Ghana requires Non-Citizen Identity Card for foreigners staying 90 days

The 90-day trigger for a Non-Citizen Ghana Card

Ghana issues foreign nationals a Non-Citizen Ghana Card through the National Identification Authority's Foreigner Identification Management System (FIMS). The card is a biometric, ICAO compliant, dual-interfaced smart card that gives resident foreigners a single e-government platform to access services.

According to NIA, the card can be applied for by any foreign national who is cumulatively resident in Ghana for at least 90 days. The count is cumulative, so days don't have to be consecutive to reach the threshold. Short-stay tourists who stay under 90 days fall outside it. Expats, long-stay travelers and remote workers who cross it fall inside.

NIA lists four exempt groups. Diplomats are exempt, as are foreign nationals employed by a diplomatic or consular mission and foreign nationals employed by the United Nations or one of its agencies. The spouses and dependants of anyone in those categories are exempt as well.

What registration costs and requires

Registration happens in person at a FIMS Registration Centre, where staff verify the applicant's documents before capturing any data.

The documents NIA requires are a valid passport, a residence permit, a birth certificate certified or validated by the applicant's country's embassy, and an Oath of Identity form obtained through the vouching process. The vouching must take place before a Commissioner for Oaths.

The process runs in five steps. First, buy a scratch card at any CalBank or Access Bank branch, or online through the CalBank app or the CalBank USSD platform. Second, sit for an interview with a Registration Officer and complete an application form with your biographic details. Third, move to a Data Entry Officer, who captures your biometrics (10 fingerprints, portrait and iris) and signature; you hand over the scratch card and application form, the officer verifies the PIN on the card and enters your data. Fourth, confirm the details on screen and flag any error for correction on the spot. Fifth, collect the card from a Card Issuance Desk.

NIA quotes the fees on its FIMS page as the cedi equivalent of US dollar amounts:

• First issuance, cedi equivalent of USD 120.00 per person

• Annual renewal, cedi equivalent of USD 78.00 per person

• Card replacement, cedi equivalent of USD 75.00 per person

• Update of records only, free

Because the figures are pegged to the dollar, the cedi amount payable moves with the exchange rate. Confirm the current cedi charge with NIA before paying.

Who needs to move now

Anyone already past the cumulative 90-day mark meets the threshold to register. Nomads planning a stay that will cross it, whether in a single trip or added up across the year, can plan for an in-person appointment, biometric capture and roughly the cedi equivalent of USD 120 at first issuance rather than leaving it to the arrival budget. Renewal is annual at the cedi equivalent of USD 78, so long-stay residents carry a recurring charge alongside their residence permit costs. More on residency logistics in the Ghana country guide.