The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has announced a two-month amnesty for owners and users of vehicles that were illegally imported into Ghana, giving them until July 31, 2026 to regularise their documentation without penalty before a nationwide enforcement exercise begins.
The amnesty, which runs from June 1 to July 31, waives all fines that would ordinarily be imposed if such vehicles were intercepted and impounded by Customs officials. Under normal customs law, owners of uncustomed vehicles who are apprehended face a penalty of three times the applicable import duty on top of the duty itself, a significant financial exposure for affected owners.
The GRA said the initiative is designed to encourage voluntary compliance and give individuals who knowingly or unknowingly acquired illegally imported vehicles an opportunity to correct their status before the state moves to enforcement. Vehicles may have entered the country through unapproved border routes or through the temporary importation regime, under which vehicles are permitted to remain in Ghana for only 90 days.
Affected vehicle owners are advised to visit the nearest Customs Collection office or the GRA head office located off Starlets’ 91 Road near the Accra Sports Stadium in the Ministries area in Accra to begin the regularisation process. Documentation will be processed through the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), after which owners can proceed to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) for registration.
The GRA issued a firm warning that the amnesty will not be extended. After July 31, the Customs Division will begin unannounced nationwide inspections of vehicles on all roads, and any uncustomed vehicle identified during those exercises will be impounded.
Vehicle dealers have welcomed the measure. Frank Atanley, General Secretary of the Vehicle and Assets Dealers Union of Ghana (VADUG), said owners should act immediately: “People should take advantage of that amnesty to do the needful.”
He described the initiative as fair, noting that the GRA and Customs Division had been generous in giving traders and private owners a structured route to compliance before stricter measures take effect.
The GRA said the amnesty forms part of a broader effort to strengthen customs compliance, reduce revenue leakages linked to illicit vehicle imports and bring the country’s vehicle registration data into alignment with actual road usage.
