In an effort to streamline the procedure and save unnecessary expenditures, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has released new rules for getting Ghanaian passports.
Recently, the government took serious action by doing unforeseen inspections at the passport office in Accra.
The sector minister made an announcement on the termination of contracts with contract employees during this visit, emphasizing that this action was taken to improve and streamline the passport application process.
The minister stressed that the maximum price anybody should pay for a premium service Ghanaian passport must be GH300. He expressed worry over the astronomical amounts residents were being forced to pay. The new passport application costs were broken out by the government in a formal press release that was released on August 17, 2023.
READ FULL STATEMENT OF THE MINISTRY BELOW:
REPUBLIC OF GHANA
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND REGIONAL INTEGRATION
PRESS RELEASE
HOTLINES FOR REPORTING UNSATISFACTORY SERVICE
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has observed with grave concern complaints by some passport applicants about extortion and mistreatment meted out to them at some Passport Application Centres (PACs). In an effort to deal with the situation, the Ministry is urging applicants who suffer any mistreatment or extortion to report such incidents to the following email address and mobile numbers with the names of the officers and the PACs for redress:
Email: ipab@mfa.gov.gh
Mobile numbers
024-091-3284
024-079-3072
020-455-2056
020-455-2750
026-804-9031
026-979-4871
The Ministry further wishes to remind the general public that passport applications are made on the passport application portal — passport.mfa.gov.gh and payment for the approved processing fees for the passport is made on the ghana.gov.gh platform based on the following:
i. 32-page booklet – GH¢100.00
ii. 48-page booklet – GH¢150.00
The payment is made ELECTRONICALLY and NOT BY CASH.
As part of measures to be implemented, all officers will be made to wear name tags. The public is thereby advised not to engage any person who is unable to identify themselves with the issued name tags, as they most likely are imddlemen, usually referred to as “goro boys”. The Ministry further urges passport applicants to always use the official channel to acquire their passports and desist from engaging unauthorised persons in the passport application process.
Furthermore, officers who have already served more than a year at the PACs will be replaced with immediate effect and the Ministry’s policy of the yearly rotation at the PACs will be enforced to the letter.
The public is advised to note that applications submitted to the regular PACs does not come an an extra cost. However, applicants have the option of submitting their applications to the Premium PACs, which attract an additional GH¢150.000 payable in cash at the Premium Centers for the use of their service.
The Ministry counts on the cooperation of the public in addressing this menace.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Joseph Asare
