Documents you need to clear your Vehicle at Sea Port

Perhaps you are expecting to ship in a car to Nigeria or yours is already at the port, you need to get all the needed document ready. Is it your first time importing a car from any country to Nigeria, you sincerely need this blog more than anyone else as it will prepare you ahead of its clearance at the port.

This is the most integral part of your car importation to Nigeria. The clearance is as good as the whole process of the importation because it is the final stage of the importation and this process determines your access to the car.

At this clearance stage, if necessary documents are not in place, one may be denied of the car. This is what triggered this blog to keep you informed ahead of the clearance stage as an instrumental to help you prevent unexpected bad luck.

Since Nigeria is not manufacturing affordable cars yet, other neighboring countries with track records and car manufacturing site become a saving grace to cater for our auto needs. Though Nigeria is now struggling to get it right until she gets its rights, we will keep patronizing the foreign countries for our vehicular needs.

In this context, Auto-shipping is an act and process of transporting a vehicle from one country to another. This involves sound knowledge on “how to do” to prevent one from been duped.

Briefly, the under listed are 8 things to Know Before Shipping Your Car
•    Do Your Homework. Research the company you're looking to hire. ...
•    Ask Questions. “Ask what's all included in the quote you receive,”
•    Check Out the Shipper's Insurance. ...
•    Book Early. ...
•    Prep the Vehicle. ...
•    Look for Red Flags. ...
•    Be On-site for Pickup and Delivery. ...
•    Understand How Payment Works.

Having digests, the 8 points above, you need to partner with a capable and responsive freight forwarder, who is into Auto Shipping for the successful landing of your expected car to Nigeria.

There is no other affordable and considerable freight forward for a sweet experience of your auto shipping than Valuehandlers International, the capable and responsive freight forwarder that has been proving her reliability and capability overtimes. Just contact us, give us your details and relax as you await the arrival of your car in due time.

If you are into auto shipping, or your auto shipping gets done by a freight broker or agent, it is very important to be conversant with the documents that are needed to clear your car from Tincan or Apapa.

In order to clear your car at Lagos seaport, the documents needed are Bill of Lading and a Means of Identification.

Means of Identification: Means of Identification is defined as the act of determining who someone or what something is. A means of identification can be referred to as a name that may be used, alone or in combination with any other information, to identify a specific individual, including any name, social security number, date of birth, and official State. This could be a government-issued driver's license or national identification card.

Bill of lading: This is a detailed list of a ship's cargo in the form of a receipt given by the master of the ship to the person consigning the goods. It is a document issued by a carrier or agent to acknowledge receipt of cargo for shipment. Although in England, the term once related only to carriage by sea, a bill of lading may be used for any type of carriage of goods.
A bill of lading is a legal document between the shipper of goods (e.g. car) and the carrier which details the type, quantity, and destination of the goods that are being carried. The bill of lading also serves as a receipt of shipment when the goods are delivered at the predetermined destination. The Bill of Lading is usually abbreviated as B/L or BoL.

How to get the bill of lading: To get a bill of lading, the freight forwarder and or approved cargo agent would provide scan copy for approval at the goods (e.g. car) originated city or country. This is to make sure that the information filled in the blank copy is accurate so as to avoid issues with clearing agencies at the port of discharge. Once the scan copy is approved by the person who wants to clear the goods (car), the Auto-freight forwarder will then send the hard copy of the bill of lading by courier service since an original copy of BL will be required for clearing by custom and other port operators.

When to get the bill of lading: It is very good to receive the Bill of Lading a few days before the arrival of the vessel in the country of discharge. When you receive your Bill of Lading, it is important that you separate them and then append your signature to the original copy of the bill of lading;
Note: Bill of lading will come as;
· 1. Non-Negotiable
· 2. Original
Once the Original copy is signed, it would then be handed over to the agent with your means of identification
It is very important to provide a means of identification to your clearing agent, so as to be able to claim your goods and confirm the name and the address of the consignee on the BoL.

If you want to clear your car or you need more information as regards clearing of a car at Tincan or Apapa, kindly call us on 0803222847 or send us a mail at info@valuehandlers.com

Now, that you have been acquainted with the documents needed and it how to do, it is also necessary to serve you with some tips to ensure hiccups free shipping experience. The under-listed will play a vital role to ensure perfect shipping experience if correctly adhered to;
1.    Planning ahead and scheduling in advance – Having procured the vehicle safely and ready to ship it, you have to schedule the shipping as far in advance as possible to ensure delivery in your desired time frame. With a luxury of time schedule for the delivery, you will comfortably take care of any possible challenge in the process of transit without fear.
2.    Cleaning out the car – Your vehicle needs to be free of any personal items during transport. Transport trucks must meet strict weight requirements and insurance will not cover personal items in the vehicle. Failure to remove all your belongings could result in an extra charge or cause a delay in the transport of your vehicle or both.
3.    Inspecting your vehicle and making a checklist – An important step in the automobile transportation process is to do a thorough inspection of the vehicle and present it to the auto transit company for an acknowledgment before they take possession of the vehicle. It is also a good idea and highly recommended, to take photos of the car from all angles so you can file the photos away until the car has been delivered. This helps if you suspect there is any cosmetic damage to the car as you will have photographs to show what the condition of the car was at the time the driver took possession of transport.
4.    Ensuring low fuel and removing antennae – Make sure that you have not more than a quarter tank of gas/ petrol in your vehicle for the transport. More fuel than this can provide an unnecessary safety hazard. Remove any loose parts from the vehicle such as bed liners that are not bolted down, so that they do not get blown off during transport. Any non-retractable antennas must also be removed so that they do not get damaged while in transport.

About the Blogger: Valuehandlers is a Supply Chain Management Company Specializes in Air & Sea Freight Shipping, Customs clearing & cargo Servicing from and to 80 countries.
Get Quote