How to Import a Car from Korea to Ghana (2026 Guide)

South Korea has become one of the smartest places in the world to source a used car. Vehicles are well maintained, mileage is genuine, and popular models like the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Sorento, and Santa Fe are exactly what Ghanaian buyers want. The challenge is not finding a good car. It is moving that car safely from a yard in Korea to your name on a Ghana DVLA registration, with every duty paid correctly and no surprises at Tema Port.

This guide walks you through the full process, step by step, so you know what to expect from start to finish.

Step 1: Source and Inspect the Car in Korea

Everything starts with picking the right vehicle. Cars in Korea are sold through dealer yards and online auction platforms, and prices, mileage, and accident history are usually well documented.

Before you commit, you want:

• A verified VIN and matching registration document.
• Genuine mileage and a service or accident history check.
• Clear photos and, ideally, an independent inspection of the body, engine, and underbody.

This is the stage where mistakes cost the most. A car that looks perfect in photos can hide accident repairs or engine issues. Working with a trusted exporter on the ground in Korea means someone physically checks the car before any money moves.

Step 2: Purchase and Export Deregistration

Once you confirm the car, the exporter completes the purchase and begins the Korean export paperwork. A key document here is the export deregistration certificate. In Korea, a car must be formally deregistered from the local system before it can leave the country, and this certificate proves the vehicle is legally cleared for export. You will need it later to register the car in Ghana.

The exporter also prepares the export declaration, customs clearance in Korea, and a certificate of origin. Keep every document, because Ghana customs and the DVLA will ask for them.

Step 3: Choose Your Shipping Method

Cars are shipped from Incheon or Busan, Korea's two main export ports. You have two main options.

• RoRo (Roll-on, Roll-off): The car is driven onto a specialized vessel and secured for the voyage. This is usually the most affordable choice for a single vehicle and involves less handling.
• Container: The car is sealed inside a shipping container. This costs more but adds protection and lets you ship two or more vehicles together, or include spare parts.

For most single-car buyers, RoRo is the practical choice. For higher-value cars, container shipping gives extra peace of mind.

Step 4: The Ocean Voyage to Tema

The sea journey from Korea to Tema Port in Ghana is long, typically around 40 to 47 days depending on the vessel, route, and any transshipment. Plan for six to eight weeks on the water, and remember that schedules can shift. Your exporter should give you a Bill of Lading (for container) or a sea waybill (for RoRo). This document is essential for clearing the car in Ghana, so guard it carefully.

Step 5: Arrival and Customs Clearance at Tema

When the vessel arrives, the car is offloaded at Tema Port and clearance begins through Ghana's ICUMS (Integrated Customs Management System). ICUMS is a single online window that handles document processing and duty payment, and it has made valuation more transparent but also stricter.

Here is how valuation works. ICUMS uses a central Home Delivery Value database. Customs enters the VIN, country of origin, and age of the car, and the system generates a fixed value in dollars. This means you cannot simply declare a low price to reduce duty. The system already knows the benchmark value for your model.

To clear the car you (or your clearing agent) will need:

• The Bill of Lading or waybill.
• The commercial invoice and the export deregistration certificate.
• The Korean title or registration document.
• Your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and identification.

With complete and correct paperwork, clearance usually takes about two to five working days. Delays almost always come from missing documents or valuation disputes, which is why accurate paperwork matters so much.

Step 6: Duties, Levies, and the Over-Age Penalty

Ghana calculates duty on the CIF value (Cost, Insurance, and Freight) of the car. On top of the base import duty, several levies and taxes apply. In broad terms you should expect:

• Import duty: typically 5% to 20%, depending mainly on engine size and vehicle type.
• VAT and health and education levies (NHIL and GETFund): charged on the duty-inclusive value.
• Smaller levies: including ECOWAS, AU, EXIM, and a special import levy, plus a processing and examination fee.

Added together, total charges commonly land somewhere in the region of 25% to 40% or more of the car's assessed value. Because the exact bands change, always confirm current rates with the GRA and ICUMS before you buy.

The Over-Age Penalty (Very Important)

Ghana applies an over-age penalty on cars older than 10 years from the year of manufacture. As a rough guide, a car over 10 but not over 12 years attracts around 5% of CIF value, and one over 12 but not over 15 years attracts around 20%. Note that a used-vehicle standard enforced by the Ghana Standards Authority is tightening rules further from late 2026, so newer cars are the safer long-term choice. Age is counted from the manufacture year, not the first registration date. Choosing a car within the 10-year window keeps your total cost predictable.

Step 7: DVLA Registration in Ghana

Once duties are paid and the car is released, the final step is registering it with the DVLA. You will submit the customs clearance documents, the Korean export deregistration certificate, and proof of duty payment. The DVLA inspects the vehicle, assigns Ghanaian plates, and issues your roadworthy certificate and registration. After that, the car is legally yours to drive.

Typical Total Timeline

From purchase to plates on the car, a realistic timeline is:

• Sourcing and purchase: a few days to two weeks.
• Export prep and loading in Korea: one to two weeks.
• Ocean transit: roughly six to eight weeks.
• Tema clearance and DVLA registration: one to two weeks.

All in, plan for roughly two to three months.

Let SmartLink Handle the Hard Parts

Importing from Korea is very doable, but it rewards attention to detail. One missing certificate or a wrong valuation can cost weeks and real money at Tema. At SmartLink Auto, we manage the entire chain for you: sourcing and inspecting the car in Korea, purchase, export paperwork, freight and insurance, and delivery to Tema Port with the documents your clearing agent and the DVLA need. You get a well-checked Korean car and a process that actually finishes on time. Talk to us before you buy, and we will help you choose the right car and give you a clear, all-in cost estimate.