Ghana drops GHS 25,000 fee and DNA test for diaspora citizenship route

Where Ghana's diaspora citizenship route stands

Ghana paused its citizenship pathway for the historic African diaspora on Feb. 1, when the Ministry of the Interior and the Diaspora Affairs Office issued a joint notice halting the process to "streamline and improve" it. The programme quietly resumed days later with looser terms, though no consolidated rule change has been posted to an official .gov.gh page.

Before the pause, the 2026 window required in-person applications Feb. 2-6 at the World Trade Center in Accra, a GHS 1,500 filing fee, a further GHS 25,000 fee if shortlisted and a blanket DNA test to prove Ghanaian descent. Pushback over cost and DNA timelines drove the recalibration. Community reports say the GHS 25,000 fee and DNA requirement have since been dropped in favour of documentation and demonstrated ties to Ghana, but that shift sits in secondary reporting rather than a standalone directive.

Citizenship ceremonies have continued through the turbulence. More than 500 diaspora citizens were sworn in during late 2025 and another 100-150 were conferred citizenship in March.

Who the route is built for

The pathway is reserved for descendants of Africans displaced by the trans-Atlantic slave trade and related forced migration. Beneficiaries to date have largely been Black Americans and diaspora Africans from the Caribbean, the Americas and Europe who have lived in Ghana and shown commitment to the country.

Non-African expats and remote workers fall outside this route and need to pursue standard residence permits, work permits or general naturalisation instead. African-descent nomads already based in Ghana may qualify if they meet the historic-diaspora definition and the residency and documentation thresholds.

Tourists and short-term visitors aren't touched by the suspension.

What applicants should do now

Treat 2026 as a transition year. Vetting of existing applicants is running in batches at the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre in Cantonments, Accra, starting Feb. 11. Registration remains open through Ghana's official e-services portal, even with ceremonial windows time-limited.

Rely only on written instructions issued by the Ministry of the Interior or the Diaspora Affairs Office at the moment of applying. Fee schedules, DNA rules and application windows are all subject to revision until a consolidated directive lands.

Read our full Ghana guide for the complete picture.