Nigeria

Essential information

Here is a handy list of all the things you can and can’t send to Nigeria with DHL.

Sending items to Nigeria – general advice

Any shipment being sent to Nigeria which needs to be returned before being delivered must still have duties and taxes paid before being returned.

Shipments to Nigeria need to include the following, or higher duty charges and clearance delays will apply:

• Dutiable shipments should clearly contain details of the cost of the items, cost of insurance and freight
• A detailed Commercial Invoice showing HS code, unit quantity, unit price and total value in USD or EUR
• All shipments under the regulation of the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Department of State Security Service and the Drug Law Enforcement Agency must arrive in Nigeria with their prior approval or exemption certificates

Shipments arriving Nigeria as undervalued (customs invoice value vs real value) will go through a revaluation, leading to further delays and risking confiscation.

Shipments coming arriving to Nigeria as temporary imports must be declared as such with both the shipper and receiver holding a temporary import permit. A bank bond must be completed prior to shipping.

Shipment dimensions and weights:

• Maximum dimensions: length 120.0 cm (47.0 inches), height 120.0 cm (47.0 inches), width 100.0 cm (39.0 inches)
• Maximum weight per shipment: 70.0 kg (154.0 lb), maximum weight per piece: 300 kg (661 lb)

Shipments exceeding these size and weight restrictions may be subject to delays.

 

Prohibited items which cannot be sent under any circumstances to Nigeria include:

• African prints and used clothing
• All footwear in leather or plastic
• Assembled bicycles
• Barytes & bentonites
• Cutlasses, axes, wheel barrows, bagged cement, spades and shovels
• Fresh or plastic flowers
• Fresh fruit, meat and meat products, vegetable oil, poultry, cocoa butter, powder and cakes
• Fruit juice in retail packs, sugar confectionary (other than chocolate)
• Furniture
• Gaming machines
• Handbags, bags, belts, wallets, purses including suitcases of leather and plastic
• Hollow glass and bottles with a capacity exceeding 150 ml
• Mosquito repellent coils, soaps and detergents
• Plastic plates, knives, spoons, forks cups, buckets, bowls, bins, contains and coat hangers
• Sorghum, millet, wheat flour, sweets, spaghetti and noodles, maize, mineral waters and other non-alcoholic beverages
• Used compressors, air conditioners, fridges and freezers

 

These are in addition to the following commodities which are not accepted by DHL under any circumstances. A list of these can be found here.

 

Restricted items

Please ask your local DHL Customer Service representative prior to shipping any of the following items to Nigeria

• Multi piece shipments exceeding 50 kg per piece going beyond Lagos (LOS)
• Alcoholic beverages
• Animal products
• Antiques
• Asbestos
• Chemicals, non-hazardous
• Cosmetics
• Drugs: prescription and non-prescription
• Electronic games
• Firearms, or parts of
• Foodstuffs
• Furs
• Gambling devices
• Glass products
• Gypsum
• Industrial equipment
• Invoices, blank
• Military equipment
• Perishables
• Personal effects
• Plants, including seeds
• Plastic made products
• Precious metals & stones
• Stationery
• Textile articles
• Tobacco
• Toys
• X-ray machines