Importing a Refrigerated Truck into Nigeria: Documents
Form M, PAAR, SONCAP and the rest: the document sequence for a reefer entering Nigeria, in the order it has to happen.
Importing a refrigerated truck into Nigeria: the document sequence
A refrigerated truck entering Nigeria needs four things settled before the vessel sails: a Form M opened through an authorised dealer bank, a SONCAP-related conformity route confirmed for the product, a PAAR issued before arrival, and a complete document set on the shipping line’s terms. The order matters more than the individual documents: Form M must precede shipment, and PAAR must be issued before the container is cleared. Importers who start with a supplier quotation and work backwards usually lose two to four weeks at the port, and that time is charged in demurrage.
The sequence, in order
| Step | What it is | When | Who issues it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Form M — import declaration used to establish the transaction | Before shipment, ideally before the purchase order is confirmed | Authorised dealer bank, on the importer’s behalf |
| 2 | Product conformity route confirmed (SONCAP) | Before production, because it affects what the factory must supply | Confirmed through the accredited inspection body |
| 3 | Pre-shipment inspection and certificate | At the factory, before loading | Accredited inspection agency |
| 4 | Bill of lading, commercial invoice, packing list | At shipment | Shipping line and exporter |
| 5 | Certificate of origin | At shipment | Issued in China through the chamber of commerce channel |
| 6 | PAAR — pre-arrival assessment report | Before vessel arrival | Nigeria Customs, on application |
| 7 | Duty assessment and clearance | On arrival | Nigeria Customs, through your clearing agent |
This table is the sequence to confirm with your clearing agent, not a substitute for their instruction: rates, product-specific conformity requirements and procedural details change, and the agent’s current advice governs.
Where refrigerated trucks specifically cause trouble
Three points recur. First, the refrigeration unit is a second machine with its own nameplate and its own serial number, and a document set that describes only the vehicle will leave the unit undocumented — put the unit model and serial on the invoice and packing list. Second, the chassis and the body are built by different manufacturers, and the certificate of origin must cover what is actually being shipped; a certificate describing only the chassis will be questioned. Third, if the shipment is a body or a panel kit rather than a complete vehicle, the classification and the conformity route both change, and the Form M should be opened for the correct description rather than for “truck”.
RHD or LHD
Nigeria drives on the right and registers left-hand-drive vehicles for normal commercial operation. This is the opposite of Kenya and Tanzania, and it is the single most expensive mistake available to a buyer sourcing from China: a right-hand-drive unit built for East Africa is the wrong product for Lagos. Confirm the drive configuration on the proforma invoice, in writing, before production begins.
Why right-hand drive units are hard to source from China, and what actually changes in the build, is covered in RHD refrigerated trucks from China.
What to send your supplier
Send the destination port, the importer’s registered name as it will appear on Form M, and the intended use if the vehicle will be registered as commercial or as a specialised unit. Ask for the proforma invoice to state the announced model code, the emission standard, the drive configuration and the refrigeration unit model, because those four lines are what the inspection agency and the customs classification will be checked against.
What we provide with the shipment
For CCC-certified models we issue the certificate number against the announced model code, and the number can be verified one-to-one at www.cnca.gov.cn — we send the scan as well. The proforma invoice states the model code, emission standard, drive configuration, body specification and refrigeration unit model, and the pre-shipment photograph set follows the twelve-shot list so the unit inspected is the unit shipped. If your clearing agent needs a specific wording on the invoice or the packing list, tell us before the document set is issued, not after.