Passport issuance will not exceed 15 days – Foreign Affairs Minister declares

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced new passport rules.

The new chip-embedded passports will be issued within 15 days. Passport officials will face sanctions for delays beyond this timeframe.

He also introduced a 24-hour passport processing service. Applicants can now receive their passports via courier delivery. Additionally, there is a 30% reduction in application fees.

The new passports feature 175 security elements, compared to only 32 in the old ones. They meet international standards and reflect Ghana’s cultural identity.

The design includes iconic Adinkra symbols like Fawohodie and Funtunfunefu Denkyemfunefu.

At the launch event in Accra, Ablakwa emphasized collaboration among sector players. This effort enhances security features to comply with ICAO standards.

He highlighted the use of nanotechnology for added protection on the bio page. The new passports now have over 150 overt and covert security features.

A Micro Frequency Identification Chip encodes and stores bearer data securely. This upgrade ensures first-class document security approved by ICAO.