Shipping & Customs Guide

Your barrels, boxes and other goods share a 40 ft sea container with other customers' shipments — that's what keeps the price of a barrel or box affordable. The container travels on one sailing and is cleared as one unit in Douala by our clearing agent.

After clearance the container is unloaded (devanning) and each shipment is handed over separately — you pick it up, or we deliver it, depending on your service.

Vehicles don't ride in the shared container — they're booked separately (RoRo) and priced by appointment.

Three things from you make customs smooth:

• An accurate description of what you're shipping — customs compares the paperwork against the contents.
• An honest declared value — it drives the customs paperwork below and your insurance cover.
• Your recipient's contact (phone/email) and preferred language — so they get updates too, in English, French or Pidgin.

Cameroon requires several documents. Pan Logistics & Shipping files them for you — you just provide accurate information:

• ECTN waiver — required for every shipment since December 2024; we file one per shipment before the vessel arrives.
• Import Declaration (DI) — needed when the declared value is above ~XAF 1 000 000; we file it for you.
• SGS (RVC) inspection — required above ~XAF 2 000 000; we arrange it. It can add a little time to clearance.

Cameroon refuses used vehicles older than 10 years — they are seized at the port of Douala. We can't ship them, no exceptions — this protects you from losing your vehicle at customs.

Newer vehicles are welcome: they're priced by appointment — request a quote and our team will follow up.

• Door-to-port (CIF) — you pay for the ocean leg; your recipient picks up in Douala and pays the destination charges (duties, handling) in XAF on delivery — cash or mobile money to our agent.
• Door-to-door (DDP) — all-in, prepaid. We deliver to the door in Douala; nothing to pay on arrival.

A deposit is due at booking; the balance follows your final quote after we measure your goods at the warehouse.

Each sailing has a warehouse cut-off — goods received after the cut-off travel on the next container.

Ocean transit is typically 4–6 weeks, then customs clearance and container unloading after arrival — an SGS inspection or port congestion can add time.

Plan ahead: for gifts and events, drop off well before the cut-off of the sailing you're targeting.

Every shipment gets a PAN number (like PAN-2026-00123). Type it on our homepage — no account, no login — and see live status from our Edmonton warehouse, across the ocean, through customs, to handoff.

You and your recipient each get updates in your own language — English, French or Pidgin.