TIN number for import in Nigeria, and the bank account

The TIN number an importer needs in Nigeria is mandatory for a business bank account from 2026 and for every Form M. How to get it and what the bank asks for.

If you want to import goods commercially into Nigeria, your TIN — now formally called a Tax ID under the 2026 tax framework — is one of the numbers that follows your business almost everywhere.

Your bank needs it.

Customs systems use tax identity in importer processing.

Your Form M is tied to your importer details.

And the Nigeria Revenue Service uses it to connect your business to tax filings, payments and compliance.

The good part: getting a Tax ID itself is free.

The important part is getting the right Tax ID, using the same legal business name everywhere, and building your import documents around it from the beginning.

TIN or Tax ID: what changed in 2026? #

Since 1 January 2026, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act uses the term Tax ID.

The Nigeria Revenue Service's official Tax ID portal says the number is jointly issued through the national tax system and linked to an existing legal identity:

• NIN for individuals
• CAC registration for businesses and companies

The law also requires financial institutions to ensure that taxable persons provide a Tax ID.

So when somebody says:

“TIN”

and another person says:

“Tax ID”

they are normally talking about the same practical tax-identity function.

You will still see TIN used throughout Customs documentation and some existing systems, so Nigerian importers should understand both terms.

How do you get a TIN or Tax ID in Nigeria? #

For most importers, the process is now much easier than it used to be.

If you registered a company or business with CAC #

Your tax identity is linked to the business's CAC record.

The official NRS Tax ID portal allows businesses to retrieve their Tax ID using the organisation name or CAC registration number.

So after CAC registration, do not immediately pay somebody claiming they need to “apply for TIN” for you.

First try to retrieve the Tax ID using your CAC details.

If it exists, you already have what you need.

If you are importing as an individual #

The current Tax ID system links an individual's tax identity to the person's NIN.

The NRS portal allows individuals to retrieve their Tax ID by providing their NIN and confirming identifying information.

Nigeria Customs' current importer-registration portal also recognises both individual and company importers: individuals can register using NIN, while companies use their TIN.

For somebody building a continuing import business, however, keeping the business registration, bank account and tax identity aligned usually makes the paperwork much cleaner.

Do you have to pay for a TIN? #

No.

The Tax ID itself is not something you should be buying from an agent.

An accountant, consultant or agent may charge you for helping to resolve a registration problem, tax setup or compliance work.

That is a professional-service fee.

It is not a government fee for purchasing a Tax ID.

If somebody tells you:

“TIN is ₦25,000”

ask exactly what you are paying for.

Why does an importer need a TIN? #

Because the tax identity connects several parts of the import process.

Nigeria Customs currently says that, in practice, a valid TIN is used as a registration key across systems including Form M, PAAR and the customs declaration process.

Think of it as one of the identifiers tying together:

your business → your bank → your import documents → Customs → tax administration

That is why getting the name and identity right at the beginning matters.

The mistake: using different business details everywhere #

Suppose CAC says:

Charles Homeware Nigeria Limited

Your bank account says:

Charles Homeware Nig Ltd

The Chinese supplier writes the proforma invoice to:

Charles Imports

And somebody submits another name on the shipping documents.

You have now created unnecessary work.

For an importer, the legal business name should stay consistent across:

• CAC documents
• Tax ID
• bank account
• proforma invoice
• Form M
• commercial invoice
• insurance
• bill of lading
• Customs documentation
• regulatory certificates

Do not let a Chinese supplier shorten your company name because it looks long.

Send the exact registered name.

Copy and paste it.

Our CAC registration guide explains the business-registration side.

What does a Nigerian bank need to open a business account? #

The exact KYC checklist varies by bank and account type, so there is no single universal list.

But for a registered Nigerian import business, expect the bank to request documents around:

• CAC certificate
• CAC status report or registration extract
• Tax ID
• BVN/NIN and identification for owners or signatories
• registered/business address
• passport photographs where required
• company/director information
• board resolution or mandate for a company
• additional KYC documents requested by the bank

Banks now have a specific statutory obligation to obtain Tax IDs from taxable customers under the 2026 tax administration framework.

The practical advice is simple:

open the account in the exact registered business name.

That account may later become the account your trade desk uses for Form M and international payment processing.

Your ordinary bank branch and the trade desk are not the same thing #

This catches new importers.

Opening a business current account does not mean the person who opened your account is the person who handles imports.

Commercial imports normally involve your bank's trade services or foreign operations desk.

That team deals with matters such as:

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

Once your account is open, ask:

“Who handles trade transactions and Form M for this branch?”

Save that contact.

It becomes useful when a shipment is time-sensitive.

What do you need to open a Form M? #

Nigeria Customs says Form M is mandatory for commercial imports and is processed through an Authorised Dealer Bank.

The transaction starts with your supplier's proforma invoice.

The official Customs guidance expects information including:

• detailed description of the goods
• quantity
• unit price
• total value
• freight
• transport method
• country of origin
• country of supply
• supplier details

Relevant regulatory documents such as SONCAP or NAFDAC documentation are also required where applicable.

So before your Chinese supplier sends a proforma invoice, give them your Nigerian company's exact legal details.

Our proforma invoice guide shows what to check before sending it to the bank.

Do you need marine insurance for Form M? #

For applicable sea imports, marine insurance is part of the Form M documentation process.

