GUIDELINES FOR PASSPORT APPLICANTS

WARNING!!!

APPLICANTS, GUARANTORS AND WITNESSES ARE TO NOTE THAT THE MAKING OF A FALSE STATEMENT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROCURING A PASSPORT IS AN OFFENCE UNDER SECTION 15 OF THE PASSPORT AND TRAVEL CERTIFICATE DECREE (NLCD 155, 1967) OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA.

WHERE IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO PROSECUTE SUCH PERSONS IN A CRIMINAL COURT BECAUSE THEY LIVE OUTSIDE GHANA, SUCH PERSONS SHALL BE DISQUALIFIED FROM HOLDING OR ACQUIRING A GHANA PASSPORT, AND ANY PASSPORT ALREADY ISSUED TO THEM SHALL BE WITHDRAWN AND CONFISCATED. THEY MAY ALSO BE ARRESTED AND DEALT WITH UNDER GHANA LAW ANYTIME THEY ENTER GHANA.

WORKING HOURS:
Passport application forms can be obtained from and presented to the Consular section of the Embassy on MONDAYS to THURSDAYS from 08.30 – 13.00 hrs.

PRESENTATION:
All applications, except those for children, must be presented personally by the applicants.  Please note that applicants may be interviewed.  Consequently, applications for passports made through agents or through the post will not be accepted.

PROCESSING TIME:
Please allow at least FIVE DAYS for the processing of your passport application. In exceptional circumstances, a passport application may be processed and issued the same day.

FEES:
.    (i)   Adult (renewal after 10 years)         - €200.00
     (ii)  Children’s passport                         - €115.00
     (iii)  Damaged/Missing                          - €200.00

FORM OF PAYMENT:
Payments should be made by Cash. Bank or Postbank transfers are not acceptable.

ELIGIBILITY:
Under current law, applicants must be Ghanaian nationals, and evidence of Ghanaian citizenship will be required in the form of an expired passport, Ghanaian birth certificate, etc. applicants holding only Ghanaian birth certificates will be required to submit some other proof of identity such as school certificates, driver’s license, employment/student/other id cards, or bachelor certificates to confirm that he or she is the person whose name and details appear on the birth certificate.

REQUIREMENTS:

(1)        An applicant for a new passport must duly complete a passport application form and return it with four passport size photos and other relevant documents, e.g. birth certificate, expired / current passport, etc. all supporting documents must be submitted in original as well as photocopies of the original documents, the latter will be returned to the applicants.

(2)        An application for a new passport or renewal (extension) may be submitted six months to the date of expiry.  An application for a new passport may also be submitted when the pages of current passport are all endorsed with visas/stamps.

(3)        An application for a new passport to replace a missing passport/lost passport shall be accompanied by a police report in addition to the other usual requirements for the issue of a passport.

(4)        An application for a new passport to replace a damaged passport shall be accompanied by a photocopy of the damaged passport in addition to the other usual requirements for the issue of a passport.

CHILDREN:
An application for a new passport for a child born in Italy, must be supported by a birth certificate and photocopies of parents’ documents.

SPECIAL NOTICE TO APPLICANTS WITHOUT PASSPORTS
Please note that there is no procedure for applicants who were born in Ghana and claim to have traveled to Italy or any other country without their Ghana passports.  The normal process would be for such applicants to return to Ghana to apply for Ghana passports from the Director of Passports, Accra.  It is also against the laws of both Ghana and Italy to travel to Italy on another person’s Ghanaian or other citizen’s passport.

ILLEGAL/PROXY PASSPORTS
It is not permitted by law for Ghanaians resident outside Ghana to instruct friends and relatives to acquire Ghana passports in Ghana on their behalf and either secretly carry the passports to them in Italy or send it to them by post.  Such passports are proxy or illegal passports, and will be seized by any Italian official to whom it is presented and sent either personally or by post to this Embassy.  Any proxy passport that comes into the possession of this Embassy shall immediately be confiscated and a replacement passport will only be issued to the bearer after exhaustive investigations and with the approval of the Director of Passports in Accra.

COLLECTION OF ISSUED PASSPORTS
Newly issued passports should be collected personally by the applicants.  The applicant will be required to fill in and sign the appropriate column of the passport collection book, and also append his signature in the passport in the presence of the Head of the Consular section before the passport will be released to the applicant.