How to start an import business in Nigeria, step by step

How to start an import business in Nigeria in 2026, in order: CAC, the TIN and bank account, what you may import, the Form M, the first order, the port, and the tax.

Starting an import business in Nigeria is not difficult because of one special licence.

There is no general import licence every trader must buy.

The difficult part is doing things in the right order.

For a serious commercial import, the sequence is:

choose product → check legality → calculate landed cost → register business → retrieve Tax ID → set up banking → verify supplier → get permits/Form M → pay → inspect → ship → clear → sell.

Do not start with a container.

Start with the numbers.

Step 1: choose the product before registering anything #

Your first question is not:

“Where can I find a Chinese supplier?”

It is:

“Can I legally and profitably sell this product in Nigeria?”

Before contacting ten factories, check three things.

Is it prohibited? #

Nigeria revised its Import Prohibition List in 2026.

Do not use an old YouTube video telling you that every bag, shoe, furniture item or plastic household product from China is banned.

The current 2026 rules changed several of those old classifications.

Check the actual HS code against the current Customs schedule. (fmino.gov.ng)

Use our 2026 prohibited imports guide.

Is it regulated? #

A legal product may still need approval.

Examples:

Electrical products: SONCAP may apply.

Cosmetics, food, drugs: NAFDAC.

Phones and communication equipment: NCC.

Used electronics: NESREA.

Plants and agricultural products: NAQS.

Find that out before China ships.

Does the landed cost work? #

A product costing ₦5,000 in China is not necessarily a ₦5,000 product in Nigeria.

Add:

product + China transport + freight + insurance + Customs + VAT + port + clearing + Nigerian delivery.

If it lands at ₦11,000 and everybody in Nigeria sells it for ₦10,500, stop.

No supplier negotiation will rescue the business.

Use our landed cost from China to Nigeria guide before paying a deposit.

Step 2: confirm the HS code #

Do this early.

The HS code determines much of what comes next:

• whether the product is prohibited
• whether SON or another regulator is interested
• the import-duty rate
• product levies
• Customs classification
• Form M information

Do not simply copy the Chinese supplier's code.

China and Nigeria share the international HS framework, but tariff subdivisions and Nigerian regulatory treatment can differ.

Send your clearing agent:

product name + photo + material + specification + intended use.

Ask:

“What Nigerian HS code will you clear this under?”

Then verify that against the current Customs tariff.

Nigeria Customs implemented revised 2026 tariff and fiscal schedules, so classification should be checked against the current system rather than an old spreadsheet. (fmino.gov.ng)

Step 3: calculate the order before registering it #

Get these numbers from the supplier:

• unit price
• MOQ
• units per carton
• carton dimensions
• gross weight
• production time

Then get:

• China local delivery
• freight quote
• insurance estimate
• Customs estimate
• clearing estimate
• Nigerian delivery cost

Now calculate:

total landed cost ÷ saleable units = landed cost per unit

Compare that with the real Nigerian wholesale and retail price.

This step should happen before the deposit.

Ideally, do it before spending heavily on anything else.

Step 4: register the business with CAC #

Once you know what you intend to sell, put a proper business behind it.

You can choose between structures such as:

Business Name

or

Private Limited Company.

CAC currently gives a service target of 24 working hours for new Business Name and company registrations once the correct documents have been submitted and any queries resolved. (cac.gov.ng)

A Business Name can be enough for a small trader.

A Limited Company provides a separate corporate structure and usually makes more sense as the business becomes larger, takes investors, employs people or needs more formal banking relationships.

Do not register a Limited Company simply because somebody told you:

“Customs only accepts Ltd.”

The import system accommodates different importer structures.

Our CAC registration guide explains the choice.

Step 5: retrieve your Tax ID #

In 2026, the formal term is Tax ID, although many banks, Customs systems and traders still say TIN.

For a registered business, the Tax ID is connected to its CAC identity.

The official NRS portal allows a business to retrieve its Tax ID using its CAC name or registration number. (taxid.nrs.gov.ng)

The Nigeria Tax Administration Act also requires taxable persons to have a Tax ID and requires financial institutions to obtain it from taxable customers. (nrs.gov.ng)

So after CAC:

retrieve the Tax ID and confirm the details match.

