Ghanaian passport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ghanaian passport

The front cover of a contemporary Ghanaian biometric passport (with chip ).

Biographical data page from the Ghanaian biometric passport (2010 Model).
Issued by  Ghana
Type of document Passport
Purpose Identification
Eligibility requirements Ghanaian citizenship
Expiration 5 years after acquisition for both adults and children

Ghanaian passports are passports issued exclusively by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to Ghanaians granted citizenship in accordance with the Ghanaian nationality law. 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.

Manual Passport

Types of passports

Regular
Issuable to all citizens and non-citizen nationals and valid for five 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 size B7 (ISO/IEC 7810 ID-3, 88 mm × 125 mm)
  • 32 pages (passports with more pages can be issued to frequent travelers)

Cover

Ghanaian biometric passport is dark green in color, Ghanaian biometric diplomatic passport is dark red in color, and Ghanaian biometric service passport is dark blue in color, with the words ‘’’REPUBLIC OF GHANA’’’ inscribed on top of the booklet. The image of the African continent is prominently emblazoned in the center of the cover page, followed on the bottom by the inscription of the words PASSPORT on ordinary passports, DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT on diplomatic passports, and SERVICE PASSPORT on service passports.

The visa page from the Ghanaian biometric passport
Message page from the Ghanaian biometric passport (2010 Model)

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
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:

  • 2 in × 2 in (5.1 cm × 5.1 cm)
  • 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.[1]

Biometric passport

To conform to the recommended standards (i.e., size, composition, layout, technology) set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (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.[2]

Under these biometric 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 and the words "Republic of Ghana" are inscribed, Ghana has opted use both French and English for its 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.[3] Currently, the fee for ordinary delivery service is GH¢50.00, and GH¢100.00 to have it expedited.[4]

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.[4]

Gallery of Ghanaian passports

  • Ghanaian passport circa 1970

  • Ghanaian passport circa 2009

  • Contemporary Ghanaian biometric passport

  • Contemporary Ghanaian biometric diplomatic passport

  • Contemporary Ghanaian biometric service passport

References

  1. ↑ Ghana Immigration-Eligibility. ghanaimmigration.org.
  2. ↑ Bio-Passports Ready: Migration Starts Tuesday. GhanaWeb. 19 March 2010.
  3. ↑ Ghanaians to get biometric passports in 2010. ghanabusinessnews.com. 22 March 2009.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ghana’s biometric passport ready. ghanabusinessnews.com. 19 March 2010.

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.