Driving in Ghana with a UK, US or other foreign licence

Ghana’s Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (LI 2180) are stricter than most visitors expect. A foreign driving licence on its own may not be used to drive in Ghana (regulation 148). What you can do depends on where you live:

The International Driving Permit covers only the classes of vehicle it lists, and only while it is in date. Nobody under 18 may drive on one.

Getting an International Driving Permit

Get it in the country that issued your licence, before you travel. Ghana cannot issue you one: the DVLA issues permits only to people who hold a Ghanaian licence and live here.

• In the UK, from PayPoint shops. The UK government’s travel advice for Ghana names the 1949 permit.
• In the US, only from AAA or the American Automobile Touring Alliance. Sites that sell an “international licence” online are not the permit and are worthless at a checkpoint.

Carry the permit and your licence, and your passport or a copy of its photo page. At a checkpoint you will also be asked for the vehicle’s roadworthy sticker and insurance, which a rental company should supply.

Converting, once you live here

Anyone resident in Ghana converts their licence under sections 55 to 57 of the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683). The DVLA’s standard fee for a conversion is ₵487, with higher fees for its faster service tiers. Unlike a new driver, you do not do the 48-hour driving school course.

Bring:

• Your foreign licence, valid, and proof that it is genuine: a letter from the authority that issued it, or authentication through that country’s embassy in Accra. Start this before you leave home; it is the step that takes longest.
• A translation into English by the Ghana Institute of Languages or a state university, if the licence is not in English
• A non-citizen Ghana Card, which costs $120
• Your residence or work permit
• An eye test from a DVLA-accredited optician

You may be asked to sit a road signs test. — The DVLA theory test

A Ghanaian who also holds a foreign licence, and a dual citizen living here on a Ghana Card, follow the same conversion.

Renting a car

Most rental companies in Accra rent with a driver, and for a first visit that is the better choice: the driver knows the roads, the checkpoints and where to park. A self-drive rental will ask for the permit and your licence.

Before you drive yourself

• Ghana drives on the right.
• Avoid driving outside the main towns after dark. Street lighting is poor or missing, and the UK government advises against it.
• At a police checkpoint, stop, greet, and show your documents. Do not offer money; it can be treated as a bribe.

— Driving in Accra — How to get a driving licence — Is Ghana safe?