Ghana: used cars capped at 15 years, CoC before shipping

Ghana's new regime means the entry ticket is issued in the country of origin, not at Tema. From next month, used cars over 15 years old are barred, and every unit needs inspection abroad plus a Certificate of Conformance before sailing. The shipment date decides.

The rule comes from Ghana Standards Authority notice GSA/DGS/PN/26/09 under standard GS 4510:2022. The age cut-off moved from a proposed 10 years to 15, but inspection moved forward: defects surface before loading, not at the port. Five categories are banned — flood, fire, chassis damage, spare-part assembly and non-metric speedometers.

Run the numbers and the shipping date outweighs condition. A car refused at port for age or a missing certificate goes back at your cost: goods plus freight already paid. Loaded this month with a valid CoC, the same car clears under the old rules. And GRA still adds an age penalty on CIF for cars over 10 years — around 5% at 10–12 years, 20% at 12–15.

For importers, the work shifts from inspecting cars to auditing files. Sourcing runs on year of first registration, speedometers must be metric, and inspection slots in Japan, the Gulf and China need booking before the loading cut-off.

Three actions. Ask the supplier for written proof of the year of first registration, an inspection report from a GSA-approved body abroad, and the CoC for that exact unit. Write the shipment date into the contract and agree the refund route if the certificate fails. Check every unit against the five bans. Send a VIN and year to confirm eligibility.