actually runs
Lagos has three container gateways and they are not interchangeable. Apapa is the oldest and the best connected to the standard-gauge rail and the inland dry ports, but its draft is the shallowest at about 12.5 m. Tin Can Island specialises in roll-on roll-off and vehicle imports. Lekki Deep Sea Port is the newest, automated, and at about 16.5 m draft it is the only one of the three that takes the largest container ships, which is why an increasing share of regional cargo routes through it. Onne serves the east and the oil and gas sector.
| Sea gateways used | Lagos Port Complex (Apapa), Tin Can Island, Lekki Deep Sea Port |
|---|---|
| Sea transit, China to gateway | 30-45 calendar days |
| Gateway serving Kano | KAN air / Apapa sea |
| Inland leg to Kano | 3-5 days inland from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 7-21 days, longer at Apapa in peak season |
| Peak season to plan around | Aug-Dec |
Before you book: Kano checklist
- Get the conformity paperwork moving early: SONCAP is required for most regulated goods and the certificate has to be issued before shipment; a Form M and a PAAR are required for the customs entry.
- Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Aug-Dec, when space on this lane tightens.
- Confirm the consignee in Kano can act as importer of record — Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
- Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the Nigeria duty rate against it yourself.
- Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure — it makes any claim far easier to settle.
- Put the Kano delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Kano take?
China to the Nigeria gateway is 30-45 calendar days. On top of that, allow 7-21 days, longer at Apapa in peak season of clearance with Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and a 3-5 days inland inland leg to Kano.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into Kano?
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) applies: VAT 7.5%; customs duty 0-35%, plus levies on selected goods. The de-minimis position is No practical de-minimis for commercial cargo. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Kano.
What certification do I need for Nigeria?
For regulated goods, plan for: SONCAP is required for most regulated goods and the certificate has to be issued before shipment; a Form M and a PAAR are required for the customs entry. Missing conformity paperwork is the single most common cause of a hold, and in most cases it cannot be remedied once the cargo has arrived.
Can you deliver door-to-door in Kano?
Yes. Delivery to a Kano address is quoted as one figure covering freight, duty and tax owed to Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and the 3-5 days inland inland leg. Confirm whether your consignee wants the goods at a warehouse, a marketplace fulfillment center or a shop front, because the last-mile requirement differs.
Which port or airport does cargo for Kano clear through?
Cargo for Kano is routed via KAN air / Apapa sea. Sea gateways for Nigeria are Lagos Port Complex (Apapa), Tin Can Island, Lekki Deep Sea Port; air gateways are LOS (Lagos), ABV (Abuja), KAN (Kano). We pick whichever gives the shortest total door time for your address.
Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Kano?
Yes. Battery cargo by sea moves under UN3480/UN3481 with an MSDS, and the dangerous-goods documentation is prepared as part of the booking into Lagos Port Complex (Apapa), Tin Can Island, Lekki Deep Sea Port. Surcharges apply and space is more limited than for general cargo.
Other delivery cities in Nigeria
References & official sources
Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Nigeria change by ministerial decision, sometimes mid-year. The figures on this page are buyer-planning references, not a customs ruling — confirm the current position for your own HS code with Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) or your broker before you ship.
- WTO — Tariff Profiles (applied MFN duty by country)
- WCO — Harmonized System nomenclature
- IMO — IMDG Code for dangerous goods by sea
- IATA — Lithium battery shipping guidance (PI 965–970)
Page data last reviewed: November 2026.
Shipping by industry
This page covers the route and clearance picture for the destination. Packing, classification and the compliance step that actually holds a shipment depend on what you are sending — these guides cover that by commodity.
- Hospital Equipment Medical, Laboratory & Precision Instruments
- Parking Equipment Fire, Safety & Traffic Products
- Massage Equipment Beauty, Personal Care & Wellness
- Arts & Crafts Toys, Sports, Outdoor & Leisure
- Artificial Plants Consumer Goods & Gifts
- Direct to Consumer E-commerce & Retail Channels
- Fasteners Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Pressure Vessels Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Industrial Boilers General Machinery & Industrial Equipment
- Solar Panel New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Lithium Battery New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Bicycle Parts Automotive & Vehicles
Price Trend — Kano
Live rate for the linked route page, shown here for a quick read before you click through.
Checking the Nigeria duty position yourself
Treat the landed-cost numbers here as a planning baseline. Nigeria Customs Service sets the rate that actually gets charged, assessed against your HS classification at the moment of clearance, so their own guidance is worth reading before a large order.
If you want to sanity-check a duty figure yourself, start from the heading rather than the product name — the WCO Harmonized System is the underlying nomenclature, and the WTO Tariff & Trade Data portal holds the applied rates by country pair.
For ocean cargo, restricted commodities move under the IMO's IMDG Code, and the container has to be declared and stowed accordingly. Batteries, flammables and corrosives all have a compliant ocean path; what causes rolled bookings is finding out about them after the container is packed.
On the origin side, export declaration and any commodity inspection requirement fall under China Customs (GACC); we handle that filing as part of the service, but the requirement is theirs, not ours.
For a wider view of how importing into Nigeria actually works — documentation norms, inspection behavior, the paperwork that tends to hold shipments — the U.S. ITA guide to Nigeria customs regulations is a useful independent read alongside our own lane notes.
Watch: the process behind this route
This guide covers routing and clearance for Kano. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.
Bill of Lading Explained (BOL) | Types, Components & Full Beginner Guide | Shipping Document — 10 Min For Supply Chain. Published on YouTube by a third party; we link it because it explains the process well, not because we produced it or endorse the provider.