Ghana: current procedures and announced shipment rules
Selected Ghana customs and registration procedures, plus GSA requirements announced for shipments from 1 October 2026. Current age and salvage admission rules remain unresolved; this page does not confirm that a particular Korean used car may be imported.
Sources reviewedVehicle eligibility remains unconfirmed. Resolve the items below before purchase or shipment.
Right-hand-drive vehicles need specific approval
Right-hand-drive importation requires ministerial approval. GRA describes an application-based dispensation and left-hand refitting before road use. DVLA's physical-conversion procedure includes a Customs request for right-hand steering vehicles, inspection and a test drive.
Complete the local inspection and registration process
DVLA directs the owner to present the vehicle and customs entry at a designated Private Vehicle Testing Station (PVTS) for an inspection report. The vehicle and customs documents then go to DVLA for authentication, ownership verification and registration processing.
Announced for shipments from 1 October 2026
GSA's announced framework excludes used vehicles over 15 years old, flood- or fire-damaged vehicles, vehicles with a broken, cracked, bent or twisted chassis or safety cage, scrap-only or dismantling vehicles, vehicles assembled from spare parts, and vehicles without a km/h speedometer. Vehicles shipped before 1 October 2026 are exempt from these new requirements even if they arrive later; vehicles already in Ghana before that date are also exempt.
Announced inspection route for those October shipments
For shipments on or after 1 October 2026, GSA's programme requires private and commercial importers to register. Each vehicle meeting GSA's used-vehicle definition needs a country-of-origin inspection by a GSA-approved body and a Certificate of Conformance before shipment. Existing statutory import requirements continue to apply.
Documents and registration
Shipping document and vehicle title
GRA lists a bill of lading or waybill and the vehicle title as relevant documents for vehicle clearance.
DVLA registration file
DVLA lists original customs entry documents, a designated PVTS inspection report, a valid Ghana Card and photographs. An authorised representative also needs the owner's authorisation, the representative's Ghana Card and photographs. DVLA may request additional documents.
Confirm before purchase
Still unconfirmed for your vehicle. Check with the relevant authority or receiving agent before purchase.
- Current enforcement of Act 1014's age and salvage provisions, and their relationship to the announced October framework, remains unconfirmed. No general age-based or damaged-vehicle admission guarantee is given.
- Confirm the exact vehicle, title and damage history with GRA and GSA before purchase or shipment. The method for calculating the announced 15-year limit is not established here.
- GSA's used-vehicle definition also depends on prior ownership and registration, time since manufacture and mileage. Low-mileage or recently manufactured cars, and the approved inspection provider for a Korean shipment, need separate confirmation.
- Vehicle-specific duties, overage charges, taxes, certification fees, freight and delivery times are not quoted.
- Our US$100 condition inspection does not replace GSA conformity assessment or Ghana's statutory vehicle inspection and registration.
Shipping & costs
For Ghana, specify the receiving city and importer. Request a written offer showing the route, transport stages, delivery point, insurance and included charges. Confirm vehicle eligibility and required approvals before booking.
What goes into the cost?
Send the vehicle listing, quantity and delivery point. Eligibility and required approvals must be confirmed before arranging shipment. Freight and departure dates need a current offer.
Vehicle purchase
Confirm the vehicle price, invoice and payment recipient.
Vehicle inspection — US$100
Our pre-purchase condition inspection; separate from required government testing or certification.
Korea-side preparation
Request itemized inland transport, export documents, handling and loading.
International freight & insurance
Confirm the route, shipping method, insurance, quote validity and exclusions.
Destination charges
Ask your receiving agent about handling, customs, taxes, registration and delivery costs.
Inspection & next steps
- Send your vehicle details.
Share a listing or your preferred model, year and budget.
- Confirm eligibility, then inspect — US$100.
Our vehicle condition inspection is separate from government testing or certification.
- Review the shipping offer.
Confirm the route, costs and required approvals before booking.
Official sources & review dates
View 5 official sources and review notes
Source publication or amendment dates and our review dates are listed separately.
- Vehicle Importation ↗Ghana Revenue AuthoritySource updated: Not stated for this guidanceReviewed: The vehicle-clearance and steering-dispensation guidance was reread. No publication or revision date is displayed. Only the selected procedures and document statements are used; the page's tax tables are excluded.
- Services — Vehicle Registration and Physical Conversion ↗Driver and Vehicle Licensing AuthoritySource updated: Not stated for this guidanceReviewed: The authority's service instructions were reread, including owner and representative requirements, registration steps and physical conversion. No substantive revision date is displayed. These procedures do not establish customs admissibility.
- Public Notice GSA/DGS/PN/26/09 — National Vehicle Standards implementation framework ↗Ghana Standards AuthorityNotice issued: Effective: Reviewed: The signed notice, still linked by GSA's document portal, was reread. It replaces previous communications including notice 26/08. Its announced requirements apply to shipments from 1 October 2026, with exceptions for earlier shipments and vehicles already in Ghana. This date remains in the future at review.
- Ghana Vehicle Homologation and Conformity Assessment Programme — FAQs, issue 01 ↗Ghana Standards AuthorityIssue date printed in the document: Effective: Reviewed: All four pages and both import-process diagrams were reread. The document still shows issue 01 dated 12 August 2026. It confirms the shipment-date cutoff, exceptions, personal and commercial coverage, used-vehicle definition and continued application of existing statutory requirements. Read together with the later notice 26/09.
- Customs (Amendment) Act, 2020 (Act 1014), sections 2–5 ↗Parliament of Ghana — original Act preserved by FAOLEXAssent and Gazette notification: Reviewed: The original Act and its separate commencement provisions were reread. Ministerial approval for right-hand steering is also reflected in GRA's guidance. Limited official searches did not resolve current enforcement of the age and salvage provisions or their relationship to the announced October framework; those conclusions remain withheld.