princemillla:
I was chatting with someone who travels alot. along our discussions, he mentioned something about custom stops vehicle and ask for custom papers.

I want to ask these questions

1. There are many cars either bought( may be 4th user) as used vehicle and probably didn't have custom papers or couldn't locate it. WHAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO

2. Do custom stops vehicle that have exceeded 10 years in Nigeria without custom paper


Pls help road user expecially those who travels alot from West to South etc

[b]7years from first registration(ensure you carry all relevant proof to show car is 7years.)

If your vehicle has no custom duty, do not leave the current state you are in for 7years or go and pay custom duty/b]

GAZZUZZ:


[b]7years from first registration(ensure you carry all relevant proof to show car is 7years.)

If your vehicle has no custom duty, do not leave the current state you are in for 7years or go and pay custom duty/b]

princemillla:


Thank you sir, My car has exceed 7 years and still counting. Will I av any issue with custom

sultaan:
How logical is it in any society for government agency to ask for a document 7 years after it was initially issued.

Every agency has people on the road arresting indiscriminately to extort money when all they have to do is verify its paid before a license plate is issued plus yearly tax of about N500 which guarantees people always come back to be verified.

The problem with this duty thing is that only southerners are being extorted those who drive knows that once you get to certain parts of the country police and customs disappear from the roads

correct

GAZZUZZ:


you do not need custom duty, just carry a copy of your certificate of ownership.

wilcox:
You only have business with custom 3 months after you purchase your car be it tokunbo or new, after which you are not expected to carry your custom duty papers around.
But if you a novice the will always want to toss you around and extort money from you.

sultaan:
This impound word is used to scare people into extortion.

Good thing the economy of the country is going south now people will learn to fight back rather than let go of easy money of the past.

Those who benefit from this system have a habit of dropping the impound word in their posts like the topic about car insurance, registration check online, and speed limiter.

I believe there are individuals in whose interest it is for car owners pay for some bogus papers

saintjoel:


what is is bogus in paying import duty for freight and vehicles coming into your country, so are you saying that people should just import into anything they wish into NIGERIA free of charge or are you in support of smuggling vehicles into NIGERIA,kindly educate us and let is know any country in this world that doesn't charge import duty/tax...

Republic of Benin that isn't even up to two states in Nigeria charges custom duties even for bikes and you see the custom officers stop bikes ad cars on the road, what some cars even pay for duty and registration is up to N350,000..So what's bogus in paying customs duty?.... So a smuggled car should be allowed to go scotfree just because you see the process of paying duty as bogus?

Why would custom officers extort a vehicle owner when he has original duty papers with him/her. I had an instance where I processed duty papers for a client travelling down to bayelsa and when he got to patani,he was stopped and the papers where checked, the officer told him to pay N50,000 or the bus will be towed down to their office and the man had to call me, the first question I asked the officer was if he papers were fake and he said he checked from the assycuda unit and they were original but shortpaid. I was like, are you a valuation officer or what, call your valuation office and check from them and I told my client not to give them money but insist that the tow the vehicle into their office, to cut the long story short, they started begging him to at least drop something for them and even told me over the phone that Oga should wash the for them, the man later gave them N1,000 and left...

It's just like a policeman trying to extort you and if you give him/her the opportunity,he'll get away with it. If you've original duty papers with you and they value wasn't shirtwaist, you don't need to be scared of extortion or impound...

richkol:

Pls I need advice on this your explanation. I bought a 2008 Honda Accord this year. I confirmed d customs paper to be genuine. I travelled with d car to Benin recently and I was stopped by customs along d Benin - Ore road and at Benin bye pass junction. The issue now is while d ones on d Benin Ore road checked d papers and asked me to give them something to " wash" d car which I give them 1k, d ones at d bye pass at Benin impounded d vehicle claiming d duty was short paid. I called d dealer who spoke with them that d car was accidented ( which I am aware of and it also reflected in price of d car) and that d duty paid was correct. After a lot of argument, delay and begging I parted with 20k before d car was released to me. The amount paid on d duty is about 160k. My question is this: is d 160k duty paid on d car small considering that d car was accidented or was I just ripped off by d customs and also what is d correct duty that is supposed to be paid on d car incase d duty paid is small. The car was through d land borders. Place I await your response

richkol:

Pls I need advice on this your explanation. I bought a 2008 Honda Accord this year. I confirmed d customs paper to be genuine. I travelled with d car to Benin recently and I was stopped by customs along d Benin - Ore road and at Benin bye pass junction. The issue now is while d ones on d Benin Ore road checked d papers and asked me to give them something to " wash" d car which I give them 1k, d ones at d bye pass at Benin impounded d vehicle claiming d duty was short paid. I called d dealer who spoke with them that d car was accidented ( which I am aware of and it also reflected in price of d car) and that d duty paid was correct. After a lot of argument, delay and begging I parted with 20k before d car was released to me. The amount paid on d duty is about 160k. My question is this: is d 160k duty paid on d car small considering that d car was accidented or was I just ripped off by d customs and also what is d correct duty that is supposed to be paid on d car incase d duty paid is small. The car was through d land borders. Place I await your response

princemillla:
I was chatting with someone who travels alot. along our discussions, he mentioned something about custom stops vehicle and ask for custom papers.

