The National Identification Authority (NIA) has resumed the registration and issuance of Ghana Cards to Ghanaians aged 15 years and older who are first-time applicants, free of charge.
According to the Authority, the service will be available to such qualified applicants at eight (8) out of NIA’s 16 Regional Regional Offices and all 276 District Offices of the NIA nationwide.
It was also noted that the under-listed NIA Regional Offices where the specified service will not be available since those offices operate NIA’s Premium Registration Service:
1. Kumasi – Ashanti Region –
2. Sunyani – Bono Region –
3. Techiman – Bono East Region-
4. Koforidua – Eastern Region-
5. Tamale – Northern Region-
6. Ho – Volta Region
7. Takoradi – Western Region –
8. Sefwi Wiawso – Western North Region
The resumption of this registration exercise has become possible due to NIA’s receipt of 484,000 blank cards from its technical partners, Identity Management Systems II Limited (IMS II) and CalBank PLC following an initiative by the Ministry of Finance. By this development, eligible Ghanaians who have not yet registered for the Ghana Card can do so.
To facilitate a smooth and well-organized process, the registration will be carried out in two phases.
Phase One – Restricted Registration (Limited to Public Sector Workers on Government of Ghana (GoG) Payroll)
The first phase will last a total of ten (10) working days beginning on Monday, 28th August 2023 and ending on Friday, 8th September 2023. This phase will be reserved exclusively for Public Sector Workers on the GoG payroll who are yet to register for the Ghana Card. The objective is to ensure that such workers are enabled to be verified with their Ghana Card on the payroll system of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department. The 10-day registration exercise will focus exclusively on the said Public Sector Workers who will be applying for the Ghana Card for the first time. All such prospective applicants will be required to provide their July 2023 Payslips in addition to meeting the mandatory registration requirements. NIA will only accept and use for the registration the name of the Public Sector Worker as captured on the July 2023 Payslip of an applicant.
The mandatory documents to be presented for registration are a genuine Birth Certificate, a valid Ghanaian Passport or a Certificate of Acquired Citizenship/ Naturalization, as may be necessary and appropriate. In the absence of the mandatory documents, a prospective applicant may be vouched for by a relative or two persons who possess a Ghana Card and know the applicant to be a Ghanaian. The following is a list of persons qualified to vouch for an applicant:
a. A practising or retired professional teacher (including principals, headmasters & head teachers) b. A Gazetted Chief
c. A practicing or retired Magistrate or Judge
d. A practicing or retired licenced Professional e.g. doctor, nurse, lawyer, accountant, engineer, architect etc.
e. A serving or retired civil/public servant. f. A serving or retired Clergyman.
g. An Imam
h. A serving or retired Catechist.
i. A serving or retired member of the security services including the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Prison Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana National Fire Service, BNI, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service of the Ghana Revenue Service and National Security
j. A current or past Member of Parliament, An Assembly or Unit Committee
NIA will not entertain or accept requests for the replacement of lost, stolen or damaged Ghana Cards or the correction or changing of names or dates of birth during Phase One of this registration exercise.
Phase Two – Open Registration:
The second phase will begin on Monday, 11th September 2023 for all Ghanaians aged 15 years and above who have not yet applied for the Ghana Card. During Phase Two, Ghanaians wishing to replace their lost, stolen or damaged Ghana Cards or to correct their names or dates of birth may do so in accordance with law at any of the NIA’s 286 Operational Offices nationwide offering free registration. Qualified Ghanaian citizens who are yet to register for the Ghana Card are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity as the Ghana Card serves as the sole mandatory document for the identification of citizens seeking to engage in various commercial transactions or to access a wide range of public and private services in Ghana.
While first-time registration for the Ghana Card will be free at all NIA’s offices, there is a statutory fee of GHS 34.50 for the replacement of a Ghana Card or for making changes in a person’s record (e.g., correction of name).
NIA is committed to providing efficient and convenient registration services across the country. To practicalise this commitment, all NIA’s 16 Regional and 276 District Offices have, since November 2021, been staffed with competent personnel and provided with the requisite equipment to ensure the smooth registration of eligible applicants across the country.
Special Mobile Registration:
With the availability of blank cards nationwide, NIA is now in a position to resume its Household and Institutional Registration Services. These services allow households with five or more Ghanaians and organisations with 50 or more Ghanaians to request for registration services at a specified home or location at a fee. The Household Registration costs GHS150.00 per applicant while the Institutional Registration costs 100.00 per applicant along with logistics fees.
For further information and updates on the special mobile registration services, citizens are advised to visit the official website of the National Identification Authority at www.nia.gov.gh or contact NIA’s Contact Centre hotline at (0302 99 9306 – 9, 0302 73 8333, 0242 43 8615).
