How to Ship a Car from Canada to Ghana — 2026 Cost & Tema Port Guide
What it costs to ship a vehicle from Oakville, Toronto, or anywhere in Canada to Tema or Takoradi — plus the GRA duty math, the 10-year age limit (and what happens if your car is older), the G-CAP inspection step, and the common mistakes that hold cargo at port.
What you'll pay
Ghana is one of the closer transatlantic destinations from Canada, so freight is competitive with Nigeria. The table below shows the shipping methods available for a Montreal departure to Tema, before GRA duty/VAT:
Carrier capacity to West Africa is competitive (Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, PIL all serve Tema), so weekly rate fluctuations are smaller than longer routes. For a firm quote, use our quote form.
GRA duty & the 10-year age rule
Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) collects roughly 50%+ of CIF in duties and levies on used cars:
- Import Duty: 20% of CIF
- VAT: 15% (on CIF + duty)
- NHIL + GETFund: 5% combined
- ECOWAS levy + EXIM levy: ~1.25%
- ICUMS processing fees: small fixed amounts
Effective rate on a typical sedan: 42–50% of CIF in duties and taxes combined. ICUMS (Integrated Customs Management System) calculates the exact figure based on a GRA-maintained reference value, not your declared invoice — so undervaluing rarely works.
- Up to 10 years: nil
- Over 10 up to 12 years: 5%
- Over 12 up to 15 years: 20%
- Over 15 up to 25 years: 50%
- Over 25 up to 35 years: 70%
- Over 35 years: 100%
One caveat worth knowing: the statute sets the 10–12 year band at 5%, but several trade sources report ICUMS actually assessing 12.5%. That is 7.5 points of CIF in exactly the band where most Canadian export stock sits, so confirm the figure with your clearing agent before committing to an older vehicle.
G-CAP inspection — required before the vessel sails
Ghana Conformity Assessment Programme (G-CAP) requires every imported vehicle to pass a pre-shipment inspection by an approved agency: Bureau Veritas, SGS, or Intertek. The inspection verifies VIN, condition, mileage, and emissions compliance, and issues a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) that must accompany the cargo. The vehicle is assessed against Ghana Standard GS 4510:2022, mandatory for used vehicle imports since 1 January 2023.
In practice this stops more shipments than the age rule does. Two things catch Canadian sellers in particular. A salvage, rebuilt or otherwise branded title is a problem — Canadian auction stock carries them routinely, and Ghana prohibits importing written-off vehicles. And the standard requires the instrument cluster to read in kilometres per hour, which Canadian-market vehicles do by law. That is a genuine advantage of Canadian stock over US stock, where miles-per-hour clusters are the norm.
We coordinate the G-CAP inspection at our Oakville warehouse, typically within 3–5 business days of drop-off. Without a valid CoC, the cargo won't be released at Tema — and daily storage fees start ticking from day one.
RoRo vs container — what fits Ghana best
RoRo
Cheapest option, ~20–24 days transit. Vehicle drives onto a car-carrier vessel at Montreal, drives off at Tema. Right for standard daily-drivers up to ~10 years old. No personal items allowed inside.
Container (shared or sole)
Slightly longer at 22–30 days. Best for: luxury vehicles, classics, or two vehicles sharing a 40ft container to split cost. (Note: Swift Shipping currently accepts running vehicles only.)
Transit timeline (Montreal → Tema)
- Day 0 — Pickup from anywhere in Canada to our Oakville warehouse
- Day 1–5 — G-CAP inspection, photo documentation, loading
- Day 5–8 — Drayage to Port of Montreal, export declaration filed, vessel cutoff
- Day 8–12 — Vessel loading and departure
- Day 12–30 — Transatlantic crossing to Tema (18–22 days at sea, sometimes routed via Algeciras)
- Day 30–40 — Tema port clearance via ICUMS, duty calculation, consignee release (5–10 working days with complete documentation)
Door-to-door total: typically 35–45 days with no paperwork hiccups.
Required paperwork (Canada side)
- Vehicle title — original Ontario or other provincial title in your name; lien-release letter if previously financed
- Bill of sale — original purchase receipt
- Government photo ID — driver's licence or passport
- CBSA export declaration (CERS) — we prepare this and confirm who files it once an export exceeds the CBSA export-declaration threshold
- G-CAP CoC — we coordinate the pre-shipment inspection at our warehouse
- Vehicle photos — 8–12 condition photos plus odometer close-up
- House Bill of Lading (HBL) — we issue this after loading
Required paperwork (Ghana side)
Your consignee at Tema (or a licensed clearing agent acting for them) will need:
- Original Bill of Lading — we courier to them
- Original commercial invoice showing CIF value
- G-CAP Certificate of Conformity
- Ghana TIN (Tax Identification Number) for the importer
- Ghana Card (national ID) or passport for non-residents
- DVLA registration request — for first-time Ghana plates once cleared
Most consignees engage a Ghanaian customs broker for the clearance side — we can refer you to ones we've worked with if you don't already have one.
5 mistakes that cost first-time shippers thousands
1. Underestimating GRA's reference value
GRA doesn't always accept your invoice price. They maintain a reference value database for common makes/models — if your declared value is significantly below the reference, they'll re-value at the higher number and recalculate duty. Always quote landed cost assuming GRA's reference, not your bargain purchase price.
2. Skipping G-CAP inspection
Without a valid CoC from Bureau Veritas / SGS / Intertek, the vehicle doesn't clear. Period. Some forwarders try to ship and "deal with it on arrival" — the vehicle sits at Tema accruing storage while everyone scrambles for an emergency inspection that costs 3–4× the pre-shipment rate.
3. Shipping a 12+ year old car without budgeting the penalty
The age-based penalty on top of normal duties can add 12–20% of CIF on older vehicles. A "deal" on a 2012 model can disappear once you factor the overage hit. We always quote landed cost with the correct age band so there are no surprises.
4. Personal items inside a RoRo car
Carriers do not permit personal effects inside the vehicle on RoRo sailings. Items found at port inspection result in fines and delays. Swift Shipping moves running vehicles only — not household goods or personal effects — so strip the car back to the spare tire and jack before drop-off.
5. Not picking a clearing agent before arrival
Tema port doesn't release cargo to individuals — you need a licensed Ghanaian clearing agent who accesses ICUMS on your consignee's behalf. Choose this agent (and prepay them) before the vessel arrives, or you'll lose 3–5 days finding one while the vehicle accrues storage.
Ready to ship to Ghana?
We move vehicles to Tema and Takoradi regularly, with G-CAP inspection coordinated at our Oakville warehouse. Fill out our 3-minute quote form — tell us the vehicle and destination — and we'll come back with a firm all-in price plus a clear projection of what your consignee will pay in GRA duties on arrival.
Questions we didn't cover? Reach out — we typically reply same business day.