If you want to begin exporting products from Nigeria, you will need an export license to do so. You can obtain one by registering with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC). They are the government body charged with coordinating the development and diversification of Nigerian exports.
Besides issuing export certificates, the NEPC also provides information about the market for export products, organizes trainings and seminars for would-be exporters, and offers funding for export businesses.
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This article takes you through the steps to getting an export license in Nigeria.
Documents You Will Need
The documents you will be registering with will depend on the type of entity you are registering. Here’s a run through the different eligible organizations, and the documents required of them for the registration process:
Limited Liability Company
•Certificate of Incorporation (obtained from the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC)
•Certified True Copy of Memorandum and Articles of Association (MEMRA)
•Current True Copy of form CAC 1.1, Section C (previously known as Form C 07)
Cooperative Society
•Certificate of Registration, from your state Ministry of Commerce.
•The cooperative society’s bye-laws.
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)
•Certificate of Registration, obtained from the CAC
•The constitution of the NGO
•Memorandum for Guidance of Applicant
Who Can Apply for an Export License?
You can apply to the NEPC for an export license if you:
•Are a company registered with the CAC (Limited Liability Company). You will not be able to export products from Nigeria if you have only registered your business name.
•Are a duly registered cooperative or non-governmental organization.
•Have an office address.
•Will be exporting a product that’s legal in the country.
If you don’t know whether your company is ready to begin exporting, you can use the NEPC’s online export readiness checker to ascertain this.
The Registration Process
Nigeria set up an online portal for registering export businesses with the NEPC in 2017. Today, all registrations for an export license are done on the platform.
Here’s how to register on the platform.
1. Log on to the NEPC’s e-registration portal and sign up.
2. On the next page, click on ‘Register a New Certificate.’
3. Enter your company’s details in the boxes. Click ‘Next.’
4. On the new page (corporate overview form), enter the required details. Click ‘Next’.
5. Enter details requested on the new page (export classification form). Upload the necessary documents (see the ‘Documents You Will Need’ section above). Click ‘Preview’.
6. Click ‘Submit and Proceed to Make Payment’.
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You will be required to pay ₦13,500 for the new certificate. This can be done with a bank card (local or international), via internet banking, or through cash deposit at a local bank branch.
The certificate will be issued to you between one and three working days from when the NEPC confirms the payment.
How to Verify Your Export License
Here’s how to verify that a company (yours or someone else’s) has been registered with the NEPC.
1. Visit the NEPC Nigeria Exporter Verification Portal.
2. Enter the company’s name or certificate registration number into the search box.
3. Click ‘search’.
Confirmation of the exporter’s presence or absence on the NEPC’s database will be displayed.
If you would like to read a guide to setting up and starting an export business, click here.
You can also find out the top destinations for Nigerian exports here.
Featured image source: Voice of Nigeria
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