West & North Africa / Ghana
Auto export to Ghana.
Ghana is one of West Africa's most active markets for American cars, reached by direct ocean call to Tema. The thing that determines every Ghana shipment is age: customs sets a 10-year limit from the year of manufacture, and cars past it can still be imported; however, they incur a tiered overage penalty that climbs quickly. Below 10 years old, you pay the standard duty under the ECOWAS tariff. Above it, the penalty stacks on top of CIF and can make an older car uneconomic. Check the model year against the title before you bid, so a car doesn't turn into a loss at Tema.
For reference purposes only. Regulations, policies, and procedures change constantly. Ensure you verify and validate all requirements for your specific shipments before initiating any.
The Ghana lane, in four numbers.
Tema is Ghana's main car port, east of Accra, with Takoradi to the west. Direct ocean call from the US, container and RoRo. No transit country.
Six container warehouses, five RoRo terminals. RoRo is strong on the US-to-West-Africa lane; container for high-value or co-loaded cargo.
East Coast to Tema runs faster than most African lanes. The desk gives current numbers by origin and method on the quote.
10-year max from manufacture, then tiered overage penalty on CIF. ECOWAS duty 5-20%, VAT 15%, plus levies. Cleared through ICUMS.
Age is the whole decision.
Ghana takes a wide range of American cars, and buyers know the models that hold up on local roads and parts supply. What separates a good buy from a bad one here isn't the car, it's the year. The 10-year line and the penalty bands above it decide whether a car lands cheap or lands with a tax bill that wipes out the auction savings.
The clean buy.
A US car ten model years old or newer lands at Tema, clears under standard ECOWAS duty with no age penalty, and registers. This is the green zone: the landed cost is freight plus the normal duty-and-VAT stack, and the math is predictable.
- 10 model years old or newer
- Standard ECOWAS duty, no overage penalty
- Cleared digitally through ICUMS
- LHD, salvage and clean both move
The penalty zone.
Older cars aren't banned, but they carry an overage penalty on top of normal duty, and it climbs with age. A 12-year car carries a modest penalty; a 20-year car carries a heavy one. Sometimes the car still pencils out, often it doesn't. We run the real number before you commit.
- 10-12 yr: roughly 12.5% penalty on CIF
- 12-15 yr: roughly 20%
- 15-25 yr: roughly 50%
- Older still: climbs toward 100%
A direct ocean call to Tema.
Ghana is reached straight by sea. The car sails from the US to Tema and clears there. The US-side operation is the same as our other lanes; the Ghana specifics are the age check and the ICUMS valuation.
Container origins
Load at one of six container warehouses: NY/NJ, Savannah, Miami, Houston, Long Beach, Seattle. Container suits high-value cars, salvage, multi-car consolidation, or anything co-loaded with parts. A 40HC commonly takes four cars, five when they're small enough to nest, three when they're full-size, loaded to the safest high-density fit. There is also a 45HC container option available, and generally the fit of the loading combination depends on the cars and on how the box is loaded, which is the part we're good at.
Carriers include Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, and Hapag-Lloyd.
Transit: roughly 20 to 35 days from the East Coast. Customs: ECOWAS duty plus VAT and levies through ICUMS, with the overage penalty added if the car is over ten years.
RoRo origins
Five RoRo terminals: Baltimore, Brunswick, Galveston, Jacksonville, Port Hueneme. RoRo is the common, cheaper choice for a running car. The US-to-West-Africa RoRo lane is well served, with Grimaldi and Sallaum among the lines. Quarter-tank fuel maximum per SOLAS rules.
Not carried: right-hand drive without the extra permits Ghana requires, and anything where the overage penalty makes the landed cost senseless.
Personal effects permitted in containers, not in RoRo.
ICUMS clearance at Tema.
Ghana clears cars through ICUMS, its digital customs system, on a depreciated-MSRP valuation. The gates are the 10-year age line, the duty-and-VAT stack, and the overage penalty above the cap. There's no pre-shipment certification regime, so eligibility is mostly age and valuation.
The clearance path
Pre-purchase age and cost check
The desk reads the build year off the VIN, confirms whether the car is inside or over the 10-year cap, and works the ICUMS duty-and-VAT number including any overage penalty, so the landed cost is clear before you bid.
US-side preparation
AES filing, ISF where required, HBL issuance, commercial invoice, packing list. Clean title or salvage certificate. HBL consigned to the Ghanaian buyer or their clearing agent.
ICUMS valuation and duty
Customs assesses the car in ICUMS on depreciated MSRP plus freight and insurance, applies ECOWAS duty by engine size, VAT, NHIL, GETFund, and the smaller levies, and adds the overage penalty if applicable. A Ghanaian clearing agent files it.
Release and registration
The bill of lading releases against payment, the buyer pays the assessed duties, and the car registers with the DVLA. LHD.
Required documents
Original title or salvage certificate
Clean title for a running car, salvage certificate where the car is sold as salvage. The VIN drives the age assessment.
Commercial invoice on Dapex letterhead
Consignee, vehicle details, declared value, HBL number. ICUMS sets its own valuation, but the invoice anchors the declaration.
Bill of lading and packing list
HBL consigned to the buyer or their clearing agent. Packing list needed when personal effects are co-loaded in a container.
