Passport application fees reduction from GH₵500 to GH₵350 to take effect in less than 21 days — Ablakwa

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has announced that passport application fees will be reduced from GHC500 to GHC350 within the next three weeks.

The reduction, he said, will take effect once new fees and charges before Parliament mature, bringing long-awaited financial relief to Ghanaians seeking passports.

Mr Ablakwa explained that the move forms part of a comprehensive reform of the passport acquisition process aimed at making it more affordable, efficient, and accessible to citizens across the country.

Speaking during the commissioning of a temporary passport application centre in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, the Minister said the government was determined to remove barriers that make passport processing costly and inconvenient.

“In less than 21 days, the new fees will come into force, and passport application fees for the ordinary passport will no longer be GH$500.00. It will be reduced to GH$350.00,” he announced to loud applause.

He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had also introduced a courier delivery system to ensure applicants receive their passports at their homes or workplaces without the need to return to passport offices.

Mr Ablakwa cautioned applicants not to pay any additional money to delivery officers, noting that “the courier service fee has already been factored into the GH$350.00.”

“When they deliver your passport, all you have to do is verify your identity with your Ghana Card and sign. You are not to pay even one cedi more,” he emphasised.

The Minister also revealed that an electronic tracking system had been introduced to enable applicants to monitor the progress of their applications in real time. Processing times, he said, had been significantly reduced to 15 working days for regular service and three days for expedited applications.

Mr Ablakwa further announced that Ghana had completely phased out the old biometric passports and replaced them with modern chip-embedded versions that meet international standards.

“The passports you will receive here in the Upper East Region are the latest chip-embedded types. They are secure, modern, and internationally recognised,” he said. “You see the miracle of President Mahama—enhanced services, courier delivery, e-tracking, chip-embedded passports, and yet a reduction in price. The reset is real, and the Mahama magic is real.”

He added that all passport offices across the country had now been digitally networked and integrated with artificial intelligence systems to prevent fraudulent applications. Under the new security setup, anyone blacklisted in one region would be automatically flagged nationwide.

“Once you are blacklisted here in Bolgatanga, that is it一you are blacklisted in the entire Republic
of Ghana. We have tightened our security protocols, retrained all passport officers, and we are
ahead of those attempting to acquire Ghanaian passports illegally,” he cautioned.

Mr Ablakwa reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that all 16 regions of Ghana have functional passport application centres by December 2025.

“As a social democratic government, we believe that development must be inclusive. No part of our country should be left behind in the forward march of our progress,” he said.

He noted that the commissioning of the Bolgatanga passport centre symbolised not only the decentralisation of government services but also a renewed effort to make governance more people-centred and responsive.

The event was attended by the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Donatus Atanga Akamugri, traditional leaders, Members of Parliament, District Chief Executives, staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and members of the Alagungube Association, who championed the establishment of the centre.