Ghanaian passport
Encyclopedia
Ghanaian passports are passport
s issued exclusively by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to Ghanaians granted citizenship in accordance with Ghana Citizenship Act 2000. There are three types of passport booklets – regular, service and diplomatic passports. Ghanaian passport booklets are valid for travel by Ghanaians anywhere in the world, although travel to certain countries and/or for certain purposes may require a visa
. More than one valid Ghanaian passport of the same type may not be held.
Service: issued to officials attached to government institutions who have to travel on official business
Diplomatic: Issuable to Ghanaian diplomats accredited overseas and their eligible dependents.
(ICAO), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has issued only e-passports
as standard since March 2010, though non-biometric passports are valid until their expiry dates or November 2015, whichever is sooner. The conversion to the biometric passport also afforded the country the opportunity to adhere to the statues of the ECOWAS region, in issuing standardized ECOWAS passports
in place of national passports.
Under these biometric ECOWAS passports
, the three types of passports – ordinary, service, and diplomat – are color coded. Ordinary passports are green in color, service passports appear in blue, and diplomatic passports are red. Additionally, the Ghanaian coat of arms has been replaced by the ECOWAS logo, and the words ‘’’Republic of Ghana’’’ are preceded by the words ‘’’Economic Community of West African States’’’. While the inscriptions on other ECOWAS passports are in the official language of the respective country, Ghana opted to use both French and English for her passports.
Another change with the introduction of the biometric passports is the choice of regular or expedited passport delivery service. It is expected that the new passports will be delivered within 7 to 14 days after the application has been received . Currently, the fee for ordinary delivery service is GH¢50.00, and GH¢100 .00 to have it expedited .
To facilitate the application for and acquisition of passports, Passport Application Centers (PACs) have been set up around the country. At present, only two PACs in Accra
are accepting applications. It is expected that by the end of 2010, the PACs in Kumasi
, Tamale
, Ho
, Sekondi/Takoradi, and Sunyani
will come on stream
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
s issued exclusively by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to Ghanaians granted citizenship in accordance with Ghana Citizenship Act 2000. There are three types of passport booklets – regular, service and diplomatic passports. Ghanaian passport booklets are valid for travel by Ghanaians anywhere in the world, although travel to certain countries and/or for certain purposes may require a visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
. More than one valid Ghanaian passport of the same type may not be held.
Types of passports
Regular: Issuable to all citizens and non-citizen nationals and valid for ten years from the date of issue.Service: issued to officials attached to government institutions who have to travel on official business
Diplomatic: Issuable to Ghanaian diplomats accredited overseas and their eligible dependents.
Format
- Paper sizePaper sizeMany paper size standards conventions have existed at different times and in different countries. Today there is one widespread international ISO standard and a localised standard used in North America . The paper sizes affect writing paper, stationery, cards, and some printed documents...
B7ISO 216ISO 216 specifies international standard paper sizes used in most countries in the world today. It defines the "A" and "B" series of paper sizes, including A4, the most commonly available size...
(ISO/IEC 7810 ID-3, 88 mm × 125 mm) - 32 pages (passports with more pages can be issued to frequent travelers)
Cover
Ghanaian passports are dark blue in color, with the words ‘’’REPUBLIC OF GHANA’’’ inscribed on top of the booklet. The Ghanaian coat of arms is prominently emblazoned in the center of the cover page, followed on the bottom by the inscription of the words PASSPORT on ordinary passports, and DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT on diplomatic passports.Identification page
The following information is printed on the identification page, in both English and French:| 1. Type | 2. Code of Issuing State |
| 3. Passport No. | 4. Surname |
| 5. Given name(s) | 6. Nationality Nationality Nationality is membership of a nation or sovereign state, usually determined by their citizenship, but sometimes by ethnicity or place of residence, or based on their sense of national identity.... |
| 7. Date of birth | 8. Residence |
| 9. Sex | 10. Place of birth |
| 11. Place of Issue | 12. Date of issue |
| 13. Date of expiry |
Passport photographs
The standards are:- Front view, full face, open eyes, closed mouth, and natural expression
- Full head from top of hair to shoulders
- Red background
- No shadows on face or in background
- No sunglasses; no hat
- Normal contrast and lighting
Passport message
Passports of many countries contain a message, nominally from the official who is in charge of passport issuance (e.g., secretary of state, minister of foreign affairs), addressed to authorities of other countries. The message identifies the bearer as a citizen of the issuing country, requests that he or she be allowed to enter and pass through the other country, and requests further that, when necessary, he or she be given help consistent with international norms. In Ghana passports, the message is in English and reads:-
- These are to request and require in the name of the President of the Republic of Ghana all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford him or her every assistance and protection of which he or she may stand in need.
