Going to Canton Fair from Nigeria? Let's take it one step at a time.
It's a big trip. The visa paperwork, the flight, where to sleep in Guangzhou, which halls to enter, how to pay a factory you met yesterday, and how to get the goods back to Lagos without stories. You don't have to work all of it out at once, and you don't have to work it out alone.
Tell us what you sell and what you can afford. We'll help you see the next step.
You pay in naira, to a registered Nigerian company. Your balance waits until you've seen your goods with your own eyes. If anyone asks you to pay into an account in China, in dollars, or into a personal account, that person is not us.
Which of these sounds like you?
You may already have some of this sorted. That's fine. Pick what you need.
Fair registration and the invitation letter
You register online as an overseas buyer, get a badge, and request the invitation letter your visa file needs. None of it is hard, but people leave it late and then rush. We do it with you early.
Ask about thisThe visa
We help you fill the official form properly, check that your documents agree with each other, and book your appointment in Lagos or Abuja.
The consulate decides. We don't promise approval, and anyone who does is not being straight with you.
How the visa part worksFlights
There's usually no direct flight from Lagos to Guangzhou. You stop once, and October is Fair season, so fares climb. We check current schedules and give you the figure in naira before you decide.
What to expectSomewhere to stay
Pazhou is the area around the Fair complex, and hotels there fill early in Fair weeks. We find you something within easy reach of the halls. If sharing a room with another Nigerian buyer helps your budget, that's normal and we can arrange it.
Where to stayGetting around Guangzhou
Airport pickup, the metro to Pazhou, taxis, and the phone apps China runs on. We brief you before you fly, so the first day isn't a shock.
Ask about thisMoney and exchange
You pay us in naira. You don't need to hunt for dollars. We tell you the naira cost of the trip and of any order, and we say clearly when a rate change would move the number.
How the money side worksFinding suppliers
Before you fly, we shortlist booths and factories that match what you sell. At the Fair, an interpreter walks with you and writes down prices, MOQs and samples, so nothing gets lost in a pile of business cards.
What to buy at which phaseChecking a supplier
Business registration, address, product line, and the person you're actually dealing with. Where it matters, a visit or a video call from the factory floor.
We tell you what we found, including anything we could not confirm.
Ask about thisInspection before shipping
Cartons opened, quantities counted, units tested, photos and video sent to your phone. You decide whether it ships.
See where this sits in the payment stepsShipping and clearing
Sea or air, groupage or a full container, priced in naira per kilo or per cubic metre.
Nobody can guarantee what Customs will do. What we can do is get the paperwork right before the goods leave China.
The shipping realityDelivery in Nigeria
From the port to your shop or warehouse, in Lagos or up country, quoted before you commit so there's no surprise at the end.
Ask about thisLagos to Guangzhou: what to expect
The honest picture, so you can plan your body and your budget.
As things stand there's usually no direct flight. You stop once, most often in Addis Ababa, Cairo, Doha, Istanbul or Nairobi. Door to door it's often somewhere between 16 and 22 hours depending on the layover. If you're going for Phase 1, aim to land a day or two before it opens so you're not walking the halls jet lagged.
Fares move with the season and with the naira. October and April are Fair season, so prices climb and the good connections sell out. Booking early is not a sales line, it's just cheaper.
We don't sell tickets ourselves. We help you compare the routes that make sense for you, book through licensed travel partners, and put the price into your naira quote so you see the whole trip in one number.
Airlines change schedules. We check what's actually flying when we plan your trip, not what flew last year.
Ask about flightsWhere you'll sleep in Guangzhou
Pazhou is the district around the Fair complex, on the south side of the Pearl River. It's quiet compared to Lagos, and the metro reaches the complex, so you don't have to be right next door to have an easy morning. Hotels close to the halls fill early during Fair weeks and their prices go up. That's simply the pattern every session.
Options run from clean business hotels to a shared room with another Nigerian buyer if you're watching costs. Neither is a compromise. We show you what's actually available for your dates, what it costs in naira, and how long the ride to the halls is.
Once your hotel is booked we put the address on your visa form ourselves, so that part is off your plate. Airport pickup can be arranged, which most first time travellers appreciate more than they expected.
A quiet tip: staying near a metro station on the line to the complex is often better value than paying for the hotel across the road.