I want to ask these questions

1. There are many cars either bought( may be 4th user) as used vehicle and probably didn't have custom papers or couldn't locate it. WHAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO

2. Do custom stops vehicle that have exceeded 10 years in Nigeria without custom paper


Pls help road user expecially those who travels alot from West to South etc

ZIMDRILL:


let me chip in with my 2 cents

in zimbabwe for you to get the number plate of your car and owners book of a car that was imported you have to got the CVR in harare, there you show them the clearance papers (aka customs clearance certificate, police clearance, bill of entry release order) from the border, of which you would have paid your duty

with all your paperwork in order you get your number place and the owner's book

no customs duty officer on the road will question you about duty you paid

unless if your car is being investigated

so i dont know how your system works in nigeria but it seems like there is a loop that the customs duty officers are using to cash on ignorant motorist

then

if you are selling a car and want to change the ownership paper you still have to go to the CVR (Central Vehicle Registry) there are documents they require form both seller and buyer and these are

The following are required for the change of ownership to be processed:

1 Original vehicle registration book
2 valid police clearance (Validity period is 14 days from date of stamping)
3 proof of residence for both buyer and seller
4 National Identity Cards for both buyer and seller
5 Original agreement of sale with the following details
6 Details of buyer and seller i.e. full names, addresses and id numbers
7 Details of the vehicles sold i.e. make, model and year of manufacture, engine and chassis numbers.
8 Full sale price
9 Signature of both the buyer and the seller
10 An affidavit, signed and stamped by a Commissioner of Oaths will be required where the original agreement of sale has been lost.

sultaan:
Even Zimbabweans know the right thing to do but our people think it will take God himself to change things when they are the root of all evil.
There are 3 main actors to this ridiculous drama the car owner, the necessary middleman clearing agent , and custom officers.

The agent makes the payment to customs who signs documents that duty paid and owners are later being extort for money from custom for short duty. So 2 of the parties are the source of all these problems

It should not be possible to register a car whose duty has not been paid.

If not for the Zimbabwean some would have said it only works in oyinbo land

saintjoel:

ir, my first advice that will be offered is this,CHECK THE AUTHENTICITY OF YOUR PAPERS AND MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE NO LAPSES. You didn't state when the car was shipped into NIGERIA and when the papers were processed or where it was bought from. Also,accidents are rated as "salvage airbags deployed" or "chassis affected" and it's always stated in the bill of lading which means the BOL that was used to bring the car into Nigeria didn't state that or the original BOL wasn't used for declaration which makes it a false declaration,you can't meet custom officers and say dealer XYZ sold the car for N500,000 because it was accidented, they will certainly ask for proof and the only way to proove is with the papers that were used to ship the car into Nigeria..

Two,the papers you've with you were shortpaid and coming from a dealer, I'm not sure if there was no hanky-panky, he'll have called his agent to help you out or even told you to stand your ground... Bank charges for 08 accord is around N200,000 - N220,000,they saw the payment and decided to prey on you,your dealer could've done you a great deed if he has an agent that can defend that payment,a good agent wouldve looked for says of defending the N160,000 payment but MAKE SURE YOU RUN CHECKS ON YOUR DOCUMENTS...

richkol:

I have checked the customs papers and confirmed it to be genuine. The car was brought to d country sometime in March through d seme boarder. The BOL clearly states that the car was salvaged but I am not sure if the BOL was used for d declaration because I didn't see anything like that on d customs papers. Also there seems to be a gap of about one month between when d car was cleared out of Cotonue and when d Nigerian customs duty was paid.
As it stands now, what do you suggest I do. Do I continue to use d customs papers like that even if I can't prove to them ( customs ) that the car is salvaged?
Two, is there anyway to make up d payment to about d 200k - 220k actual duty for d car as stated in your post. I am a frequent traveler and I don't want a situation that I will be constantly harassed by customs because of this short payment issue. Thanks.

saintjoel:


Sir, there's no way you won't spend almost N150,000 to raise your bank charges, so my advice is that you leave it the way it is. If the BOL indicates that it was accidented,does it reflect in the BOL amongst the custom documents?

As long as the documents are genuine like you stated, tell your dealer to send his agent's mobile contacts and let him defend his job whenever you're stopped on the highway,if he/she is good in what they do and anytime you're stopped, be confident and don't flinch even under the threat of impound, stand in between politeness and aggressiveness but dont overdo the agressive part, it works most times....

saintjoel:


Sir, there's no way you won't spend almost N150,000 to raise your bank charges, so my advice is that you leave it the way it is. If the BOL indicates that it was accidented,does it reflect in the BOL amongst the custom documents?

