What Can I Send to Nigeria from the UK? The Complete List

One of the most common questions we get is the simplest: “Can I send this?” Whether it is a barrel of provisions for family, a laptop for a cousin, or stock for a business, knowing what is allowed before you pack saves time, money, and the heartbreak of a seized shipment.

Here is the practical, category-by-category guide.

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The general rule

For personal effects and gifts sent in reasonable quantities to family, the vast majority of everyday items are fine. Where it gets stricter is with commercial quantities (goods for resale) and a specific list of restricted and prohibited items.

If you are sending personal items to family, this guide will cover almost everything you need. If you are importing for a business, you will also want to read our guides on Form M, SONCAP, and NAFDAC.

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✅ What you CAN send

Clothing, shoes, and textiles

New and used clothing, footwear, bags, and fabric are all fine for personal shipments. This is the single most common thing in a diaspora barrel. See our guide on shipping clothes and fashion to Nigeria.

Non-perishable food

Tinned, packaged, dried, and sealed foods are fine in personal quantities — provisions, snacks, spices, drinks, custard, milk powder, and similar. Avoid fresh, frozen, and perishable items. Full details in our send food to Nigeria guide.

Electronics

Phones, laptops, tablets, TVs, and small appliances can be sent. For personal use, a few items are straightforward; commercial quantities of electronics need SONCAP certification. See shipping electronics to Nigeria.

Household goods and furniture

Kitchenware, bedding, decor, and flat-packed furniture all ship well by sea. Bulky items are far cheaper by sea cargo than air.

Personal toiletries and cosmetics

Personal-use quantities of soap, creams, perfume, and makeup are fine. Commercial quantities of cosmetics must be NAFDAC-registered, and certain skin-lightening ingredients are restricted.

Baby and children’s items

Clothes, toys, prams, and baby equipment are all sendable.

Books, documents, and educational materials

Books are duty-free into Nigeria. For urgent or valuable documents, use our document courier service.

Vehicles and parts

Cars, motorcycles, and spare parts can be shipped — though Nigeria only registers left-hand-drive vehicles, and import duty is substantial. See how to ship a car to Nigeria.

Building materials, generators, and solar equipment

Generators, inverters, solar panels, tools, and building materials are commonly shipped, especially for those building back home.

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⚠️ What is RESTRICTED (allowed with conditions)

These can be sent, but with rules, paperwork, or limits:

• Medicines — small personal amounts of over-the-counter medicine are generally fine; prescription drugs and commercial quantities are tightly controlled by NAFDAC.
• Commercial food, drinks, and cosmetics — must be NAFDAC-registered if for sale.
• Regulated manufactured goods (electronics, toys, building materials for resale) — need SONCAP.
• Alcohol — subject to duty and limits; not always practical to send.
• Drones and communication equipment — may require permits.
• Large quantities of any single item — treated as commercial, needing a Form M.

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❌ What you CANNOT send

Some items are outright prohibited and will be seized. These include:

• Illegal drugs and narcotics
• Weapons, ammunition, and explosives
• Counterfeit goods and fake currency
• Hazardous and flammable materials
• Pornographic material
• Certain agricultural products and live plants/animals
• Expired or unlabelled consumables (commercial)

For the full, current list, see our dedicated guide to prohibited items when shipping to Nigeria.

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A quick reference table

Category	Personal use	Commercial (for resale)
Clothing & shoes	✅ Yes	✅ Needs Form M
Non-perishable food	✅ Yes	✅ Form M + NAFDAC
Electronics	✅ Yes	✅ Form M + SONCAP
Cosmetics	✅ Personal amounts	✅ Form M + NAFDAC
Medicines	⚠️ OTC, small amounts	⚠️ Tightly controlled
Furniture & household	✅ Yes	✅ Needs Form M
Vehicles	✅ LHD, duty applies	✅ Duty applies
Weapons, drugs, counterfeit	❌ Never	❌ Never

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Not sure about a specific item?

The honest answer is that most things people want to send to family are perfectly fine — and we would rather tell you before you pack than have your shipment held at the port. If you have something unusual or you are sending commercial quantities, send us your packing list and we will check every item for you, free, before anything ships.

Precebol is HMRC Customs-authorised and EORI-registered, with a Lagos clearing team who handle this every day. We will tell you what is allowed, what needs paperwork, and what to leave behind.