Frequently asked questions

We are a licensed customs broker and freight forwarder based in Tema, Ghana. We clear imports and exports, forward sea, air and road freight, haul cargo across Ghana, run bonded transit to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, act as ship agent, store goods, move project cargo, rent heavy equipment and train people on ICUMS.

Near Environmental Protection Agency, Community 2, Tema, Greater Accra. Postal address: P.O. Box 45, Accra, Ghana.

Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00. WhatsApp messages sent outside these hours are answered the next working day.

Send your bill of lading (or booking), commercial invoice and packing list by WhatsApp, email or the quote form. You will receive an itemised quote within two business hours on working days.

No. Most clients work with us entirely by WhatsApp and email. You are welcome to visit our Tema office if you prefer.

Yes. Individuals, small traders and large companies all get the same named account manager and itemised quote.

Yes. We coordinate transit and work with francophone clients and agents in French.

Two to four working days is typical with complete documents and prompt duty payment. Examination, valuation queries or pending permits can add time.

Yes. We review documents during the voyage and lodge the declaration on ICUMS once the manifest is available.

The Integrated Customs Management System, Ghana's electronic customs single window for declarations, duty payment, risk selection and release. See our ICUMS guide.

Customs selects consignments by risk profile, which considers the goods, origin, value, trader history and random selection. Examination is normal and does not imply wrongdoing.

Customs officers open the container, check the goods against the declaration and may take samples. We attend on your behalf and resolve any issues raised.

Customs may question a declared value that looks low against reference data. It is resolved with evidence such as supplier invoices, payment records and price lists.

Yes. We clear air cargo, express consignments, perishables and personal effects at KIA.

Yes, particularly for mining, oil and gas and bulk cargo in the Western Region.

Declarations are generally filed by licensed customs brokers. An agent also handles terminal, shipping-line and examination steps that are hard to manage alone.

Yes, where approvals are in place before arrival: Free Zones, investment incentives, project exemptions and diplomatic privileges.

Duty is a percentage of the CIF value at the ECOWAS tariff band for your HS code (0, 5, 10, 20 or 35%). Levies, NHIL, GETFund and VAT are then added. See our duty guide.

Cost of the goods plus insurance plus freight to Ghana, converted to cedis at the ICUMS exchange rate. Most duties and levies are calculated on it.

15%, with NHIL and GETFund at 2.5% each, all charged on the same base (CIF plus duty) under the VAT Act, 2025, in force from 1 January 2026. The combined rate is 20%.

No. The 1% COVID-19 Health Recovery Levy was repealed from 1 January 2026.

The rate published for the period on ICUMS, not your bank's rate.

Yes. Send the product description, HS code if known and CIF value. For a quick figure, try the duty calculator.

Your landed cost also includes terminal handling, shipping-line charges, examination, any storage or demurrage, haulage and the agency fee. See landed cost.

An agreed agency fee plus pass-through costs at actual, listed separately on an itemised quote before work starts.

Duty is paid to GRA through designated banks against the ICUMS assessment. You can pay directly and share the receipt, or we can handle it.

Bill of lading or airway bill, commercial invoice, packing list and your TIN or Ghana Card number, plus any product permits. Full list in our documents checklist.

You need the original or confirmation that the shipping line has issued an express or telex release.

Food, beverages, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices and similar regulated products generally require FDA registration or import permits.

Many regulated products, including certain electrical goods and building materials. We confirm requirements for your products before shipment.

It proves where goods were made and is needed to claim ECOWAS or AfCFTA preferential duty.

Descriptions like "spare parts" cannot be classified and cause queries. Ask your supplier for specific descriptions, part numbers and materials.

Yes: export declarations, certificates of origin, phytosanitary certificates and product-specific permits.

Yes, FCL and LCL to Tema, with clearance and delivery included on request.

FCL is a full container for your cargo alone; LCL means sharing a container with other shippers, cheaper for small volumes but slower to deconsolidate.

It depends on origin and routing. From China, four to six weeks port to port is common; we quote the scheduled transit time for each option.

For urgent, high-value, perishable or lightweight cargo where speed outweighs cost.

The higher of actual weight and volumetric weight (length × width × height in cm ÷ 6,000).

FOB or FCA usually gives more control over freight cost and free days at Tema; CIF is simpler. See our Incoterms guide.

Yes, on request. We recommend all-risks marine cover for most general cargo.

A shipping-line charge for a full container that stays in the port beyond its free days.

A shipping-line charge for keeping a container outside the port too long before returning it empty.

A terminal operator's charge for cargo that stays at the terminal beyond its free period.

It varies by shipping line, terminal and contract. Check your line's tariff, or ask us to confirm when you book.

Send documents early, obtain permits before shipping, have duty funds ready, book trucks for release day and return empties promptly. Use our demurrage calculator to see the cost of delay.

Yes, near Tema and in Accra, with scheduled delivery. See warehousing.

Yes, bonded transit from Tema to Ouagadougou, Bamako and Niamey, with the Ghana transit declaration and bond handled by us.

No, provided goods exit Ghana under the transit regime. A bond secures the duty until exit is confirmed.

Usually Paga into Burkina Faso; some cargo for western Burkina Faso and Mali uses Hamile.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger left ECOWAS in January 2025. Transit through Ghana continues, but requirements have been evolving, so we confirm the current position for each file.

Your account manager sends updates at loading, gate-out, key checkpoints and the border.

The consignee's appointed agent at destination; we coordinate the hand-over.

Yes, RoRo and containerised vehicles, with release documents ready for DVLA registration.

Customs takes the original new price, depreciates it by 0 to 50% for age, adds freight and insurance, then charges duty (5, 10 or 20% by engine size), levies, a 1% examination fee, VAT, NHIL and GETFund. Cars over 10 years also pay an overage penalty. Try the calculator.

Yes, with an overage penalty of 5 to 50% of CIF. From 1 October 2026, used vehicles over 15 years old that ship on or after that date are refused by the Ghana Standards Authority, and a Certificate of Conformance is required.

Relief is available in some circumstances, such as for genuine returning residents and diplomats, subject to conditions. We confirm eligibility before you ship.

Yes, anywhere in Ghana after release.

Yes, the Certificate in Freight Forwarding & ICUMS Operations, in Tema and Accra or on-site for companies.

Practising clearing agents who file declarations every week.

Yes. We operate as a licensed customs house agent with the Ghana Revenue Authority. Licence details are available on request.

A named account manager updates you by WhatsApp or email at each stage: lodgement, duty, examination, release and delivery.

No. We do not make or pass on unofficial payments. Every government charge is paid officially and receipted. See how we work.

We recruit from time to time and welcome graduates of our ICUMS course. See careers.