If you’ve had to ship any item from Nigeria to United Kingdom, you may have noticed how tideous the process could be.

But the truth is having the right information can make this process quite seamless.

One of the easiest and cheapest ways of shipping from Nigeria to the United Kingdom is by using the help of a friend or relative travelling to the U.K. However, this method isn’t very reliable as you may not find someone to help you ship your package as at the time you need to.

As a result, this process can only be applicable once in a while. Also, there are many things that could happen in the course of boarding and onboarding that could jeopardize your package.

This is why we’ve decided to take a look at the most effective method of shipping your package to the UK from Nigeria which is by using a reputable courier company.

In this post, you’ll learn the important things you need to know as well the steps you should follow to get your shipment from Nigeria to the UK easily.

First, it is vital that you understand that there are the illegal items that you can’t ship as well as those that require a waiver from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) before you can ship them.

However, documents with no commercial value are easy to ship as there’s no export waiver required before they can be shipped.

On the other hand, we have listed some of the items that are regulated by the Nigerian Customs Service as well as those that are forbidden for export below:

• Dangerous goods as defined by IATA
• Explosives
• Food, non-perishable
• Human body parts
• Live animals
• Money
• Perishable foods
• Liquor

Additionally, you should find out those items that may be prohibited by the destination country, so that your shipment doesn’t get confiscated at the UK border.

The next thing is to take note of the general regulations that guide shipping. First, there’s a maximum size and weight for good being shipped to the United Kingdom so you need to confirm the specifications. Usually, the weight determines the shipment tariff.

Also, if you’re exporting equipments for repairs, you need to obtain a re-importation certificate from the Nigerian Customs Service before the item can return the country.

Now that you know the basics of shipping items, here’s a summary of the things you should prior to sending your shipment to your desired courier service:

• Check the shipment limitations for importing or exporting to Nigeria to be sure customs will accept the commodity.
• Check that your commodity can be shipped via the courier service you have chosen
• Complete all necessary documents and ensure the information provided is accurate
• Ensure consistency of information across all documents.
• Ensure you attach a commercial invoice unless it is a document.

In order to make the process straightforward, you can send the packing list of your shipment to your courier company before you send the goods. This will ensure that none of your items get rejected prior to shipping. Also, applying this method will help you know the charges to expect from the company.

There are several courier companies in the country and we’ve highlighted some of them below:

DHL

DHL is one of the foremost logistics companies in the world with presence in over 200 countries. The company offers services that cover the different needs of individuals under the following business unit: DHL Express, DHL Parcel, DHL eCommerce, DHL Global Forwarding, DHL Freight and DHL Supply Chain.

The subsidiary in Nigeria is called DHL Nigeria and there service extends to all the 36 states so it doesn’t matter where you are.

If you’re in Lagos, some of their locations include:

• DHL Ikoyi Office | Shop No 44, Obalende Road, Ikoyi, Lagos
• DHL Broad Street Office | 30 Broad Street, Lagos
• DHL Marina Office | Elephant House Car Park 2, Marina Road
• DHL Victoria Island Office | 370 Muri Okunola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos
• DHL Iyana Ipaja Office | 5 Abeokuta Express Way
• DHL Ikeja GRA Office | 3A Isaac John Street, Ikeja
• DHL Yaba Office | 367 Herbert Macaulay Road
• DHL Onipanu Office | 167 Ikorodu Road, Lagos
• DHL Ojuelegba Office | 59 Funsho Williams Avenue, Ojuelegba
• DHL Allen, Ikeja Office | 41 Allen Avenue Street, Ikeja
• DHL Ojo Office | 127 Olojo Drive, Ojo

UPS

United Parcel Service popularly called UPS has been in existence for over 100 years. Their offices can be found in over 200 countries in the world including Nigeria.

UPS has several drop-off locations in Nigeria. If you’re looking to use their service, you can find a nearby drop-off location by clicking this link.

EMS

EMS is another top courier company that can help ship your items to the United Kingdom using their international post express mail service. The company was established in Nigeria as a courier arm of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) in 1986.

FEDEX

Federal Express also known as FEDEX introduced the express delivery on a large scale. They are particularly known for their overnight shipping and the company is known to have pioneered package tracking and real time update on the location of items.

FEDEX is particularly an excellent option if you need to get your package to your destination in the United Kingdom as soon as possible.

Final words

Proper labelling of your package is necessary although most courier companies will help you with this.

In summary, below is a list of the process involved in shipping from Nigeria to the U.K using a courier service.

1. Drop the packages/cargo at courier office or pick-up location;
2. Courier company ships the packages out via selected transport means;
3. Tracking your item using tracking code;
4. Package arrives destination;
5. Notification of package arrival;
6. Receiver collects the package.

So that’s it. The process can be quite seamless if you have the necessary information.

And speaking about the right information, this post has provided the much needed instructions and steps you need to follow to get your shipment from anywhere in Nigeria to your U.K destination.