CBN integrated the Nigerian Insurers Association's digital Marine Insurance Certificate directly into e-Form M processing and discontinued hard-copy marine certificates for that process.

So insurance should not be something you start thinking about after the vessel sails.

Your bank/trade desk can tell you what is required for your exact transaction.

Our cargo insurance guide covers the risk side in more detail.

SONCAP, NAFDAC and the Tax ID solve different problems #

Another common mistake is thinking that once you have CAC, TIN and Form M, you can import anything.

You cannot.

Your CAC registration identifies the business.

Your Tax ID identifies it for tax and related government systems.

Your Form M begins the commercial import documentation.

But your product may still need separate approval.

For example:

electrical products may fall under SON requirements,

cosmetics or foods may require NAFDAC,

telecom equipment may involve NCC requirements.

Before buying from China, check the product.

Not after the goods are already in a container.

See our product certificate guide before placing a large order.

Keep one file for every shipment #

You will save yourself a lot of trouble if you build this habit early.

For every commercial shipment, keep a folder containing the important records.

That may include:

• supplier quotation
• proforma invoice
• payment evidence
• Form M
• insurance certificate
• regulatory certificates
• commercial invoice
• packing list
• Certificate of Origin/value documents where applicable
• bill of lading or airway bill
• PAAR
• Customs declaration
• assessment
• duty payment receipt
• terminal receipts
• shipping-line receipts
• clearing-agent invoices
• delivery evidence

Keep a digital copy too.

Do not run a ₦20 million import business using documents buried inside four years of WhatsApp messages.

When a bank, insurer, auditor, Customs officer or tax authority asks about a transaction, you should be able to open the shipment folder and see the complete history.

That is also how you calculate your actual landed cost later.

Why proper records matter when Customs values your goods #

Customs does not simply look at the amount you paid the Chinese supplier and stop there.

Customs valuation can include costs such as freight, insurance, packing and other relevant additions under the valuation rules.

If your records are scattered, proving what you actually paid becomes harder.

Keep:

supplier invoice + payment evidence + freight invoice + insurance + packing details

together.

It makes the transaction easier to defend and easier to understand yourself.

What is a Tax Clearance Certificate? #

Your Tax ID identifies you.

A Tax Clearance Certificate — TCC — deals with your tax compliance position.

Nigeria Revenue Service's current self-service system includes Tax Clearance as one of the services taxpayers can access electronically.

A TCC can become important when dealing with:

• government contracts
• financing
• licences and permits
• large corporate customers
• other transactions requiring proof of tax compliance

Do not confuse the two.

Tax ID: who you are in the tax system.

TCC: evidence of your tax-compliance status for the applicable period.

If your import business begins trading seriously, tax compliance should be part of the bookkeeping from the first year, not something you discover when a bank requests a TCC.

The 2026 cash withdrawal rules matter to traders too #

Another change Nigerian importers should know about took effect on 1 January 2026.

CBN now sets cumulative weekly cash-withdrawal limits at:

₦500,000 for individuals

and

₦5 million for corporate organisations.

Cash withdrawals above those thresholds attract charges of 3% for individuals and 5% for corporates.

This does not mean your business cannot spend more than ₦5 million a week.

It is a restriction on cash withdrawals, not ordinary electronic transfers.

For an import business, that is another reason to move away from running everything through physical cash.

Bank transfers create a better record of:

who was paid,

how much,

when,

and for which shipment.

That paper trail becomes useful when calculating taxes, resolving disputes or proving the cost of an import.

The paperwork sequence for a new Nigerian importer #

If you are starting from scratch, think about the process in this order:

1. Register the business with CAC

Choose the right structure and legal name.

2. Retrieve the Tax ID

Confirm that the business is correctly connected to the tax system.

3. Open the business bank account

Use exactly the same legal business details.

4. Find and verify the supplier

Do not send money just because the company appears on Alibaba or 1688.

5. Get a proper proforma invoice

The document should contain the information your bank and import process require.

6. Check product regulation

Find out whether SONCAP, NAFDAC or another approval is required.

7. Arrange insurance where required

Do this before Form M/shipment, not afterwards.

8. Process Form M through the bank

This formally starts the import documentation for the shipment.

9. Ship and obtain the remaining documents

Invoice, packing list, transport documents and related records.

10. Process PAAR and Customs clearance

Then your clearing agent can move the shipment through the Nigerian clearance process.

That is much safer than paying a Chinese supplier first and trying to build the paperwork backwards.

Where ChinaBridge fits in #

Getting a Tax ID is the easy part.

The expensive mistakes usually happen afterwards:

the wrong supplier,

a bad proforma invoice,

a product requiring certification nobody checked,

payment sent before Form M,

or goods leaving China before the Nigerian documents are ready.

If you already know what you want to import, ChinaBridge Global can help you look at the China and Nigeria sides of the transaction together before money starts moving.

Start with:

• product or supplier link
• quantity
• proforma invoice if available
• your business structure
• Nigerian destination

Then you can identify what needs to happen before payment and shipment.

Continue with our CAC registration guide.

Then read Form M for Nigerian importers.

And if you are building the business from the beginning, follow our complete how to start an import business in Nigeria guide.

First published 20 Sep 2026. Last checked 22 Sep 2026 by The ChinaBridge desk. Something here out of date? Tell us in the comments and we will fix it.