Ask about hotelsLet's talk about the thing that keeps people awake at night.
You've heard the stories. Someone sent money to a supplier on WhatsApp and got blocked. Someone's container landed at Apapa and the cartons were not what they paid for. Those things happened to real people, and they happened because money left first and hope followed. Here's how it works with us, and where you keep control.
You pay a deposit in naira
To a registered Nigerian company, using the payment link our desk sends you. Not to any account in China. Not in dollars.
We confirm and buy
Supplier checked, order placed. We pay the factory in yuan. You never send money abroad yourself.
Goods land in Guangzhou
Received in our warehouse and counted against your order. Photos to your WhatsApp the same day.
You watch the inspection
Cartons opened, units tested, anything wrong listed. You approve, or you raise it with us.
Then the balance moves
Only after your approval does the balance release and the goods ship.
Lagos
Departure, arrival at Apapa or Tin Can, clearing, delivery. Each step to your phone.
About the exchange rate
Everything is quoted to you in naira. When we quote, we tell you which rate it's built on and how long that quote holds. If the naira moves before you pay, the quote is refreshed and we tell you before anything else happens. No quiet adjustments.
If you'd rather carry some foreign currency yourself for the trip, your bank's travel allowance process is the legal route. Ask them early, because it takes time. China itself runs mostly on phone payments now, and we brief you on that before you fly.
Before you leave Nigeria, when you get to Guangzhou, and after the Fair
Before you leave Nigeria
- We rough out a buying plan and a supplier brief together
- Fair registration, badge and invitation letter
- The visa file, filled properly, appointment booked
- Flights and a hotel near Pazhou, in one naira quote
- Supplier shortlist and a meeting schedule by hall
- A briefing in Lagos: halls, badge, money, apps, what to ask
When you get to Guangzhou
- Someone meets you at the airport and gets you to the hotel
- An interpreter beside you at every meeting
- Prices, MOQs, samples and notes saved as you go
- Supplier checks started on the spot
- Factory visits on the break days between phases
- A shortlist and a plan before you fly home
After the Fair: getting your goods home
- Supplier checks completed
- Samples, and you approve before any order
- Purchase order and naira deposit
- Goods received in Guangzhou, photos the same day
- Inspection video, your approval, then the balance
- Freight, arrival at Apapa or Tin Can, clearing, delivery
What do you sell? That decides your dates.
The Fair is really three fairs. Booths change completely between phases. If you come in Phase 3 looking for solar inverters, you've wasted a flight. Pick your line and we'll point you to the right phase.
The break days between phases are the best time for factory visits in Foshan, Dongguan and Shenzhen. The halls are closed and factories are expecting buyers.
Five answers, and we'll sketch the trip for you
This is a starting point, not a contract. A person at the desk goes through it with you on WhatsApp before anything is booked.
Or just tell us in your own words:
After the Fair
We'll want to ask you
Numbers here are planning estimates. Your advisor confirms halls, dates and figures with you before anything is booked.
Getting the goods home without stories
This is where a lot of people get their heart broken. The goods leave China fine, then sit at Apapa for weeks because of one missing paper, or a clearing agent finds “unexpected charges” that eat the margin. We don't own the port and we can't control Customs. What we can do is make sure the avoidable problems are avoided before the ship leaves.
Sea or air?
Sea is priced per cubic metre and takes weeks on the water plus clearing time, so it suits heavier, less urgent goods and anything you're buying in volume. Air is priced per kilo and takes days, so it suits light, valuable or urgent stock. Groupage lets you ship a few hundred kilos in a shared container instead of paying for a whole one. Many first time buyers start there and that's sensible.
The paperwork Customs will ask about
Commercial imports into Nigeria go through your bank's Form M and Customs' pre arrival assessment. Some products need a SONCAP certificate. Food, drugs, cosmetics and similar goods fall under NAFDAC. Your goods also need the right HS code, because that sets the duty. We go through all of this with you before you order, not after the container has landed.
Timing that matters in Nigeria
If you're buying for the December season, sea freight from an October Fair order is tight. Production takes time, the voyage takes weeks, and clearing takes more. Air changes the maths but costs more per kilo. We'd rather tell you that early than watch your Christmas stock arrive in January.
