u/LFILMprod

I'm a documentary filmmaker heading to Ghana for a week in October. Budget is genuinely small.

I'm bringing roughly 10k USD of gear as accompanied baggage. Two bodies, lenses, audio kit, an Easyrig, a small tripod. Everything comes back out with me a week later.

AFAIK, legally this has to go through a licensed clearing agent, and I can't self-declare. I got a quote back and it breaks down like this:

• 3% of declared equipment value as a customs bond, non-refundable
• $250 clearing agent fee
• $150 admin
• 10% company markup on top of all of it

That lands close to $800 for what is, from my side, one person walking through an airport with two Peli cases. The 3% to customs I understand. The rest is roughly three times that amount in fees.

1. Questions for anyone who's done this: Do I actually need formal temporary import for accompanied baggage? Everything travels with me in two cases.
2. What happens if you just show up and declare at the airport? Has anyone done that in Ghana, and how did it go?
3. Did shopping around get you meaningfully better numbers, or do they all land in the same place?

I'm a documentary filmmaker heading to Ghana for a week in October. Budget is genuinely small.

I'm bringing roughly 10k USD of gear as accompanied baggage. Two bodies, lenses, audio kit, an Easyrig, a small tripod. Everything comes back out with me a week later.

AFAIK, legally this has to go through a licensed clearing agent, and I can't self-declare. I got a quote back and it breaks down like this:

• 3% of declared equipment value as a customs bond, non-refundable
• $250 clearing agent fee
• $150 admin
• 10% company markup on top of all of it

That lands close to $800 for what is, from my side, one person walking through an airport with two Peli cases. The 3% to customs I understand. The rest is roughly three times that amount in fees.

1. Questions for anyone who's done this: Do I actually need formal temporary import for accompanied baggage? Everything travels with me in two cases.
2. What happens if you just show up and declare at the airport? Has anyone done that in Ghana, and how did it go?
3. Did shopping around get you meaningfully better numbers, or do they all land in the same place?