Route rate sheet · Sea freight · USA to Ghana
Ship a car from the USA to Ghana
Newark/Elizabeth to Port of Tema in a sealed container. One price covers ocean freight, export handling in the USA and marine insurance; destination port charges, duty and VAT are shown separately below.
Rates verified 9 Nov 2026 · page refreshed 10 Nov 2026
8,260 km great circle · 16-52 days
Rates verified 9 Nov 2026 · page refreshed 10 Nov 2026
At a glance
USA to Ghana car shipping: cost, time and rules
Shipping a car from the USA to Ghana with IPAS Express costs from $5,578 port to port for one car in its own 20ft container, with live rates from our shipping desk. Duty and VAT in Ghana are quoted separately in the landed-cost examples below.
- Ocean freight · 20ft
- $2,900–4,550
- Newark/Elizabeth → Port of Tema
- Ocean freight · 40ft
- $4,200–6,300
- Two cars, or one large SUV plus parts
- Port to port, 1 car
- from $5,578
- Ocean freight + export handling + insurance
- Sea transit
- 16-52 days
- Port to port
- Import Duty
- 5%-20% of CIF
- Tiered by engine capacity: 5% (≤1,000cc petrol / ≤1,500cc diesel / EV / hybrid), 10% (mid-range), 20% (>3,000cc petrol or >2,500cc diesel).
- VAT/GST
- 15% VAT
- Applied to the cumulative total of CIF plus import duty and all six specific levies — the final and largest single component.
- Steering
- Left-hand drive (LHD)
- Ghana drives on the right; LHD vehicles are standard. RHD imports are heavily discouraged and face registration friction.
- Age Limit
- ~10 years from manufacture
- ECOWAS-aligned policy moving toward a hard ban on vehicles older than 10 years; overage penalties apply on the approach.
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Rate sheet · Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal → Port of Tema
What it costs, line by line
Insurance is figured on a declared value of $37,900 (reference vehicle: 2025 Toyota Tacoma). Every line comes from the same tables the calculator reads, so the quote you get matches this sheet.
1 car · own 20ft container
Any car up to 5.6 m, sealed; door-to-door available
$5,578per car $5,578- Ocean freight
- $3,750
- Export handling
- $1,728
- Insurance
- $100
- Destination est. (at port)
- $1,750
2 cars · 40ft high-cube
Two cars you ship together, or a group booking
$7,878per car $3,939- Ocean freight
- $4,700
- Export handling
- $2,978
- Insurance
- $200
- Destination est. (at port)
- $1,750
3–4 cars · racked 40ft HC
Compact cars on a rack system; racking quoted per booking
Quoteper car from ~$2,500- Ocean freight
- $4,700
- Export handling
- on request
- Insurance
- per value
- Destination est. (at port)
- —
RoRo · per car
Oversize vehicles only; not offered for passenger cars
On requestper car —- Ocean freight
- on request
- Export handling
- on request
- Insurance
- —
- Destination est. (at port)
- —
Scroll for line-by-line costs →
| Shipping option | Total · IPAS price | Per car | Ocean freight | Export handling (USA) | Insurance 0.2% | Destination charges · est., payable at port |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 car · own 20ft containerAny car up to 5.6 m, sealed; door-to-door available | $5,578 | $5,578 | $3,750 | $1,728packaging $1,250 · THC $33 · clearance $30 | $100 | $1,750THC $250 · customs handling $1,500 |
| 2 cars · 40ft high-cubeTwo cars you ship together, or a group booking | $7,878 | $3,939 | $4,700 | $2,978packaging 2×$1,250 · THC $33 · clearance $30 | $200 | $1,750THC $250 · customs handling $1,500 |
| 3–4 cars · racked 40ft HCCompact cars on a rack system; racking quoted per booking | Quote | from ~$2,500 | $4,700 | on request | per value | — |
| RoRo · per carOversize vehicles only; not offered for passenger cars | On request | — | on request | on request | — | — |
Door pick-up within the port's standard radius adds about $970 per car. Insurance is 0.2% of the declared vehicle value, with a per-car minimum. Destination charges are paid at Port of Tema on arrival and are not part of the total. Duty and VAT are not in this table either: see the landed-cost examples below or run CarImport.AI. Ocean figures are our current route rates and update when the rate table changes.
Included in the IPAS price
- Included: Export packaging, chocking and lashing inside the container
- Included: Export customs clearance in USA
- Included: Terminal handling at Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal
- Included: Ocean freight Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal → Port of Tema
- Included: Marine insurance at 0.2% of the declared value
- Included: Bill of Lading, packing list and tracking
Not included
- Not included: Destination port charges (shown per row; paid at Port of Tema on arrival)
- Not included: Ghana customs duty and VAT
- Not included: Conformity certification and registration inspection
- Not included: Inland collection unless door pick-up is selected
- Not included: Storage or demurrage after the port's free days
- Not included: Personal effects: the car ships empty
Ports & inland reach
Where your car leaves and arrives
Load ports · USA
USA
Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal
Discharge ports · Ghana
Ghana
Port of Tema
Landed-cost examples · Ghana
Cars worth importing to Ghana
Each card is a full landed-cost worksheet computed against the destination's live duty rules. Expand one for the breakdown or open its calculator with the destination pre-selected.
