Before you buy a car from a car dealer or after getting your custom duty papers for your vehicle, you should verify the authenticity of the documents. Being able to check and confirm it online on the spot can make everything easier. Many Nigerians wonder how to check custom duty online in Nigeria. Learn here if it is possible and get information on other Nigeria custom duty verification options
Every car imported into Nigeria both new and fairly used has to go through customs and must obtain customs declaration/custom papers. The custom duty papers include single goods declaration (SGD) forms which have a Customs Reference Numbers or C- number on the form. The number is used to store and file every detail of the vehicle. This number is assigned to the database of the Nigerian Customs Service. No two vehicles are assigned the same Customs Reference Numbers or C- number, every vehicle has a unique C-number.
When you want to buy a car from a car dealer, you need to verify if the custom papers are genuine because there are fraudulent car dealers who smuggle cars in and make fake papers to give the buyers. Also, asking for the custom papers for verification is one way to avoid buying a stolen vehicle. To avoid embarrassment or seizure of your vehicle during Nigeria custom paper check, you need to verify the genuineness of your papers when you get them.
HOW TO CHECK CUSTOM DUTY ONLINE
For now, it is impossible to verify custom duty online. This is because online verification has not been made available yet. But the Nigeria Customs Service has made other available options for verifying your custom duty papers from the comfort of your home or anywhere. They have released their helpdesk contacts for members of the public who would like to check their custom papers without having to go to their office.
The helpdesk contacts are 094621598, 094621597, and 094621599.
To check the genuineness of the custom papers, call any of this numbers, hold on for an answer and provide the following information:
- Customs Reference Numbers or C- number
- Year of payment
- The Nigeria Customs Command where the duty was paid
While you are providing this information, the officer at the other end of the call is entering the information you are providing into their system to help you verify if they have it in their database. Within five minutes, you should get a response on whether the customs duty paper details you have provided and genuine. And in the case where you are trying to buy a car from a dealer, then you can proceed to purchase your car if the papers are genuine.
Hopefully, in the nearest future, the Nigeria Customs Service will open an online portal to the public where people can verify the genuineness of custom duty papers.
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