Importer who settles their own duties
An importer of record wants to pay destination duties directly; we handle export clearance, trunk freight, destination import clearance and door delivery, while the duty bill stays with the consignee on arrival.
Export clearance, trunk freight, destination import clearance and delivery to your door in Nigeria (Lagos) or Senegal (Dakar) — duties and taxes are not included; the consignee pays them on arrival.
Five representative shipment scenarios drawn from this service's published scope. Illustrative examples, not client testimonials; rates, transit and volumes are confirmed per quotation.
An importer of record wants to pay destination duties directly; we handle export clearance, trunk freight, destination import clearance and door delivery, while the duty bill stays with the consignee on arrival.
A Senegal buyer keeps control of their own duty settlement; the shipment is double-cleared and delivered to the door, with import taxes excluded from our price and paid by the consignee.
A buyer who prefers a transparent duty line rather than an all-in price chooses DDU: our quote covers clearance, freight and delivery, and the duty amount is settled separately with destination customs.
Cargo is double-cleared and delivered to the consignee's own warehouse on DDU terms; the importer settles duties on arrival and receives the goods at their door, not a port counter.
Several supplier deliveries are combined at a China hub into one shipment, then move onward DDU — one clearance and delivery effort, with duties excluded and paid by the consignee.
DDU — Delivered Duty Unpaid — means we carry the shipment to the consignee's door and handle clearance at both ends, but import duties and taxes are not in our price: the consignee settles them with destination customs on arrival. On our China-to-West-Africa lanes it is the "double clearance to door, tax excluded" service — one forwarder accountable for export clearance, trunk freight, destination import clearance and last-mile delivery, with the duty bill left to the importer of record.
Export clearance in China plus destination import clearance in Nigeria or Senegal, handled by us end-to-end.
Sea or air from our Dongguan / Shenzhen / Guangzhou hubs to Lagos or Dakar.
Final delivery to the consignee's door. Import duties and taxes are excluded — the consignee pays them on arrival.
Terminology note: DDU is the legacy Incoterm that Incoterms® 2010 replaced with DAP (Delivered at Place). In China–Africa freight, "DDU double clearance to door, tax excluded" is still widely used for the service described here — we handle both-end clearance and door delivery while the consignee pays import duties and taxes. The exact split is always itemized on your quotation.
Both terms cover the same physical legs and both are handled by us end-to-end. The single difference is who pays the destination duties and taxes; everything else on the sheet is the same.
| Leg / item | DDU (tax excluded) | DDP (tax included) |
|---|---|---|
| China export clearance | Handled by us | Handled by us |
| Trunk freight (sea or air) | Included | Included |
| Destination import clearance | Handled by us | Handled by us |
| Import duties & taxes | Consignee pays on arrival | Included in one price |
| Door delivery | Included | Included |
| Landed price | Freight + clearance; duties billed separately | Single all-in landed price |
| Best for | A consignee who settles their own duties | A shipper who wants one landed price |
Choose DDU when the consignee is the importer of record and prefers to pay duties and taxes directly; choose DDP when you want a single all-in landed price with no destination tax bill on arrival. Both run on our Nigeria (Lagos) and Senegal (Dakar) lanes. For the full DDP breakdown, see what DDP covers.
A DDU quote is only comparable if both sides are itemized. Here is the standard structure of our DDU one-sheets; the exact split is always confirmed on your quotation.
Six stages from your cargo details to a signed delivery. Step 5 is where DDU differs from DDP: we run the import clearance, but the duties and taxes are assessed by customs and paid by the consignee.
Product name, carton count, destination, service and Incoterms (DDU); we check the product name and any certification the destination needs.
One sheet: included clearance, freight and delivery versus excluded duties and taxes, charging basis, the current sailing or flight and a transit range.
Goods received at Shenzhen / Dongguan / Guangzhou, counted, QC-checked, labeled and palletized to your spec.
Sailing or flight booked, cargo loaded or consolidated, and China export customs declaration handled.
We run import clearance at Lagos or Dakar; duties and taxes are assessed by customs and paid by the consignee. Release, inspection and assessment are at customs' discretion.
Last-mile delivery from the destination port or the partner warehouse at destination to the consignee's address, with proof of delivery.
DDU fits when the receiver — not the shipper — wants to own the destination tax bill. These are the profiles we see most on the Lagos and Dakar lanes.
Consignees who are the importer of record, hold their own import licence or tax ID, and prefer to settle duties directly with customs.
Shippers selling to a consignee who handles import taxes, so the freight quote stays separate from the destination duty bill.
Sellers restocking a consignee or partner abroad who clears as the importer and pays taxes on arrival.
When the receiver wants duties and taxes assessed in their own name rather than bundled into the forwarder's price.
Because duties are unpaid by us, the consignee carries a few destination-side responsibilities. We confirm the exact document list on the quotation.
Collect from multiple suppliers and cities into one China hub — combined, cleared and documented once.
Trunk freight to Nigeria and Senegal with clearance and duties included.
Export clearance, trunk freight, destination import clearance and final delivery to the consignee's door. Import duties and taxes are not included — the consignee pays them on arrival.
DDP includes destination duties and taxes in one all-in price; DDU excludes them, so the consignee settles duties and taxes on arrival. Clearance and door delivery are handled by us in both cases.
The consignee, as importer of record, pays the duties and taxes assessed by destination customs on arrival. Our DDU price covers clearance handling, trunk freight and door delivery — not the duty bill.
DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid) is the legacy term that Incoterms® 2010 replaced with DAP (Delivered at Place). In China–Africa freight "DDU double clearance, tax excluded" is still common and means we handle both-end clearance and delivery while the consignee pays duties. The exact split is itemized on your quotation.
Our Nigeria (Lagos) and Senegal (Dakar) lanes by sea or air. Transit and the exact duty handling are confirmed on your quotation.
An import licence or tax ID where the destination requires it, plus any cargo-specific certification such as SONCAP or NAFDAC. We confirm the document list for your shipment on the quotation.
No. Clearance, inspection and release are decided by the customs authorities. We prepare complete, compliant paperwork to reduce hold risk, but we do not promise release, an inspection waiver, or clearance on a fixed date.
Standards & sources: DDU / DAP terminology on this page follows Incoterms® 2020 as published by the International Chamber of Commerce; DDU is the legacy Delivered Duty Unpaid term replaced by DAP in Incoterms® 2010. Customs release, inspection and duty assessment are solely at the discretion of the destination authorities.
Send product name, carton count, destination, service and Incoterms — quote within 24 hours.