RHD permit where applicable
Ghana restricts right-hand drive and requires additional permits. US auction cars are LHD, so this is rarely an issue on this lane.
What Dapex files, US side
AES filing with US Customs. ISF where required. HBL under Dapex's NVOCC license, consigned to the Ghanaian buyer or their clearing agent. Commercial invoice and packing list on Dapex letterhead. Title verification through our title team before pickup, and the VIN-based age check plus the ICUMS duty pre-check before purchase. Standard consignee screening. Pre-alert pack to the Tema clearing agent. The West Africa desk owns the file end to end.
What sells into Ghana.
Ghana buys practical American sedans and SUVs, with a real enthusiast appetite for American muscle and trucks. The age line is the main filter; inside it, the market is broad.
Sedans, SUVs, pickups.
Toyota Corolla, Camry, RAV4, Honda Accord and CR-V, Hyundai and Kia, plus Tahoe, Highlander, and pickups. Reliable, parts-friendly cars inside the 10-year window.
American muscle.
Mustangs, Camaros, Chargers, and full-size trucks have a following in Ghana. High-value units usually go container for protection. Salvage and rebuilds move too, where the age and the math work.
Old cars, RHD.
Anything where the overage penalty makes the landed cost senseless, and right-hand drive without Ghana's extra permits. Beyond that, the standing Dapex rules hold: clean title or salvage certificate (25-year US Customs exception), no unreleased liens, no personal effects loose in RoRo. Quarter-tank fuel maximum on RoRo per SOLAS.
What moves the rate on this lane.
A clean, relatively fast ocean lane. Freight is freight; the variables that decide the all-in cost are the ICUMS valuation, the age penalty, and the Cedi-Dollar exchange rate that customs applies.
Our work, our cost.
- Warehouse operations
- Booking fee
- Documentation handling
- Title verification
- HBL issuance
- VIN age and ICUMS pre-check
Carrier and routing-driven.
- Ocean freight (carrier-set)
- Fuel and bunker surcharges
- Tema port handling
- Container versus RoRo choice
- ICUMS duty, VAT, and overage penalty
- Inland delivery within Ghana
Service standards.
- Compliance
- Documentation accuracy
- Submission urgency
- Dispatch priority
Lane-specific drivers
The age penalty
Under ten years, standard duty. Over it, a penalty that climbs from roughly 12.5% to 100% of CIF with age. This single factor decides whether an older auction car is worth buying.
ICUMS valuation
Customs values on depreciated MSRP plus freight, not always your auction price. We pre-check the ICUMS number so the duty isn't a surprise.
Exchange rate
Duties are pegged in dollars but paid in Cedis at the weekly GRA rate, so the final bill moves with the rate. We flag it on the quote.
Container versus RoRo
A running car usually lands cheapest on RoRo. Salvage, high-value, and muscle cars go container. The desk prices both.
Who handles Ghana accounts.
The West Africa desk runs every Ghana account. It reads the VIN for build year, works the ICUMS duty, and flags the overage math before you bid.
West Africa Desk
Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Togo, Benin, and the wider West African markets. Business hours in Lagos and Accra time, plus extended hours by request. Tema clearing-agent coordination on Dapex's Ghana files.
What the desk owns.
VIN-based age read and the ICUMS duty pre-check before quoting. The overage-penalty math. Title verification before pickup. Container-versus-RoRo call. File management through BL. Escalation on customs or valuation holds.
Things buyers ask about the Ghana lane.
Tema, Ghana's main car port east of Accra, with Takoradi to the west. Both are direct ocean calls from the US, container or RoRo, with no transit country.
Ten years from the year of manufacture, not registration. Inside that, standard duty. Over it, an overage penalty on CIF that climbs with age, so a 12-year car costs more to clear than a 9-year car of the same value, and a 20-year car much more.
Usually yes, but it carries the overage penalty, roughly 12.5% at 10-12 years, around 20% at 12-15, near 50% at 15-25, and climbing from there. Sometimes the car still works, often it doesn't. We run the real number before you buy.
Through ICUMS, Ghana's digital customs system, on a depreciated-MSRP valuation plus freight and insurance. ECOWAS duty runs 5 to 20% by engine size, plus 15% VAT and the NHIL and GETFund levies. The desk pre-checks the ICUMS figure.
Yes, salvage and rebuildable cars move into Ghana, as long as the age and the duty math work. We verify title history before pickup and ship under a salvage certificate where applicable.
Duties are pegged in dollars but paid in Cedis at the weekly GRA exchange rate, so the local-currency bill moves with the rate between quote and clearance. We flag the rate on the quote so there are no surprises.
Left-hand drive. Ghana restricts RHD and requires extra permits for it. US auction cars are LHD, so this isn't usually an issue.
Roughly 20 to 35 days from the East Coast to Tema, faster than most African lanes, then ICUMS clearance and registration. The desk gives current numbers on the quote.
Ready to ship to Ghana?
Send VIN, lot number, vehicle year, and the US loading point. We'll read the build year off the VIN, confirm the car against the 10-year cap, run the ICUMS duty with any overage penalty, verify the title, price container against RoRo, and quote door to Tema.