Five West African ports, one vehicle, five bills. Put your own numbers in and every line is worked out below with the rate beside it. Where we cannot know something, the result says so instead of guessing.
What this calculation does not know
Every number here comes from published rates, and the age count starts from first registration, not model year. What it cannot see: the customs value the administration will actually accept — several authorities here may substitute a reference value for your invoice — and any charges that depend on how long the car sits at the port. Treat this as what to budget, not what you will be invoiced.
The rates behind those numbers
Print this section or screenshot it and send it to your clearing agent. If a line is wrong, it is wrong here too — tell us and we correct it with the source.
Abidjan: five years from first registration for a passenger car (Decree 2017-792). The tax stack lands at 44.55% of CIF — duty 20%, statistical fee 1%, solidarity levy 0.8%, community levy 0.5% and African Union levy 0.2% all on CIF, then VAT at 18% charged on CIF plus all of those. A special tax of up to 10% may apply above 13 fiscal CV; we have not confirmed the bands, so this calculator does not charge it — ask your broker. Clearing must be filed by a licensed broker, and the BESC is issued through OIC.
Dakar: the age limit for passenger cars was raised from 8 to 10 years by presidential decree on 24 October 2025 (15 years for trucks and passenger-service vehicles). Customs publishes a cumulative rate of 48.963% for a used passenger car arriving by sea — this calculator is built on that published figure, not on adding up the lines. Value may be assessed against Argus rather than your invoice.
Lomé: the 2026 Finance Law (Loi 2025-002, articles 8–10, valid 1 January to 31 December 2026) cuts the customs value itself — by 50% for a used car 1–2 years old, 35% for 3–5 years, with nothing above five years — and exempts solidarity levy and VAT for vehicles inside those bands. The law says "à l'état neuf" for the 100% band: a used electric car does not automatically qualify. This is annual; it needs rechecking for 2027.
Cotonou: standard used-car rates are CET 20% plus 18% VAT on the duty-inclusive value, plus statistical and community levies. The 2026 Finance Law (article 5) also cuts customs value for new vehicles — 99% for a new electric car, 95% for a new hybrid, 90% for other new vehicles — with VAT exempt, valid to 31 December 2026. Some sellers advertise that every battery-electric car enters duty and VAT free; the text of the law is written for new vehicles. If you are buying a used EV, get it in writing from a Cotonou broker before you pay.
Douala / Kribi: there is no general age ban. Instead the 2026 Finance Law charges excise by age — for a car up to 2,500cc, nothing in the first 12 years, 12.5% from 12 to 20 years, 25% beyond. Above 2,500cc the 12.5% band starts at once. VAT is 19.25% and that figure already contains the municipal additional cents: adding a further 10% is the most common error in clearing quotes here. A fixed vehicle identification charge (CIVIC) of XAF 29,813 is added per unit.
Ask for it against a real car
This page models the rules. A quote ties those rules to one VIN, with the year, the mileage and the unit we would actually ship.