Fees
A passport applicant who applies in person pays a processing fee. The amount depends on whether the passport applicant is applying for a new passport or replacement passport. The current fee for a new passport booklet is GH¢100.00 for express and GH¢50 .00 for normal .Biometric passport
To conform to the recommended standards (i.e., size, composition, layout, technology) set by the International Civil Aviation OrganizationInternational Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
(ICAO), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has issued only e-passports
Biometric passport
A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers...
as standard since March 2010, though non-biometric passports are valid until their expiry dates or November 2015, whichever is sooner. The conversion to the biometric passport also afforded the country the opportunity to adhere to the statues of the ECOWAS region, in issuing standardized ECOWAS passports
Ecowas passport
The ECOWAS passport is a common passport document. Currently the passport is issued by 10 of the 15 member states of the Economic Community of West African States for their citizens. These are Senegal, Nigeria, Niger, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo and Ghana...
in place of national passports.
Under these biometric ECOWAS passports
Ecowas passport
The ECOWAS passport is a common passport document. Currently the passport is issued by 10 of the 15 member states of the Economic Community of West African States for their citizens. These are Senegal, Nigeria, Niger, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo and Ghana...
, the three types of passports – ordinary, service, and diplomat – are color coded. Ordinary passports are green in color, service passports appear in blue, and diplomatic passports are red. Additionally, the Ghanaian coat of arms has been replaced by the ECOWAS logo, and the words ‘’’Republic of Ghana’’’ are preceded by the words ‘’’Economic Community of West African States’’’. While the inscriptions on other ECOWAS passports are in the official language of the respective country, Ghana opted to use both French and English for her passports.
Another change with the introduction of the biometric passports is the choice of regular or expedited passport delivery service. It is expected that the new passports will be delivered within 7 to 14 days after the application has been received . Currently, the fee for ordinary delivery service is GH¢50.00, and GH¢100 .00 to have it expedited .
To facilitate the application for and acquisition of passports, Passport Application Centers (PACs) have been set up around the country. At present, only two PACs in Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
are accepting applications. It is expected that by the end of 2010, the PACs in Kumasi
Kumasi
Kumasi is a city in southern central Ghana's Ashanti region. It is located near Lake Bosomtwe, in the Rain Forest Region about northwest of Accra. Kumasi is approximately north of the Equator and north of the Gulf of Guinea...
, Tamale
Tamale
A tamale — or more correctly tamal — is a traditional Latin American dish made of masa , which is steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper. The wrapping is discarded before eating...
, Ho
Ho
Ho, HO, or variations, may refer to:* Ho, Denmark, a town* Ho, Ghana, a town* Ho , Japanese kana* Ho language, spoken primarily in India* Ho people, primarily in the Indian state of Jharkhand...
, Sekondi/Takoradi, and Sunyani
Sunyani
Sunyani is a city in the West African republic of Ghana, and is the capital of the both the Sunyani District and Brong-Ahafo Region.According to the 2005 population estimates 80,245 people reside in the city of Sunyani, with a growth rate, in the city, of 3.4% per annum.-History of...
will come on stream