The duty on a car is worked out by customs, not by the seller, and on an older or larger car it is a large share of what the car costs you. Check it before you pay, in either of the two situations people are in:

If you are importing the car

Estimate the duty before you buy abroad. Four things decide it:

  1. The value customs puts on it, from its own database, not your receipt. Duty is charged on the CIF value: cost, insurance and freight.
  2. The engine size and fuel. Petrol and diesel cars change bands at different sizes.
  3. The age. A car more than ten years old pays a penalty on top, which rises with age.
  4. The levies and VAT, charged on top of the duty.

Ghana vehicle import duty calculator

Work out what a car costs to land in Tema, including duty by engine size and the overage penalty on older vehicles.

Treat the answer as an estimate. The figure customs computes on the day, through the ICUMS system, is the one you pay, and a car valued higher than you paid for it pays on the higher value. — Importing a car, in full

If you are buying a car already in Ghana

The duty should already have been paid, and the risk is a car on which it was not. A car cleared improperly - undervalued, smuggled, or registered with forged papers - can be seized from whoever owns it when that is found, years later.

Before you pay:

  • Ask for the customs papers. A properly cleared car has a customs declaration and a duty receipt from the Ghana Revenue Authority. A seller who cannot produce them is a reason to walk away.
  • Match the chassis number - on the car, on the customs papers and on the DVLA registration documents. All three must agree.
  • Check the seller is the owner on the DVLA record, and that the vehicle has been moved onto the DVLA’s digital system if it was registered before 2023. — Ghana number plates, and the planned re-registration
  • Look at the plate year. It is the year of registration in Ghana, and it should match the papers.
  • Have your own mechanic look at it, not one the seller recommends.

Then transfer it into your name at the DVLA. A signed note from the seller is not a transfer. — Buying a used car, step by step — Registering a vehicle

Cars sold “duty not paid”

Some cars are advertised in Ghana with duty unpaid, usually still at the port or in a bonded yard. Buying one means paying the duty yourself before it can be registered, at customs’ valuation, and the overage penalty if it is old. Run it through the calculator first, and add the clearing agent’s charges.

— Import duty on other goods