International Shipping from / to Benin

Shipping to Benin

You can ship to Benin from any where in the world, keeping in mind a few things, of course.  First and foremost it is best to check with the Customs department in Benin, based in Cotonou, for their most current listings of prohibited and restricted items to make sure your goods do not violate these lists.  Then you must find out what paperwork you will need to fill out for your particular shipment such as a Bill of Lading, a Certificate of Origin and a commercial invoice.  And finally you should get some price and timing quotes from various shipping companies to find out the best fit for your needs. 

Customs in Benin

The Customs process in Benin is notoriously lengthy, to say the least.  If you are donating items and want them to get there a bit faster, you can apply for a waiver for the Customs process through the Embassy in Cotonou.  This waiver must be obtained in writing prior to anything actually being shipped there and is fairly difficult to procure, if at all, but it is worth a shot if you are donating items and hope to get them there faster.  To help speed up the Customs process when shipping to Benin, be sure to have the appropriate paperwork filled out before you send your shipment as not having this affixed to your parcel will cause delays on an already long process.

Transit times when shipping to Benin

You can choose from a few shipping speeds when shipping to Benin typically but because of the lengthy Customs process, you should expect your parcels to be sitting around for a while before clearing Customs and being sent out for final delivery once in Benin.  This could be weeks or even months and therefore what you ship should be thought through so nothing perishes during this waiting period.