Call or WhatsApp: 07587484631 · Email: [email protected] · Get a free quote
Rates for shipping from Nigeria to the UK
The reverse leg prices differently from UK-to-Nigeria shipping, because capacity from Lagos varies week to week and UK import handling adds cost. That’s why serious operators quote the Nigeria-to-UK leg individually rather than publishing a flat rate — and why we don’t print one here that wouldn’t survive contact with your actual shipment. What we can tell you is how the two options compare.
Air cargo (Nigeria to UK)
Air is the default for the reverse corridor: foodstuff, documents, fabrics and personal effects, landing in 5–9 days. Pricing is per kg with a minimum weight — typically 8–10kg, as on the outbound leg — plus a handling fee, typically ~£20 with most operators. Send your weight and contents through the quote form and we’ll match you with an operator running that lane, with a firm per-kg figure.
Sea cargo (Nigeria to UK)
Sea suits bulk: furniture, large foodstuff consignments, personal effects from a house move back to the UK. Allow 5–7 weeks port to door, and add margin for congestion at Lagos ports before departure — sailings out of Apapa can slip in busy periods. Sea shipments from Nigeria carry more paperwork than air (UK port health checks apply to food), so book with an operator who has run the lane before, not the cheapest voice on the phone.
How long does shipping from Nigeria to the UK take?
Air cargo from Lagos or Abuja reaches the UK in 5–9 days door to door; documents and small parcels on express services can land in 3–7 days. Sea cargo takes 5–7 weeks under normal conditions — and congestion at Lagos ports, plus UK port health inspection on food consignments, can add 1–2 weeks at either end. If timing matters (a wedding, Christmas stock for a shop), say so in your enquiry and we’ll match you to air.
What you can ship from Nigeria to the UK
The reverse leg is dominated by one thing — food from home — plus documents, fabrics like ankara and aso-oke, and personal effects.
Foodstuff and provisions
This is the big one: garri, egusi, ogbono, dried peppers, crayfish, dried fish, palm oil, yam flour, spices — the taste of home that no London African shop quite matches, at prices that make shipping worthwhile. All of it moves on this corridor every week, and all of it is legal to bring in — if it complies with UK import rules. The operators we work with know which items clear UK port health without drama and how to package and declare them. Tell us exactly what’s in the consignment when you enquire; “foodstuff” is not enough detail to keep you out of trouble, but an itemised list is.
UK food import rules you must know
The UK bans personal imports of meat and dairy from outside Europe — so no suya, no kilishi, no ponmo, no snails, no milk-based products in the box. Bushmeat is prohibited outright and seizures are prosecuted. Dried plant-based foods (garri, beans, egusi, dried peppers) generally clear, though some plant products need a phytosanitary certificate. Fish is allowed within limits when properly dried and declared. Two rules of thumb: declare everything, and when in doubt ask us on 07587484631 before it’s packed — a seized box refunds nobody.
Documents and parcels
Certificates, court documents, contracts and small parcels travel on express air services, typically landing in 3–7 days. For anything irreplaceable — an original WAEC certificate, a signed deed, a land document from the family compound — pay for tracked express service and additional insurance rather than putting it in general cargo. The price difference is small; the difference between “delayed” and “gone” is not.
Prohibited items
No currency, no arms or ammunition, no illegal drugs, no counterfeit goods, no meat, dairy or bushmeat, and no flammables or aerosols on air freight. Operators open and inspect cargo before export — undeclared banned items are removed and can void the whole consignment’s insurance.
Collection in Nigeria
Operators we work with collect in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt as standard, and can usually arrange collection in other major cities — Ibadan, Benin City, Enugu, Kano — for an added charge. For smaller towns, the usual pattern is that your sender drops the goods at the operator’s nearest receiving office. Tell us the pickup city in your enquiry and we’ll match you with an operator who genuinely covers it, rather than one who’ll subcontract your box to a stranger.
Delivery across the UK
Delivery to any UK address — London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, and everywhere between. Consignments clear UK customs, then move by courier or the operator’s own delivery run to the recipient’s door. Businesses importing regularly — restaurants, African food shops, fabric traders — can ask us to match a single operator for repeat consignments rather than re-quoting each shipment. If you’re in East London or the East of England, you’re in our home patch, and depot collection is often available if you’d rather pick up and save the delivery charge. See how it works for how your delivery is tracked from Lagos to your door.
