From Japan to Jakande

Preface

You want to import a car. Maybe from Japan. Maybe from America. Maybe from Dubai. Wherever it is coming from, it needs to end up in your compound, with Nigerian plates, with all the right papers, and without destroying your bank account.

This book walks you through every step – from browsing auction sites in your living room to driving the car off the port in Lagos. No skipped steps. No assumed knowledge. No "just ask your agent."

The truth is, most clearing agents are competent at their jobs. But their job is not to teach you the process – it is to get your car out of the port. The less you understand, the less you question. The less you question, the more they control.

This book puts you in control.

Who This Book Is For

• First-time importers who have never bought a car from overseas and want a complete, step-by-step guide
• Repeat importers who have done it before through an agent but never fully understood the process
• Diaspora Nigerians sending a car home and wanting to oversee the process from abroad
• Anyone tired of being told "don't worry, I'll handle it" by people who handle it with your money

What You Will Walk Away With

By the last page, you will understand the entire import process from source to registration: how to find a car online, how to verify it before buying, how shipping works, what happens at the Nigerian port, how to navigate Customs, how to register with FRSC, and how to get the car from the port to your doorstep. You will also have a complete timeline so you know what to expect and when.

Let us begin.

Before You Spend a Naira

Tunde is a 38-year-old engineer at an oil servicing company in Port Harcourt. He has been talking about importing a car for two years. "I want a Highlander," he tells his colleagues. "The 2018 model. My guy in Lagos says he can get one from America for like eight million."

One Saturday morning, Tunde's "guy in Lagos" sends him a link to a 2018 Toyota Highlander on Copart. The price: USD 8,200. "Guy, this one is clean. No accident. Send the money sharp sharp before someone else bids."

Tunde transfers N2 million as a deposit. Two days later, his guy asks for another N3 million for the auction bid, shipping, and "processing." Tunde sends it.

Then silence. For three weeks.

When the calls finally resume, the story has changed. "The car had a salvage title – I didn't see it before." "Shipping is more expensive than I quoted." "You need to send another one-point-five for Customs." Tunde is now N5 million deep with no car, no papers, and no clear path forward.

Here is what Tunde should have done before spending a single Naira – and what this chapter will teach you.

What You Will Learn

• List the five things you must have in place before browsing for a car
• Explain why your clearing agent should be hired before you choose a car, not after
• Set up a payment method for overseas purchases that protects your money
• Create a "ready to import" checklist that prevents Tunde-style disasters

Why This Matters

The moment you send money overseas, your bargaining power disappears. If the car turns out to be different from what was described, if the price changes, if the agent vanishes – you are chasing your money, not making a deal.

Most import disasters do not happen at the port. They happen before the car even ships – because the buyer was not prepared. They did not have a TIN, so clearance stalled. They did not verify the agent, so they got scammed. They did not check the vehicle properly, so they bought a salvage wreck. They did not understand the budget, so they ran out of money at the port.

Preparation is free. Mistakes cost millions.

The Five Things You Need Before Browsing

1. A Tax Identification Number (TIN)

You cannot clear any goods through Nigerian Customs without a Tax Identification Number (TIN). This is issued by the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), formerly FIRS – now the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) from 2026.

How to get one:

1. Visit the NRS website or TaxPro Max portal
2. Register as an individual taxpayer
3. Provide your BVN, NIN, or international passport number
4. Your TIN is generated immediately or within 48 hours

If you already file taxes, you already have a TIN. Check your tax documents or call NRS.

Do this now. Not when the car arrives.

2. A Verified Budget Ceiling

Not a rough idea. Not "around ten million." A specific number – the absolute maximum you can spend, including the 40-60% buffer from Chapter 1 of Book 1 in this series.

Your budget ceiling must cover:

• Purchase price at the exchange rate you will actually pay (parallel market rate)
• Shipping
• Marine insurance
• All duties and levies
• Port charges and potential demurrage
• Clearing agent fee (all-in, not just "agency fee")
• FRSC registration
• Transport from port to your location
• First insurance policy

If you have not read What Your Clearing Agent Won't Tell You (Book 1 in this series), read it before you proceed. That book gives you the formula. This book gives you the process.

3. A Licensed Clearing Agent – Hired Before You Buy

This is where most people get it wrong. They find the car, buy the car, ship the car, and then scramble to find an agent when it arrives.

Hire your agent first. Here is why:

• A good agent can check the Customs benchmark value for your target model before you bid
• They can estimate the real total landed cost – not the fantasy number from online calculators
• They can advise on whether the vehicle's age, engine size, or origin creates problems
• They can begin preparing documentation before the car arrives, reducing port time and demurrage

How to find a licensed agent:

1. Ask for referrals from people who have successfully imported (not people who "know a guy")
2. Verify their registration with the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN)
3. Get written, itemized quotes from at least three agents
4. Confirm which port they operate at – Tin Can Island, Apapa, or Onne

Chapter 6 of Book 1 covers agent vetting in detail.

4. A Secure Payment Method

Paying for an overseas vehicle requires foreign currency. How you get that currency and how you send it matters – both for security and for documentation.

Options:

• Domiciliary account (USD): Most Nigerian banks offer dollar-denominated accounts. Fund it through the bank's FX service or through your own dollar earnings.
• Wire transfer through your bank: The formal route. Creates a paper trail that Customs can verify.
• Online payment through the auction platform: Copart and some Japanese auction agents accept card payments or bank transfers directly.

Common Trap: "Send the Money to My Personal Account"

Never send vehicle purchase money to a personal account – whether the agent's, the dealer's friend's, or "my partner in Japan." Always pay through verifiable channels: the auction platform directly, the shipping company's official account, or a documented wire transfer to the vehicle seller.

If your "guy" asks for cash, Mobile Transfer, or payment to an account that does not match the business name, walk away.

5. A Vehicle Specification Decision

Before browsing, decide:

• Left-hand drive or right-hand drive? — Nigeria drives on the right, so LHD (left-hand drive) is standard. Japanese cars are RHD – legal to import but affects resale value and daily driving comfort
• Engine capacity range — Determines your duty bracket (see Book 5)
• Maximum vehicle age — Older vehicles may face import restrictions or higher duty
• Source country — Japan, USA, Dubai, or UK – each has different pros, cons, and total costs
• Clean title or salvage? — Salvage vehicles are cheaper to buy but may have hidden damage (see Book 4)