Shipping a Car from Canada to Togo (Lomé) — the No-Age-Limit Route
If your car is more than about twelve years old, Ghana will let it in and then charge you heavily for the privilege. Togo will not. That single difference is why Lomé is worth understanding before you commit to Tema.
The short version. Togo applies no age limit to imported vehicles. A 20-year-old car pays the same rate structure as a 3-year-old one. Ghana's overage penalty on the same vehicle can reach 50% of CIF and beyond. On an older car that difference is usually larger than the entire ocean freight bill.
Why anyone ships to Lomé
Togo is small, and Lomé is not most people's first thought when they picture West African vehicle imports. It matters for two reasons, and neither is about Togo's own market.
First, no age limit. Most of the region has one, and where a limit exists it is usually enforced as a penalty rather than a refusal — the car gets in, and the bill is the punishment. Togo does not apply an age-based penalty at all. For a vehicle between roughly twelve and twenty-five years old, that is frequently the whole economics of the shipment.
Second, the transit corridor. Lomé is a major entry point for landlocked Sahel countries — Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali. A vehicle moving in transit to one of those destinations is not being imported into Togo at all, so Togolese duty and VAT do not apply. The destination country's rules govern instead. If your consignee is in Ouagadougou rather than Lomé, say so at the outset, because it changes the paperwork and the cost.
Togo vs Ghana on an older car
This is the comparison that actually decides the routing. Both countries sit under the ECOWAS common external tariff, so the headline duty rate on a used passenger vehicle is similar. The difference is entirely in what age does to the bill.
| Vehicle age | Ghana (Tema) | Togo (Lomé) |
|---|---|---|
| Under 10 years | No age penalty | No age penalty |
| 10–12 years | Penalty starts | Nothing extra |
| 12–15 years | Penalty climbs steeply | Nothing extra |
| 15–25 years | Can reach 50% of CIF | Nothing extra |
Work an example. A 14-year-old car with a CIF value of USD 12,000 lands in Ghana at roughly 70% of CIF once the overage penalty is stacked on duty and VAT. The same car into Lomé lands nearer 45%. That is about USD 3,000 of difference on one vehicle — considerably more than the ocean freight, and the reason we will sometimes suggest Togo unprompted.
A correction you will not read elsewhere. Almost every competitor states flatly that Ghana bans vehicles over ten years old. Ghana legislated that ban — but the provision has never been brought into force, because commencement requires a Legislative Instrument from the Finance Minister that has not been made. In practice over-age vehicles still clear Tema and pay the penalty instead. We tell you this because it is true, and because the difference matters: a "ban" means don't bother, a penalty means do the arithmetic. It is also a live switch — if that instrument is ever made, the position changes overnight, which is worth a clause in any long booking.
What it costs and how long it takes
Transit from Montreal to Lomé runs broadly in line with the rest of West Africa — expect something in the region of three to four weeks at sea, plus the time to consolidate at our Oakville warehouse and clear at the far end. Lomé is a well-served port, so sailings are regular rather than occasional.
On the duty side, Togo applies the ECOWAS common external tariff plus VAT and the usual community levies. We publish a landed-cost estimate with every quote rather than quoting a percentage here, for one reason: customs authorities across the region value vehicles from their own reference databases, not from your invoice. What you paid for the car is not necessarily what you are taxed on, and any guide that gives you a single number without saying that is not being straight with you.
Two things to check before you commit
Right-hand drive. We have not been able to establish Togo's position on right-hand-drive imports from a source we would stand behind. Several neighbouring countries prohibit RHD outright. If your vehicle is right-hand drive — and Canada does legally import JDM stock, so this is not hypothetical — ask us and we will get it confirmed in writing before anything sails. We would rather lose the booking than strand your car.
Who is actually receiving it. If the vehicle is going onward to Burkina Faso, Niger or Mali, the transit route changes the documentation and removes Togolese duty from the picture. Tell us at quote stage, not after the container is sealed.
Should you ship to Togo instead of Ghana?
Only if the car is going to Togo, or through it. We are not suggesting you land a vehicle in Lomé and drive it into Ghana to dodge Ghanaian duty — that is smuggling, your consignee wears the consequences, and we will not arrange it.
What we are saying is narrower and more useful: if you have family or a buyer in Togo or the Sahel, and your vehicle is old enough that Ghana's penalty bands would bite, Lomé is very likely the cheaper and simpler route — and most forwarders will never mention it, because Tema is the lane they know.
Not sure which port makes sense for your car?
Tell us the year, the make and where your consignee actually is. We will tell you which destination costs less all-in — including when the answer is not the one you asked about.
Get a Free Quote →Duty rates, age rules and levies change. Everything here reflects our research as at July 2026 and is a guide, not advice — confirm the current position with a licensed clearing agent at the destination before you commit money. Questions we didn't cover? Reach out.