Do not pay somebody ₦30,000 because they claim they are “selling TIN”.

The Tax ID itself is not a product.

Use our TIN/Tax ID guide for importers.

Step 6: open the business account and meet the trade desk #

Open the account in the exact legal name you intend to use on the import documents.

Then ask the bank:

“Who handles Form M and international trade transactions?”

Your everyday customer-service officer and the bank's trade desk are not necessarily the same people.

The trade desk is the team you will deal with for things such as:

• Form M
• import documentation
• letters of credit
• international supplier payments
• trade-related compliance

Save the contact.

You will need it.

Step 7: find the supplier #

Now you can work properly on China.

Depending on the product, you may source through:

Alibaba

1688

trade fairs

wholesale markets

direct factories

sourcing agents

But finding a supplier is not the same thing as verifying one.

Before paying, check:

• Chinese company identity
• business licence
• factory/trader status
• product history
• bank beneficiary
• samples
• production ability
• payment terms

For 1688, start with how to buy from 1688 in Nigeria.

For verification, use how to check a Chinese supplier.

Step 8: get a proper proforma invoice #

The supplier should issue a PI showing the transaction clearly.

Check:

• supplier
• buyer
• product description
• quantity
• unit price
• total
• currency
• HS code
• Incoterm
• packing
• production time
• payment terms

Do not pay from a WhatsApp price list.

For formal Nigerian imports, the PI is part of the Form M process.

Nigeria Customs identifies Form M registration as a mandatory import process and says it is processed through an Authorised Dealer Bank. (customs.gov.ng)

Read our China proforma invoice checklist.

Step 9: get product approval before shipment where required #

Do not assume Form M is the first document for every product.

For SONCAP-regulated goods, SON says the Product Certificate is required for opening Form M.

The SONCAP Certificate is then required for Customs clearance. (son.gov.ng)

SON also makes clear that SONCAP is a pre-shipment programme.

You cannot normally wait until the container reaches Nigeria and then decide to obtain the certificate. (son.gov.ng)

Since March 2026, SONCAP and related permit activation for Form M/PAAR has moved through the National Single Window. (son.gov.ng)

NAFDAC-regulated goods have their own registration and import procedures.

The rule is simple:

check regulation before payment and definitely before shipment.

Step 10: open Form M before the goods ship #

This is where first-time importers get themselves into trouble.

Nigeria Customs currently describes Form M registration as mandatory for imports regardless of value or whether foreign exchange is involved, subject to the special simplified procedures that exist for qualifying low-value shipments. (customs.gov.ng)

For a normal commercial import, do it before shipment.

The process uses documents such as:

• proforma invoice
• insurance
• applicable product certificates
• importer/tax information

Do not let the supplier ship while you are still saying:

“We will arrange Form M later.”

The safest order is:

PI approved → product compliance ready → Form M → payment/shipment according to agreed terms.

Use our Form M guide.

Step 11: pay the supplier without giving away your leverage #

Do not automatically send 100% because the supplier offers a discount.

For manufactured goods, a common structure is:

deposit → production → inspection → balance → shipment.

Thirty percent deposit and seventy percent balance is common, but the percentages matter less than the payment trigger.

Ask:

“What must the supplier complete before the balance becomes due?”

For a first significant order, inspect before releasing the large balance.

Use our China supplier deposit guide.

And if the beneficiary changes before payment, stop and verify it separately.

Step 12: inspect before China ships #

This becomes more important as the order gets bigger.

For a few ready-stock items, photos and sampling may be enough.

For thousands of customised products, do not use the supplier's salesperson as your quality inspector.

A pre-shipment inspection can check:

• quantity
• dimensions
• function
• colour
• finishing
• packaging
• labels
• cartons
• shipping marks

Fix problems while the goods are still inside the factory.

After the balance is paid and the container is at sea, your negotiating position is much weaker.

Read quality inspection in China.

Step 13: choose the shipping method from the cargo, not a rule of thumb #

Do not use:

“Above 12 CBM always book a full container.”

There is no permanent CBM number where FCL automatically becomes cheaper.

Get both quotes.