Here is the full landed cost of one car, a 2025 Toyota Tacoma shipped from the USA to Ghana, worked out on 9 November 2026 with the customs rules in force that day. It lands at 721,550 GHS (about US$61,803), and duties and taxes come to 30.1% of its CIF value.
| Item | Share of CIF | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle priceIPAS price for a car sourced in the USA | 442,483 GHSUS$37,900 | |
| Shipping and insuranceUSA to Ghana | 80,826 GHSUS$6,923 | |
| CIF valueCost, insurance and freight: the customs value | 523,309 GHSUS$44,823 | |
| Customs duties and taxes | ||
| Basic customs duty (5%)5% of CIF | 26,164 GHSUS$2,241 | |
| Additional duty (2%)Base or related charges differ from CIF; see the duty structure above3.4% of CIF | 18,050 GHSUS$1,546 | |
| GST/VAT (15%)Base or related charges differ from CIF; see the duty structure above21.7% of CIF | 113,504 GHSUS$9,722 | |
| Total duties and taxes30.1% of CIF | 157,718 GHSUS$13,509 | |
| Service and handling | ||
| Premium Import ServiceOptional end-to-end import management by IPAS | 20,093 GHSUS$1,721 | |
| Destination handlingPort terminal and customs clearance handling | 20,431 GHSUS$1,750 | |
| Total landed cost | 721,550 GHSUS$61,803 | |
Available now in USA
Export-ready units from USA
Importing to Ghana
Registering a car from the USA in Ghana
What buyers shipping from the USA need to know about Ghana's import duties, steering rules and registration.
Ghana imposes a 9-component tax stack totalling 33.2%-49.4% of CIF value on imported vehicles, driven by engine capacity and fuel type. Ghana is a left-hand-drive (LHD) market, so right-hand-drive vehicles face restrictions and are discouraged by policy. Expect import duty, six specific levies, and 15% VAT layered on top of CIF.
Import Process: Ghana
- 1
Pre-Shipment Inspection and ICUMS Declaration
Complete pre-shipment inspection at origin and file the import declaration through Ghana Customs ICUMS (formerly GCNet) before the vessel arrives at Tema or Takoradi.
- 2
Vessel Arrival and Bill of Lading Release
Vessel berths at Tema (primary) or Takoradi; the shipping line releases the original Bill of Lading against payment of destination terminal handling charges.
- 3
Customs Duty Assessment and Payment
Ghana Revenue Authority assesses the 9-component duty stack based on CIF value and HS code; pay import duty, six levies, and 15% VAT via ICUMS-linked banks.
- 4
Port Clearance and Vehicle Release
Submit receipted duty payment, Bill of Lading, and inspection certificate to Customs; vehicle is released from the Tema or Takoradi bonded terminal.
- 5
DVLA Inspection and Roadworthy Certificate
Present the vehicle to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority for physical inspection, emissions check, and issuance of the roadworthy certificate.
- 6
Registration and Plate Issuance
DVLA assigns a Ghanaian registration number, issues number plates, and records ownership on the national vehicle registry — vehicle is now road-legal.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Importing a vehicle older than 10 years without budgeting the overage penalty
Fix
Confirm the year of manufacture against the 10-year ECOWAS-aligned cap before shipping; overage surcharges can push est. landed cost up sharply and some model years may be refused outright.
Shipping a right-hand-drive (RHD) vehicle to Ghana
Fix
Ghana is an LHD market. Source LHD inventory from USA, Europe, or the UAE re-export hub rather than RHD units from Japan, UK, or India.
Skipping pre-shipment inspection at the origin port
Fix
Ghana requires documented pre-shipment inspection evidence at ICUMS clearance. Arrange inspection before loading the vehicle on the vessel to avoid demurrage at Tema.
FAQ
USA to Ghana shipping questions
With IPAS Express, shipping one car from the USA to Ghana costs from $5,578 port to port in its own 20ft container, with sea transit of 16-52 days. Import duty and VAT in Ghana are quoted separately in the landed-cost examples on this page.
Ghana applies additional penalty surcharges on vehicles approaching or exceeding 10 years from date of manufacture, calculated on top of the standard 33.2%-49.4% tax stack. The exact surcharge scales with age and fuel type; vehicles far beyond the cap may be refused at Customs.
Ghana drives on the right and uses left-hand-drive vehicles. RHD vehicles are heavily discouraged by policy and face registration friction at DVLA. Source LHD inventory from USA, Europe, or UAE to avoid complications.
Yes. Ghana requires pre-shipment inspection documentation at ICUMS clearance. The inspection must be completed at the origin port before the vehicle is loaded onto the vessel; arriving without it triggers demurrage and re-inspection delays at Tema.
After Customs releases the vehicle, present it to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority for physical inspection, emissions check, and roadworthy certificate. DVLA then assigns a registration number and issues plates — this is a separate process from duty payment.
Tema port handles most Ghana-bound vehicle imports and charges destination terminal handling, port storage, and customs processing fees. Takoradi is the secondary option. Budget 5-10 days after vessel arrival for ICUMS clearance, duty payment, and physical release.
Keep exploring
Related routes and guides
Other origins → Ghana
USA → other destinations
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