UK customs and duty on imports from Nigeria
High-level pointers — the operator handling your shipment will confirm specifics:
- Goods worth £135 or less generally attract no customs duty, though VAT may still apply depending on how the shipment is declared.
- Above £135, expect customs duty plus import VAT at 20% on most goods, calculated on the declared value.
- Genuine gifts under £39 between private individuals are usually relieved of import VAT.
- Food faces port health checks on top of customs — compliant, well-declared consignments clear; undeclared ones get opened, delayed or destroyed.
Declare honestly. An undervalued consignment that gets queried costs far more in storage fees and delay than the duty saved.
How to book from Nigeria
Most bookings are made by the UK-side relative or recipient, and that’s the smoothest route: you enquire here, we match the operator, and the operator’s Nigerian office contacts your sender to arrange drop-off or collection.
- Send the details — contents (itemised), estimated weight, pickup city, UK delivery postcode — via the quote form or WhatsApp 07587484631.
- Get matched — we connect you with an operator running that lane, usually within 1 working day.
- Pay the operator directly — no payment is taken on this site. Operators accept payment in the UK, so nobody has to move naira across borders to ship a box of garri.
- Track to your door — the operator provides updates from collection through UK clearance to delivery.
Insurance and protection
Ask for insurance terms with every reverse-leg quote — cover levels vary between operators more on this lane than any other. Foodstuff is usually low-value and travels on basic cover, but fabrics, documents and electronics deserve additional insurance, typically priced as a small percentage of declared value. Have your sender photograph the packed consignment and keep the operator’s receipt; if anything goes missing between Lagos and London, those two things decide the claim.
Shipping from Nigeria to the UK — FAQs
How much does it cost to ship from Nigeria to the UK?
Reverse-leg rates are quoted per shipment rather than from a flat price list, because Lagos-to-UK capacity varies weekly. Air is priced per kg with a typical 8–10kg minimum plus ~£20 handling; sea is cheaper for bulk. Request a quote with your weight and contents for a firm figure.
How long does cargo from Nigeria to the UK take?
Air cargo takes 5–9 days from collection in Lagos or Abuja to a UK address; express document services land in 3–7 days. Sea takes 5–7 weeks, plus possible delay from Lagos port congestion and UK port health checks on food. Air is the sensible default for anything under 100kg.
Can I send foodstuff from Nigeria to the UK?
Yes — garri, egusi, ogbono, dried fish, crayfish, dried peppers and palm oil all ship legally when properly packaged and declared. The 2 hard exclusions are meat and dairy, which the UK bans from personal imports outside Europe. Itemise every food item in your enquiry so the operator declares it correctly.
What Nigerian food is banned from entering the UK?
All meat products — suya, kilishi, ponmo, snails — and all dairy are banned from personal imports, and bushmeat is prohibited outright with prosecution risk. Everything else mostly clears: dried plant foods like garri and egusi are fine, and dried fish is allowed within personal limits when declared. When unsure, ask us on 07587484631 first.
Will I pay UK customs duty on my cargo?
Consignments declared at £135 or less generally escape customs duty; above that, duty plus 20% import VAT applies on most goods. Genuine gifts under £39 are usually VAT-relieved. The operator declares the shipment and any charges are invoiced before delivery — declare honest values to avoid queries and storage fees.
Do you collect from anywhere in Nigeria?
Operators collect in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt as standard, and can often arrange pickup in other major cities for an extra charge. In smaller towns, your sender drops the goods at the operator’s nearest receiving office. Give us the pickup city and we’ll confirm coverage within 1 working day.
Do you deliver to any UK address?
Yes — once cargo clears UK customs, delivery runs to any UK postcode by courier or the operator’s own vehicles. If you’re within our East London and East of England home area, covering 13 postcode districts, depot pickup is often available if you’d rather collect and save the delivery charge.
How do I pay if I’m booking from Nigeria?
You don’t have to — most reverse-leg bookings are paid by the UK recipient, in pounds, directly to the operator. No payment is ever taken on this site. If the sender in Nigeria prefers to pay locally, many operators accept naira at their receiving offices; confirm on 07587484631 when booking.
Get your Nigeria-to-UK quote
Tell us what’s coming — the pickup city, the contents, the UK postcode — and we’ll match you with an operator who runs that lane, usually within 1 working day. Get your free quote, WhatsApp 07587484631, or email [email protected]. Sending the other way? Start with our UK-to-Nigeria price list, air freight or sea freight.