As long as the documents are genuine like you stated, tell your dealer to send his agent's mobile contacts and let him defend his job whenever you're stopped on the highway,if he/she is good in what they do and anytime you're stopped, be confident and don't flinch even under the threat of impound, stand in between politeness and aggressiveness but dont overdo the agressive part, it works most times....

richkol:


Thanks sir for your response. I think I will just stick to your advice and I hope I will not be intimidated by their "shakara ". I was also thinking d make up payment will be around d 100k mark and below, never knew it will be that high.
I have also tried calling my dealer for d agent's number but his line is switch off. I want relate all you have written to him and analyze his response for me to have a clearer picture of where I stand.

biggiyke:
let me share my experience.

i bought my car, 2012 bmw x3, from cotonou last december. the agent charged me 650k to clear it. in january, i travelled to the east for a burial with my wife and son. i was stopped at benin by customs. they told me that my papers were genuine, but grossly underpaid. it was there that they showed me the actual duty paid was 160k!!! for a 2012 bmw x3!!! me sef i shock o. cos that is way toooooo small.

my saving grace that day was my wife and crying baby. they let me go, after 5k. if i was travelling alone, my car would definitely have been impounded there and then.

when i got back to lagos, i got in touch with a custom officer at zone A, ikeja. i wrote a letter explaining my case and requesting for duty reevaluation of my car. they charged me 2.4m duty and 560k penalty. well, after days and days of negotiation (i made it clear to them that my car was not impounded, rather i reported myself as a law abiding citizen of nigeria), they reduced my duty to 1m and removed the penalty. but i was to bring 200k cash for office boys .

so, a new duty was generated for my car, and i paid 1m at the bank and 200k for boys. the same day, i got my duty papers.

i have travelled twice since then and i have been stopped at shagamu and benin without any issues. they will just ask me to do weekend for boys, normal 1k.

i called the agent that cleared the car and he was giving silly excuses, i just hung up on him and didnt bother calling him ever again.

biggiyke:
let me share my experience.

i bought my car, 2012 bmw x3, from cotonou last december. the agent charged me 650k to clear it. in january, i travelled to the east for a burial with my wife and son. i was stopped at benin by customs. they told me that my papers were genuine, but grossly underpaid. it was there that they showed me the actual duty paid was 160k!!! for a 2012 bmw x3!!! me sef i shock o. cos that is way toooooo small.

my saving grace that day was my wife and crying baby. they let me go, after 5k. if i was travelling alone, my car would definitely have been impounded there and then.

when i got back to lagos, i got in touch with a custom officer at zone A, ikeja. i wrote a letter explaining my case and requesting for duty reevaluation of my car. they charged me 2.4m duty and 560k penalty. well, after days and days of negotiation (i made it clear to them that my car was not impounded, rather i reported myself as a law abiding citizen of nigeria), they reduced my duty to 1m and removed the penalty. but i was to bring 200k cash for office boys .

so, a new duty was generated for my car, and i paid 1m at the bank and 200k for boys. the same day, i got my duty papers.

i have travelled twice since then and i have been stopped at shagamu and benin without any issues. they will just ask me to do weekend for boys, normal 1k.

i called the agent that cleared the car and he was giving silly excuses, i just hung up on him and didnt bother calling him ever again.

saintjoel:


Sir, there's no way you won't spend almost N150,000 to raise your bank charges, so my advice is that you leave it the way it is. If the BOL indicates that it was accidented,does it reflect in the BOL amongst the custom documents?

As long as the documents are genuine like you stated, tell your dealer to send his agent's mobile contacts and let him defend his job whenever you're stopped on the highway,if he/she is good in what they do and anytime you're stopped, be confident and don't flinch even under the threat of impound, stand in between politeness and aggressiveness but dont overdo the agressive part, it works most times....

richkol:


Thanks sir for your response. I think I will just stick to your advice and I hope I will not be intimidated by their "shakara ". I was also thinking d make up payment will be around d 100k mark and below, never knew it will be that high.
I have also tried calling my dealer for d agent's number but his line is switch off. I want relate all you have written to him and analyze his response for me to have a clearer picture of where I stand.

ZIMDRILL:
fews ago we had case in zim that involved a car owner and clearing agent, if he had done it himself he wouldnt have been in such mess

this is what happened, the car owner is top management in the customs office, a car was bought on his behalf (used a agent) the was handed the paperwork etc and the paperwork looked in order

then he got involved in accident, the police phoned the CVR (Central Vehicle Registry) just to check the paperwork of the car and the car had been registered as nissan micra when the car is actually a nissan pajero so automatically the car paid less duty and agent pocket some money

if he had done it himself he would have not got into such mess

sultaan:



Well in Nigeria, there is a format that allows you to clear your goods yourself, but since the custom officers get kickback by acting inept, the agents come in to "help" navigate through the "highly" sophisticated process of clearing a CAR.

It seems the more complicated this process it the more money made on the side.

Remember there is no law that establishes agents, not part of the government, there access to the port should be the same as everyone else, but in Nigeria you have to go through them for anything dealing with the customs.It is a relationship that only benefits both parties.

Any car smuggled to Nigeria has had duty paid in another country because Nigeria is dysfunctional.