The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has submitted a proposal to Parliament seeking an adjustment in the current passport application fees, from GH¢100 to GH¢400. This proposition, presently under scrutiny by the Committee on Subsidiary Legislation, is motivated by the ministry’s aim to mitigate losses incurred in the production of passport booklets.
Addressing Parliament on Thursday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, emphasized the necessity for Ghanaians to bear more realistic costs for their passports, effective from the coming year. She underscored that prevailing financial constraints in the economy have reached a point where sustaining state subsidies for passports is no longer viable.
“Ghanaians pay just about GH¢100 for a passport yet to produce one passport booklet it costs GH¢400 which means that for every passport that an applicant acquires, the government has to put in GH¢300 and this is not sustainable,” she said.
The minister stated this ahead of the approval of the GH¢1.127 million budget estimates for her ministry.
She stressed that the deficit in the printing of passport booklets was preventing the necessary investments in the Passport Office.
“Passports are no longer sources of identification as we all have our national ID. Therefore, anybody who needs a passport and actually applies and acquires a passport does so because they have intention to travel.
“So, if you are going to travel or you intend to travel and you cannot pay GH¢400 then it is unfortunate because even tickets are now expensive,” she said.
The minister also appealed to Ghanaians who were not in a hurry to travel to, “please do not go for passports”.
Per the report by the Committee on Foreign Affairs on the 2024 budget estimates of the ministry, a comparison of Ghana’s passport fees with that of other West African countries shows the rate of $7.7 is the lowest within the sub-region.