What we do, and what we don't
We coordinate the freight, keep the documents complete, and pass you every update: departed, arrived, examined, released. We work with clearing agents we know and we watch them, but we don't pretend to control the port. If Customs decides to examine your container, they will, and we'll be on the phone with you through it.
Ask about shippingCan a Nigerian passport holder apply for a China visa to attend Canton Fair?
Yes. You apply for the business visa that fits a trade fair trip. The decision is made by the Chinese authorities, so we can't promise approval and we won't. What we can do is help you prepare the application properly, check that your documents tell the same story, and tell you honestly if something in your situation needs attention before you spend money.
How the visa part works
What you'll need
The visa fee is paid at the visa centre at their current rate. We tell you the figure when we plan your file, rather than printing a number here that may be out of date by the time you read it.
People, not a hotline
You shouldn't have to wonder who is holding your passport in Lagos or your goods in Guangzhou. This is who.
🇳🇬 Lagos desk: planning, visa files, payments
🇨🇳 Guangzhou team: halls, checks, warehouse
Straight answers, including the ones we can't fully answer
Will China give my Nigerian passport a visa?
We can't promise that, and we'd be careful of anyone who does. Nigerian passport holders apply for the business visa for trade fair trips, and the consulate decides each file on its own. What we control is the quality of the file: the invitation letter, a properly completed form, documents that agree with each other, and an appointment in good time. If something in your situation looks weak, we tell you before you spend money, not after.
I've never travelled outside Nigeria. Can I still go?
Yes, and you won't be the first. We brief you in Lagos before you fly, someone meets you at the airport in Guangzhou, you stay somewhere within easy reach of the halls, and an interpreter walks with you. Many first time buyers travel in a small group with other Nigerians. It's cheaper and it's company.
Can you go to the Fair for me?
Yes. You give us your brief and your budget. Our Guangzhou team walks the right halls, sends you video and price sheets, and builds your supplier list. You decide from Lagos. After that, checks, ordering, inspection and shipping run the same way as if you'd been there yourself.
How do I know a supplier is genuine?
You don't, from a booth or a WhatsApp chat. So we check: business registration, address, product line, the actual person, and where it matters a visit or a video call from the factory. We tell you what we found and what we couldn't confirm. Then inspection before your balance moves gives you a second gate. It's not magic, it's just doing the checks people skip when they're excited.
What if the supplier sends something different from what I ordered?
That's what the inspection step is for. Because we pay the factory in yuan after inspection, not you before, we have leverage when something is wrong. Wrong goods means we hold the balance and the supplier puts it right, or we look elsewhere. It's slower than hoping, and much cheaper than a container of the wrong thing.
How much money should I carry, and can I pay from Nigeria?
You pay us in naira for the trip and for any order, so you don't need to carry dollars for the buying. For your own spending in China, a small amount of cash in yuan is wise, and China mostly runs on phone payments, which we help you set up before you leave. If you'd like to carry foreign currency yourself, your bank's travel allowance is the proper route. Ask them early.
What happens if the exchange rate changes?
Every quote tells you the rate it's built on and how long it holds. If the naira moves before you pay, we refresh the quote and tell you before anything else happens. We won't quietly adjust a figure and hope you don't notice.
Will my goods get stuck at Apapa?
Sometimes goods are held, and usually it's a paper: the HS code, a SONCAP certificate, a NAFDAC requirement, or bank paperwork. We go through all of that with you before you order and before the ship leaves. Nobody can promise what Customs will decide on the day. What we can promise is that the avoidable reasons will have been dealt with, and that you won't be alone on the phone if there's a delay.
Can I visit your office before I pay anything?
Please do. Our Lagos address is in the footer and walk-ins are welcome in business hours. Sit down, ask everything, and decide after. Whatever you decide, you only ever pay us through the payment link our desk sends on the official WhatsApp line, never any other way.
When do I need to decide?
The dates at the top of the page are the real ones. Visa files should be in weeks before Phase 1, hotels near Pazhou fill early, and good flight connections sell out in Fair season. If the visa window for this session has passed, remote sourcing still works and we can start your file for the next one.
Your trip, in one place
Nothing here yet. Sketch a trip above or tell us what you're trying to do, and it appears here: the steps, what we need from you, documents, the payment stages, and your supplier list. This prototype only keeps things for this browser session.