How to Cut Customs Clearance Time in Half

Most clearance delays at Lagos ports are not caused by the customs officers. They're caused by documents that arrive incomplete, inconsistent, or just a few hours too late.

Below is the actual checklist our brokers run through before a container even arrives. Get these right and clearance that used to take 10 days routinely closes in 4 or 5.

Before the cargo leaves origin

• Form M is open and approved. Without it, nothing else matters. Confirm the Form M is approved on the Nigerian Single Window before the shipper hands over the goods.
• PAAR is requested early. The Pre-Arrival Assessment Report needs to be requested as soon as shipping documents are available, not when the vessel is approaching. A late PAAR is the single most common cause of multi-day demurrage.
• HS codes match across every document. The Form M, the invoice, the PAAR request, and the Bill of Lading must all use the same HS code. One mismatch and the whole file gets queried.

While the cargo is in transit

• Original documents are couriered, not chased. Don't wait for the shipper to send originals after vessel arrival. They should be in your broker's hands before the vessel berths.
• Duty is calculated and funded. If you wait until cargo lands to figure out the duty figure, you've already lost two days. Our brokers compute the duty estimate from the PAAR and confirm the client has funded before berthing.
• Insurance certificate is issued. Required for clearance. Don't let it become an afterthought.

When the vessel arrives

• SGD lodged within 24 hours. The Single Goods Declaration should go in the same day the vessel docks. Every day of delay is a day of demurrage.
• Examination is scheduled, not waited for. Physical exam slots are first-come first-served. A proactive broker books the slot rather than queueing.
• Release order and exit documents are pre-prepared. The moment customs releases the cargo, the truck should be ready. Not "we'll call a haulier now" — already booked.

The mindset shift

Clearance is a project that starts the day you place the order, not the day the vessel arrives.

Most importers treat clearance as something that happens at the end. Our best clients treat it as something that runs in parallel with shipping. That single change is what cuts clearance time in half.

The one thing that matters most

If you do nothing else from this list, get your PAAR requested early and your duty funded before the vessel berths. Those two items alone account for the majority of avoidable delays we see.

Need a broker who actually runs this checklist? That's literally our job.