Shipping a car from USA to Ghana: an overview
Shipping a car from USA to Ghana has remained an unpleasant experience for many people due to the high shipping costs involved in the process. There is a high demand for the import of used cars in Ghana as the local manufacturing is non-existent. Therefore, Ghana has remained one of the countries with the largest vehicle imports from the USA for many years. According to an estimate, more than 70% of the vehicles in Ghana are second-hand and imported mostly from the USA. Moreover, the per capita income of people in Ghana is very low thereby forcing the people to opt for used cars. Any mistake in shipping documents or lack of industry knowledge can lead to a further high cost of imported vehicles. So, you should let an experienced company do the job for you.
Methods for shipping a car
When it comes to shipping a car from USA to Ghana, there are two available options. The first is RORO shipping which is also the most economical option for shipping a car from the USA to Ghana. The other option is container shipping which is comparatively costlier and mostly used for shipping vintage or sports cars.
We have explained the two options below.
- RORO shipping to Ghana
RORO (Roll-on Roll-off) shipping is the most common and budget-friendly option for shipping your car from the USA to Ghana. In a typical RORO ship, cars are driven onto the vessel and then tied strongly to the deck. After the ship reaches the destination port, the cars are then driven off the vessel. You can imagine RORO ships like a big parking lot with specified parking spaces for hundreds of vehicles.
There are numerous benefits of using this option for shipping a car from the USA to Ghana. Firstly, you can ship cars of any type and size with this option since space is not a constraint in RORO ships. Secondly, the shipping costs per vehicle are lower in this option since hundreds of cars are shipped simultaneously in a single vessel. Finally, you can expect shipments on time in this option as the departure and arrival times of these ships are reliable like an airline.
- Container shipping to Ghana
The second option that you have for shipping a car from the USA to Ghana is container shipping. This mode of shipping a car from the USA to Ghana is expensive as only 3-4 cars are shipped in a single container. However, it does add an extra layer of security for your car shipments. Therefore, it is more suitable for shipping luxury or vintage cars. Moreover, this option allows you to ship some luggage along with the vehicle as well. There are further two types of container shipping which we have explained below.
LCL or Shared Containers
In LCL (less than container load) or shared container shipping, your car shares the container space with other people’s vehicles. Since you pay for the space only your car consumes, shipping costs per vehicle are lower than private containers. You can also ship some luggage in the car safely since the sealed container is opened only when it reaches its destination port. The downside of choosing this option for shipping your car from the USA to Ghana is that you have to wait sometimes for other cars. This is because the company ships a container only when it has the requisite number of cars in it. You can eliminate this problem by opting for private containers.
FCL or Private Containers
In FCL (full container load) or private container shipping, you pay for all the space in a container. This option is more suitable if you are shipping lots of luggage along with a luxury vehicle. Containers are available in different sizes and you can choose the one which suits your needs. The benefit of choosing this option for shipping your car from the USA to Ghana is that you can ship the vehicle without any delays. Although this option is secure and reliable, it also happens to be the most expensive way for shipping a car from the USA to Ghana.
The cost of shipping a car from USA to Ghana
The cost of shipping a car from the USA to Ghana depends on many factors. We have explained some of the important ones below.
- Home Delivery Value (HDV) of vehicle
Home Delivery Value (HDV) of a car primarily depends on the Cost-Insurance-Freight (CIF) tax. The authorities determine CIF for each imported vehicle which varies depending on the manufacturing date of the vehicle and its size. Therefore, shipping old cars to Ghana can cost you a lot more than you expect.
- Mode of shipping
The mode of shipping affects the overall cost of shipping a car from the USA to Ghana. As already discussed, RORO shipping is the most economical way to ship a car to Ghana out of all the available options. Container shipping on the other hand is a costlier option for shipping a car to Ghana. Shared or LCL container shipping is costlier than RORO shipping as it adds an extra layer of security for your vehicle. Finally, private or FCL shipping is the most expensive option to ship your car to Ghana as you pay for all the container space in this option.
