What should a Nigerian student ship to the UK?

Food you cannot easily get there, traditional clothing, and a few personal things that make a room feel like yours. Carry your laptop, phone and documents. Buy bedding, a winter coat and kitchen equipment in the UK — they are bulky, cheap there, and expensive to fly.

Do students pay import duty on their belongings?

Often not, but you have to be declared correctly. Students coming for full-time study use a different customs route from people relocating permanently, and they do not need the Transfer of Residence form. Tell us you are a student before your shipment leaves Nigeria.

Can I send Nigerian food to my student accommodation?

Most of it, yes. Garri, packaged egusi and ogbono, dried pepper and crayfish are all fine, and dried fish is allowed up to 20kg per person. Meat is banned outright. Check whether your accommodation will accept a cargo-sized delivery before you send.

When should I send my things?

Sea cargo needs two to three months before you travel and is much cheaper per kilogram. Air cargo needs weeks rather than months. August is the busiest month on this route, so confirm timings with us rather than assuming.

Will my accommodation accept the delivery?

Many university accommodation offices sign for small parcels but not for cargo-sized shipments. Check before you send. If they will not, a friend at a residential address is the usual solution.

What to Ship to the UK as a Nigerian Student

Most students ship too much of the wrong thing. Bedding and kitchen equipment are bulky, light and cheap in the UK, so you pay to fly space rather than value. Food, traditional clothing and a few personal things are worth every naira.

You are about to spend money moving your life to another country. This is what we would tell a relative, including the parts that mean sending us less cargo.

Ship Worth the cost

Food you actually cannot get there

Some Nigerian staples are available in UK African shops but cost several times what they do in Lagos. Garri, packaged egusi and ogbono, dried pepper and crayfish are the ones students miss most.
Traditional clothing

Expensive or impossible to replace in the UK, and you will want it for events sooner than you expect.
Your laptop and phone

Carry these rather than ship them. Nigeria and the UK use the same three-pin plug, so chargers work as they are.
Documents, in your hand luggage

Admission letter, CAS, passport, certificates, immunisation records, driving licence. Never put these in cargo.
Prescription medication with its documentation

Bring the prescription and keep medication in its labelled packaging.
A few things that make a room feel like yours

Photographs, a wrapper, small items with no resale value and a lot of sentimental weight. Student accommodation is bare.

Buy there Not worth flying

Bedding, duvets, pillows and towels

Bulky, light and cheap in UK supermarkets. Volumetric weight means you pay for the space, so shipping bedding is among the worst value per kilogram there is.
A winter coat and proper shoes

Buy in the UK in autumn. Nigerian winter clothing is rarely rated for a British January, and you will want to try things on.
Basic kitchen equipment

Pots, plates, cutlery and a kettle are inexpensive in UK supermarkets and charity shops, and heavy to send.
Toiletries beyond the first week

Bring enough to arrive with. Everything else is cheaper there than the cost of flying it.
Textbooks

Check the reading list first. Libraries, second-hand copies and digital editions usually cost less than shipping print books.

The reason bedding is such poor value is volumetric weight: light but bulky cargo is charged on the space it occupies, not what it weighs. See how to compare shipping costs properly.

Do not pack These will be refused

Meat of any kind — suya, kilishi, ponmo, dried meat. Banned outright with no allowance.
Dairy, apart from infant or medical formula.
Fresh yam, fresh vegetables and most fresh produce, without a plant health certificate.
Alcohol. It attracts Excise Duty and is excluded from duty relief.
Anything you would need in your first 48 hours. Cargo and aircraft do not arrive together.

Every item on your list can be checked on the food cargo page, and the full rules are on what you can and cannot send.

The thing most students do not know

You may owe no import duty on your own belongings — but the relief has to be claimed correctly, and students use a different route from people moving permanently. You do not need the Transfer of Residence form that a relocating family uses.

It matters to us operationally too: the customs code goes on the declaration we make, so tell us you are a student when you book, not after your cargo has left.

How the student customs route works

Working backwards from a September start

As soon as you have your visa

Decide what is going by sea, if anything. Sea is much cheaper per kilogram and takes weeks, so it is the only decision with a real deadline attached.
Two to three months before you travel

Send sea cargo. Later than this and it will not be there for the start of term.
Four to six weeks before

Send air cargo. Confirm with us first — consignment timings move and August is the busiest month on this corridor.
Two weeks before

Pack your hand luggage as if the cargo will be late. It usually is not, but plan as though it might be.
Before you send anything

Tell us you are a student. The customs procedure code goes on the declaration we make, so we need to know before the shipment leaves Nigeria.

Where will it actually be delivered?

This is the practical problem that catches students out, and it is worth five minutes before you send anything. Many university accommodation offices will sign for a small parcel but not for a cargo-sized shipment, and some will not accept deliveries before your tenancy starts.

Ask your accommodation office two questions: will they accept a cargo delivery at all, and will they hold it if it arrives before you do. If either answer is no, send it to a friend or relative at a residential address instead.

Common questions

What should a Nigerian student ship to the UK?: Food you cannot easily get there, traditional clothing, and a few personal things that make a room feel like yours. Carry your laptop, phone and documents. Buy bedding, a winter coat and kitchen equipment in the UK — they are bulky, cheap there, and expensive to fly.
Do students pay import duty on their belongings?: Often not, but you have to be declared correctly. Students coming for full-time study use a different customs route from people relocating permanently, and they do not need the Transfer of Residence form. Tell us you are a student before your shipment leaves Nigeria.
Can I send Nigerian food to my student accommodation?: Most of it, yes. Garri, packaged egusi and ogbono, dried pepper and crayfish are all fine, and dried fish is allowed up to 20kg per person. Meat is banned outright. Check whether your accommodation will accept a cargo-sized delivery before you send.
When should I send my things?: Sea cargo needs two to three months before you travel and is much cheaper per kilogram. Air cargo needs weeks rather than months. August is the busiest month on this route, so confirm timings with us rather than assuming.
Will my accommodation accept the delivery?: Many university accommodation offices sign for small parcels but not for cargo-sized shipments. Check before you send. If they will not, a friend at a residential address is the usual solution.

Ask about a student shipment See prices

Shipping checklist for Nigerian students