Ghana Card: National Identification Authority Increases Fees for Selected Services
The National Identification Authority has announced fee increases for some of its Ghana Card services.
The authority has explained that the price adjustment is aimed at maintaining and improving the quality of its service delivery.
Source: Facebook
According to the authority, the revised charges apply to several services, including first-time registration, personal information updates, replacement of the Ghana Card, nationality updates, and non-citizen card registration.
In a post on Facebook, it urged the public to take note of the changes as they take effect, adding that the adjustment will support the sustainability and efficiency of its operations.
The authority did not indicate the new prices in the post, as it has done in the past on Facebook.
Ghana card fees were last increased on February 4, 2025. The increase affected first-time registration, card replacement and record updates.
According to the NIA's notice, first-time registration and record updates would each cost GH¢310.
After that increase, a card replacement cost GH¢420, while individuals updating their records and replacing their cards simultaneously were paying GH¢355.
Before the 2025 increase, fees in some centres were increased in May 2024. Fees ranged between GH¢125 to GH¢365 for Ghanaians after the 2024 increase.
Why is the Ghana Card important?
The Ghana Card makes it easy for Ghanaians to prove their identity or citizenship.
With the Ghana Card, accessing services such as health, education, communication, insurance and banking has been streamlined.
Ghanaians living abroad who hold a Ghana Card can travel to Ghana without a visa.
The authority says on its website:
"It is important to register to ensure that you are not excluded from the formal economy and from economic, social and political activities in Ghana. The Ghana Card is mandatory for use in all transactions which require an applicant to establish his or her identity."
Piloting of the Ghana Card abroad
In September 2024, the National Identification Authority extended Ghana Card services to Ghanaians in North America as part of a pilot exercise.
The first beneficiary cities were Ottawa and Ontario in Canada, and Washington DC and New York in the United States.
Its officials and its technical partner were training embassy staff to serve as registration officers.
The National Identification Authority also said at the time that its officials and technical partner were also training embassy staff to serve as registration officers for the Ghana card.
These staff members are working as registration officers in the first phase of the pilot exercise to register Ghanaians abroad.
The registration fees approved by parliament varied by region, with ECOWAS nationals paying $55, the rest of Africa $75, and the rest of the world $115.
Ghana Card compulsory for bank transactions
YEN.com.gh reported that the Bank of Ghana issued a revised Supervisory Guidance Note mandating the Ghana Card as the primary and, in most cases, sole identification document for all customer transactions within accountable institutions.
The 2025 directive, which came into effect immediately upon its issue in October and was published on the Bank of Ghana website on January 8, 2026, supersedes the 2022 guidelines and introduces rigorous new verification procedures for both new and existing customers.
Source: YEN.com.gh
