Today, let’s go over how to renew your international passport in Ghana. Having an International Passport is very important nowadays especially because it can be a great tool for identification. It is also your means of traveling out of Ghana as you cannot be issued a visa without an international passport. Getting a passport is one thing, renewing the passport is another.
A little about the Ghanaian passport
Before we go ahead with discussing information about how to renew your international passport in Ghana, it is imperative we talk about the Ghanaian international passport. Simply put, an international passport is a document issued to an individual by the government of his/her country to show citizenship. This document allows the individual to be recognized by other governments allowing him/her to travel when the need arises.
It is important that you possess this document as it will show you are documented by your country for administrative purposes. Asides being necessary for traveling purposes, an international passport is perfect for general identification purposes.
Reasons for renewing your international passport
Firstly, when your passport expires, it loses validity and becomes useless. This means that you can no longer present it to an embassy or as a means of identification. Every international passport has a timeline attached and this means it can get expired. This is the major reason why you have to renew your passport just before it expires or when it is expired. Another reason why you might need to renew your passport is if your old passport is missing or stolen.
The international passport renewal process in Ghana
In every country, there is a stipulated process for the renewal of an expired international passport. In Ghana it is no different, there is a laid down process you must follow to renew your passport, unlike getting a new passport. To begin your international passport renewal process, you will need to fill a form which you will get from the Ghana Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. When you fill this form, you can say your renewal process has started.
In the case that your passport is lost or stolen, take the following steps:
- A valid police report stating in clear terms the location the passport got missing.
- A declaration at the Ghana Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. This declaration should also tell when you noticed the passport got missing and where it got missing.
To renew an expired passport, the applicant must provide the following:
- A completed international passport renewal form.
- The form must be duly stamped by the application office.
Four passport photographs. Make sure they look alike. - The expired passport.
You should note at this point that renewing an international passport in Ghana can be a very cumbersome and lengthy process. The reason for this being that a lot of checks need to be made and with the digital era you know there can be a million-and-one of those. That is beside the number of people who are processing the same class of document.
Below is a comprehensive list of requirements by the Ghana Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration:
- The original copy of the expired passport.
- The completed passport renewal application form.
- A copy of a Ghana passport application witness form duly stamped as well.
- Four copies of passport sized photographs taken with a white background.
- Finally, a receipt to show complete payment of the passport renewal fees.
Processing duration and fees
The processing duration for the renewal of a Ghana international passport is between 20 to 30 working days. By this time all of the checks will be complete and your application processed.
It is also mandatory to make complete payment for the renewal application so that your application can be duly processed. The amount needed for the passport is around GHS160.00 and bank charges GHS40.00. The total cost is about GHS200.00.
These are the details you must fill in the passport renewal form:
- Full names
- Occupation or profession
- Date of birth
- Place of birth
- Height and weight
- Country of residence
- Eye color
- Hair color
- Sex
- Permanent residential address
- Complete contact details
This is about all you need for your international passport renewal in Ghana. Now you can easily go through your passport renewal without stress. Good luck with your application.
