Acquisition of passports in Ghana will now be processed if only applicants are able to prove the payment of their forms via electronic means.
This means that, the old way of purchasing the forms from the local banks is no longer acceptable.
The new directive takes effect from Thursday, February 28, 2019.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, it said the new development is to ensure that individuals pay the right passport application fees.
[contextly_sidebar id=”Bm6ZYvxbTgXWy8nffDvt7nBo0YHD24GT”]“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration wishes to hereby inform the general public that with effect from Thursday 28th February, 2019, the Passport Office and the Regional Application Centres (PACs), will cease to accept the old manual passport application forms, which were obtainable at the selected banks upon payment.”
Subsequently, passport forms will now be downloaded only from the Ministry’s website, while the fee is paid via electronic payment platforms including mobile money.
“In view of the above, all prospective applicants and the general public are advised to take note and be informed that the PACs will only process applications with evidence of electronic payment of the appropriate processing fee, the statement added.
Ghanaians to pay Ghc50 more to acquire passports ‘in shorter time’
Last year, the Ministry commissioned a new Premium Passport Application Center to fasten the passport acquisition process.
The new center which is located at the Accra Digital Center will enable applicants go through the registration process within 30 minutes at an additional charge of Ghc 50.
The move is a collaboration between government and international company, VFS Global, to address the cumbersome processes which have characterized passport applications in Ghana.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said similar facilities will be established in other parts of the country to make passport acquisition more convenient.
“The Ministry is still committed that additional passport offices are established in each region to ensure that each Ghanaian has easy access to apply for their passport in every regional capital in Ghana without necessarily travelling outside their respective regions. It is against this backdrop that the ministry through the approval of cabinet has engaged the services of VFS Ghana Limited a specialized business process outsourcing agency to provide front offices for receiving online passport application. This is aimed at providing the Ghanaian public the option of improving with respect to online passport application in a seamless convenient manner.”
Below is the full statement
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration wishes to hereby inform the general public that with effect from Thursday 28th February, 2019, the Passport Office and the Regional Application Centres (PACs) will cease to accept the old manual passport application forms, which were obtainable at the selected banks upon payment.”
The Ministry’s initiative to migrate from the old manual passport application form to the new manual downloadable passport form since November 2018 necessitates that payment of the appropriate passport application processing fee is done electronically. The e-payment is either made via MTN Mobile Money, Vodafone Cash, MasterCard or Visa Card. The downloadable passport application form can be accessed on the Ministry’s website (www.mfa.gov.gh) under the passport link. A link for the payment is also available on the same page.
In view of the above, all prospective applicants and the general public are advised to take note and informed that the PACs will only process applications with evidence of electronic payment of the appropriate processing fee.
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By: Nii Larte Lartey | citinewsroom.com |Ghana | [email protected]
