Do you want to know how to check custom duty online in Nigeria? If your answer is yes, then you’re at the right place. This article will enlighten you on everything you need about Nigeria Custom Duty online verification.
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Nigeria Custom Duty Verification – An Introduction
Before going into the details of how to check custom duty online in Nigeria, let’s take a quick look at what custom duty means.
What is Customs Duty?
Customs Duty, also known as Customs Tariff, is a government-imposed tax on imports and exports. It is a fee that must be paid when transporting goods through international borders, whether by air freight or a shipping company.
Customs Duty is one of the most efficient ways of regulating the movement of goods, raising revenue for the government, and protecting domestic industries from bigger foreign industries. However, there are some duty-free products free for importation into Nigeria.
Solar panels without diodes, Solar cells, and other components for manufacturing or assembling solar modules are some of the goods imported duty-free in Nigeria.
Customs duty at any time often depends on the value, weight, quantity, or dimension of the goods for transport. Import duties based on the value of goods are known as ad valorem duties, while those calculated based on quantity/weight are known as specific duties. Another category of duties known as compound duties is a combination of value and other stated factors.
Import duty may range between 5% and 60%, with an average of 12%. Imports, in particular, are subject to a 7% port surcharge and a 5% value-added tax (VAT).
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How to Check Customs Duty Online in Nigeria
Checking customs duty before purchasing that vehicle or product will save you from the hands of fraudulent individuals and organizations. You may also get in big trouble if they catch you with a fake customs duty, hence the need to check.
Today, you can check for customs duty through your phone in Nigeria. Yes, the days of checking customs duty manually are over due to the evolution of mobile phone services. This method eliminates the stress or late payment of customs duty in Nigeria.
Sadly, no direct online method exists for interested individuals to check customs duty. There are no active web portals for this purpose. The only viable method is to contact the Nigerian Customs Service through their helpdesk.
They are available 24/7, but contacting them during the day is better to get prompt responses. You can also use this method to verify customs codes.
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Requirements for Checking Custom Duty (For Vehicles)
To check your custom duty through the process above, you will need the following:
- Nigerian Customs Command to which you made payment
- C-number or Customs Reference Number
- Year of Duty payment
- Last six digits of the vehicle chassis number and the car model
You can find all this information on the SDG (Simple Goods Declaration) form you get at the port or dealership. With this information, the helpdesk agent or representative should be able to check your vehicle’s customs duty and conduct Nigeria Custom Duty Verification.
Another option is to seek the services of third-party online agents specializing in cases like this. Of course, you must pay for their services, including the cost of printing it out.
Note: The prices for custom duty verification by a third-party agent might differ depending on the company or person.
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How to Retrieve Lost Custom Papers
Custom papers are special and vital documents that should never be lost or misplaced. However, bad things happen, and you may lose your custom papers.
Once again, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) helpdesk is the go-to option to retrieve your lost custom papers. You should know that it is a delicate process that may take some time and cost you some money.
Contact the helpdesk or visit a Nigerian Customs Service office to put you through the customs paper retrieval process. They may require you to pay retrieval fees of up to 25,000 Naira or more. The NCS is also responsible for customs papers in Nigeria.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Nigeria Custom Duty Verification
How Much is Import Duty on Cars in Nigeria?
Import duty on cars in Nigeria varies by year of manufacture, size, value, and capacity. Nigerian custom duty on used cars (popularly known as Tokunbo cars) is 20% import duty for used vehicles as was transmitted by ECOWAS, with a NAC levy of 15%. This is as allowed for in Annex II of the 2022-2026 CET edition and in line with the Finance Act and the National Automotive Policy.
Do I Need to Pay Customs Duty for PS4?
YES.
This complies with the rule of the Customs Service of Nigeria, which states that “Importer shall continue to pay an administrative charge of 1% of FOB value of all imports based on the exchange rate on the approved e-Form “M.”
How Can I Pay Custom Duty?
Importation into Nigeria is legitimate and legal after opening a form M, whether valid for FX or not. You can only process your custom duty payment at the bank where you opened the form M. The only exception is if the bank where you opened the form M is not a Duty Collecting Bank. You can pay for customs duty via any of the following Payment Instruments:
- Cash
- Bank draft
- The customer’s bank cheque
- Electronic transfers (mobile/online banking)
- NDCC (Negotiable Duty Credit Certificate)
Note: (a receipt is issued after the draft/cheque has cleared)
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Do I Have to Pay Import Duty on a Gift?
No.
However, this applies only to gifts whose values do not exceed a particular price limit. The exact non-taxable price limit is unknown and may vary occasionally.
What are the Types of Custom Duty?
Customs duty is a tax imposed on all imported and exported products. In Nigeria, the body responsible for regulating transport across Nigerian borders is the Nigerian Customs Service, and it is also in charge of managing payment and verification of customs duty.
There are various types of customs duty:
Basic Customs Duty
This is a duty paid on the value of the goods at a specific rate. The amount to be paid as duty is fixed at a specified rate on an ad-valorem basis. The Central or Federal Government has the right to exclude any goods from the duty.