Your choices include:

Air freight — light, valuable or urgent goods.

Sea groupage/LCL — smaller shipments sharing container space.

FCL — your own 20ft or 40ft container when the economics justify it.

Compare:

freight + destination charges + handling + clearing + risk + time.

Sometimes an FCL makes sense earlier.

Sometimes LCL remains cheaper at a surprisingly large volume.

Use the CBM shipping guide and shipping companies from China to Nigeria.

Step 14: appoint the clearing agent before arrival #

Do not begin searching Facebook for:

“Clearing agent Apapa urgently”

when the vessel is already berthed.

Appoint the person early.

Send them:

• Form M
• commercial invoice
• packing list
• bill of lading details
• certificates
• HS code
• shipment information

Nigeria Customs' process then moves through PAAR, the goods declaration, assessment, payment, risk treatment/examination where required and release. (customs.gov.ng)

Use our clearing agent guide.

And read the Apapa clearing process so you know what your agent is actually doing.

Step 15: do not stop your calculation at the port #

When the container leaves Apapa, the stock still has to reach where you sell it.

Add:

port → warehouse transport

to your landed cost.

If you are based in Aba, Onitsha, Kano, Abuja or Port Harcourt, that inland transport can materially change the unit cost.

Then recount the saleable stock.

Five thousand ordered units may not mean five thousand sellable units.

Calculate the final cost per usable item before setting your selling price.

Step 16: sell and keep records from day one #

Importing is only half the business.

Keep:

• purchase invoices
• supplier payments
• freight
• Customs assessment
• VAT/duty evidence
• clearing charges
• transport
• sales
• business expenses

Under the Nigeria Tax Act, a qualifying small company pays 0% Company Income Tax. The current published definition generally uses annual turnover of up to ₦100 million together with the applicable fixed-asset test; larger companies move into the standard corporate tax regime. (nipc.gov.ng)

Zero CIT does not mean zero records.

You still need to know:

what you bought, what it cost and what you sold.

Our tax on imported goods in Nigeria covers the 2026 rules.

How should a first-time importer start? #

Do not make your first shipment a monument to confidence.

Start with enough stock to prove three things:

Can I import it successfully?

Can I sell it at the price I calculated?

Will customers reorder it?

For many products, that means a sample first and then a manageable groupage shipment.

Once the product proves itself, scale.

That is much cheaper than filling a 40ft container with ten products you have never sold before.

The three rules that prevent most first-order mistakes #

Paperwork before shipment #

Know the HS code, regulatory requirement and Form M position before China dispatches the goods.

Landed cost before deposit #

Know roughly what one unit will cost inside your Nigerian warehouse before committing to the MOQ.

Inspection before balance #

For manufactured orders where quality matters, verify the goods while the supplier still wants the remaining money.

Those three habits solve a remarkable number of import problems.

The complete order #

If you are starting from nothing in 2026, follow this:

1. Choose product

2. Confirm HS code

3. Check prohibited/restricted status

4. Calculate landed cost

5. Register CAC

6. Retrieve Tax ID

7. Open business account/trade relationship

8. Verify supplier

9. Approve proforma invoice

10. Obtain required product certificate

11. Process Form M

12. Pay deposit

13. Produce and inspect

14. Pay balance

15. Ship

16. Process PAAR/Customs clearance

17. Deliver to warehouse

18. Sell and keep proper accounts

That is how to start an import business in Nigeria.

Not:

find cheap product → send money → ship → start asking questions when it reaches Lagos.

Where ChinaBridge fits #

ChinaBridge is useful where the China side and Nigeria side meet.

That means helping you think through:

product → supplier → verification → quotation → China-side costs → inspection → consolidation/shipping → documents.

Your bank, regulator and Nigerian Customs process remain formal parts of the transaction.

If you are considering an order, start with the product link, quantity and expected Nigerian selling price.

The first question should be:

“Does this order make sense landed in Nigeria?”

Answer that before the deposit moves.

Then continue with how to check a Chinese supplier, Form M for Nigerian importers, and the landed cost calculator guide.

First published 20 Sep 2026. Last checked 23 Sep 2026 by The ChinaBridge desk. Something here out of date? Tell us in the comments and we will fix it.