The documents you must check before buying any car in Ghana

The renewal costs you're taking on

As of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority's fee schedule published 5 February 2026, a driver's licence renewal before expiry costs GHS 127, with a sliding scale for late renewal. Roadworthy certificates have their own delinquency charges under the Fees and Charges Instrument 2015 (L.I. 2220). Ask the seller for the current roadworthy certificate and check its expiry date before you agree a price — a car due for re-testing is a cost you're about to inherit.

Insurance is compulsory, and the rate is tariffed

Motor insurance in Ghana follows a tariff set by the National Insurance Commission rather than being freely priced by each insurer. Third-party premiums for a private car moved from GHS 327 in 2022 to GHS 423–468 from January 2023 (depending on when the vehicle was first registered), with a further increase proposed for 2025 whose implementation was reported as suspended by the NIC in a letter dated 29 January 2025 — whether that suspension was later lifted was not confirmed in our research. The practical takeaway: do not assume last year's premium number is this year's; ask your insurer or broker for the current tariffed figure.

Watch for the "goro boys"

Ghanaian reporting has documented middlemen — known locally as "goro boys" — charging informal processing fees for vehicle stickers and even being prosecuted for issuing forged roadworthy certificates without an actual inspection taking place. If a roadworthy certificate or registration document was obtained through an informal "fixer" rather than directly through DVLA or an accredited inspection centre, treat it as unverified until you can confirm it independently.

What to actually do

• Get the registration document and confirm the VIN/chassis number against the physical car.
• Check the roadworthy certificate's expiry date and, where possible, confirm it with the issuing centre rather than taking the paper at face value.
• Ask whether insurance is current, and get the tariffed premium figure from an insurer directly rather than a verbal estimate from the seller.

Sources: DVLA 2026 fee schedule (Yen, Graphic Online, Feb 2026); Fees and Charges Instrument 2015 roadworthy delinquency charges (Citi Newsroom, Jan 2024); motor insurance tariff history and the 2025 suspension (Graphic Online, B&FT — see research/notes/Ghana car ownership app research/business_model_pricing_payments.md KQ2 for the full citations and the noted contradiction between sources); "goro boys" prosecutions (PeaceFM 2015, Graphic Online, older reporting — included as a pattern to watch for, not a claim that it is still common today).