Countervailing Duty (CVD)
This duty is imposed by the Federal Government when a country pays a subsidy to the individuals/agencies responsible for exporting products to the country in context. This amount of duty equals the value of the subsidy they pay. This form of duty is in place to counter the negative effects of import subsidies to protect domestic or indigenous industries.
Safeguard Duty
It is a duty imposed when there is an unexpected rise in imports, posing a threat to the interest of local industries. It safeguards domestic businesses and is calculated by the loss suffered by domestic industries.
Anti-Dumping Duty
“Dumping” is a situation where a big foreign industry exports goods at relatively low prices to the domestic industries in the country, intending to cripple these domestic industries or rid them of excess stock. When this happens, anti-dumping duties may be imposed to counter the negative effects of dumping.
National Calamity Contingent Duty
National Calamity Contingent Duty is imposed on products such as tobacco, cigarettes, or other items deemed harmful to health. The duty rate ranges between 10% to 45%, and rates may differ for different reasons.
Other Types of Duty include:
- Education Cess on Customs Duty
- Protective Duty
What is Basic Custom Duty Rate?
Nigeria’s custom duty on imported cars and other products may range between 5% and 60%, averaging 12%.
How Much is the Custom Clearance Fee in Nigeria?
Custom clearance fees in Nigeria often depend on the value of the product in question. For example, individuals or agencies aiming to import a car must pay about 20% of the car’s monetary value as a clearance fee. This cost of clearing cars in Nigeria is partly why cars are more expensive in the country.
How Do I Check My Customs Duty?
You can now check your customs duty on phones in Nigeria. All you need to do is contact the Nigerian Customs Service helpdesk to check and verify your customs duty. You must do this because you do not want to be caught with a fake customs duty.
Check the sections above for how to contact the Nigerian Customs Service helpdesk.
How can I verify my customs duty in Nigeria?
Custom duty verification in Nigeria is vital because of the high rate of fraudulent individuals and agencies peddling fake custom documents within the country. Possession of fake customs papers is a crime in Nigeria, so you must verify your customs duty to avoid sanction.
Contact the Nigerian Customs Service helpdesk to verify your customs duty through your mobile phone.
Check the sections above for how to contact the Nigerian Customs Service helpdesk.
After contacting the helpdesk, you must provide the following information to complete your Nigeria customs vehicle duty verification.
- Year of Duty payment
- Nigerian Customs Command to which you made payment
- Last six digits of the vehicle chassis number and the car model
- C-number or Customs Reference Number
What is C-Number in Custom Papers?
The C-number, also known as the Custom Reference Number, is a series of alphanumeric digits that represents every piece of information there is to know about your vehicle/imported product. The Nigerian Customs Service saves information about imports and exports using their custom reference numbers to make their database more compact and efficient.
The C-number always comes in this format: C-18273… and you can see it on the top right corner of the customs clearance certificate.
To be sure you’re holding a legal custom clearance certificate, you must do a c-number verification by contacting the Nigerian Customs Service helpdesk.
What Happens to a Car without Customs Papers?
The Nigerian Customs Service may seize a car without customs papers, and the cost of retrieving it may be more than the cost of getting customs papers in the first place.
What is a Chassis Number?
A chassis number is a series of letters/numbers that serve as the identity of each vehicle it is assigned to. To find the chassis number, check the engine bay or the vehicle chassis. You may also check the chassis number on the vehicle registration papers or the last six digits of your vehicle identification number (VIN).
Chassis number verification in Nigeria may prove vital in avoiding stolen vehicle purchases. There are many stolen vehicles sinisterly waiting for innocent individuals to purchase them. You can avoid this by simple chassis number verification through some online verification agencies.
Some of these agencies are:
- https://legitcar.ng/
- https://www.vinrun.com/
- and many others
You can verify any vehicle’s chassis number on any of these platforms before purchasing any vehicle.
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How Much is the Custom Fee in Nigeria?
Generally, custom duties range from 5% to 60%, with a 12% average. Other custom fees include a 5% value-added tax (VAT) and a 7% port surcharge.
Note: Many vehicle customs duty calculators online can help you generate custom prices for your vehicle(s).
What is Stamp Duty?
Stamp duty is a form of government tax on electronic or written documents, usually in the case of the transfer of assets or properties. Modern versions for payment no longer require a physical stamp on the document.
However, some cases require a physical stamp on the document to indicate that stamp duty had already been paid before the document became legally active.
Stamp duty verification is required to complete some transactions. Without it, such transactions may experience a delay.
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What Documents are Needed to Clear Customs?
- Bill of Lading
- Commercial Invoice Exit Note
- Duly completed Form ‘M’ (Nigerian Customs Permit Form)
- Packing list
- Single Goods Declaration
- Product Certificate.
Final Thoughts on Nigeria Custom Duty Verification
It is quite an upgrade that you can now confirm your customs paper via a mobile phone. This generally makes verifying the legitimacy of custom duty, c-number, and customs papers easy.
For more information concerning Nigeria Custom Duty Verification, visit the Nigerian Customs’ official website.
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