- Size and condition of the car
The size and condition of your car also play a role in determining the final cost of shipping your car to Ghana. If you are looking to ship a car larger than a normal sedan or SUV, then you should expect to pay more. This is because the shipping companies charge you as per the container space your car consumes. If your car is inoperable, the shipping company has to use extra equipment like a winch to load and unload the vehicle. Therefore, you pay a higher cost for shipping an inoperable car to Ghana.
- Marine Insurance
Although marine insurance is optional, we recommend you opt for it when shipping a car to Ghana. Marine insurance, if opted, can save your car from natural calamities like hurricanes. If any unfortunate incident happens, the insurance company will pay for the damages. To sum up, the overall cost of shipping a car to Ghana depends on marine insurance.
Requirements for shipping a car from USA to Ghana
You must consider a few important things before shipping a car from the USA to Ghana. For instance, you should know about the taxes imposed by the Ghanian customs. Moreover, you should make sure that you have all the documents required for shipping a car from the USA to Ghana. Before we ship your car to Ghana from the USA, you will have to provide some documents to the US Customs and Border Protection Agency. These documents are proof that you own the vehicle you are shipping to Ghana. You cannot ship your car from the USA to Ghana if there are loan payments pending against your vehicle.
Additionally, cars older than 10 years will be charged higher import duties. The Ghana Revenue Authority has set up a system wherein the import duties depend on different factors including car’s age and fuel type. The authorities impose the same taxes on the import of damaged cars as well. Once your car reaches Ghana, an officer from Ghana Customs Excise and Preventive Service (Ghana CEPS) checks your vehicle thoroughly.
Another thing that you must be cautious about is that if you fail to pick up your car from the port for more than 2 months, the Ghanian authorities will confiscate the vehicle.
Finally, you cannot import right-hand-drive vehicles into Ghana.
Required documents
There are some documents you need to produce before shipping a car from the USA to Ghana. You will need to produce the following documents once your car reaches the port in Ghana. These include:
- Car titles
- Copies of insurance
- Copies of purchase invoice
- A copy of the bill of lading stating the production date, type of vehicle, engine number, and chassis number.
- Driving license of Ghana (International Driver’s ID also works fine)
- Home Delivery Value (HDV) of your car
- ‘Form C’ from Ghana customs
Ports for shipping a car to Ghana
There are two main ports that shipping companies use for shipping a car from the USA to Ghana. Tema port is the largest port of Ghana which is located at a distance of just 16 miles from Accra, the capital of Ghana. It also happens to be one of the safest ports in Ghana for receiving container shipments from the US. Takoradi port is the other port you can choose for shipping a car from the USA to Ghana. Moreover, it is also one of the busiest ports in Ghana since almost half of the Ghanian exports are shipped through this port. Shipping to this port, however, is costlier when compared with the Tema port.
How can AFL help in shipping a car from USA to Ghana?
AFL has the adequate experience and industry knowledge to make shipping cars from the USA to Ghana hassle-free for you. Following are some of the amazing benefits you get by using our shipping services.
NVOCC services
As AFL is an NVOCC (Non-Vessel Owning Common Carrier) service provider, you can ship a car to Ghana at much lower rates. Being an NVOCC service provider, we are connected with numerous shipping vessels and we regularly book large spaces in shipping vessels. The Federal Maritime Commission issues NVOCC licenses to only those shipping companies which have extensive experience in the industry.
Exceptional Documentation Services
AFL has a team of highly dedicated individuals with expertise in documentation services for international shipping. International shipping can be complex and different countries have different documentation requirements. AFL can make the process easy for you by providing exceptional documentation services so that your shipments go through the ports smoothly.
Door-to-domestic port shipping services
AFL is proud to announce that it is offering door-to-port services for our customers in the USA. Thanks to our logistics partner, SAKAEM Logistics, we are able to provide this service to make international shipping a pleasant experience for you.