Passport fees to be reduced soon - Ablakwa
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series today, the Foreign Minister announced his outfit has forwarded a proposal to Parliament to reduce the price of passport application from GHS500 to GHC350
Elohim Nyame 
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has disclosed that the government has forwarded a proposal to Parliament to reduce the price of passport application from GHS500 to GHC350 for the 32-page booklet.
This decision is part of a broader reform agenda seeking to make passport services more accessible and efficient to many Ghanaians.
The reduction is included in the new Fees and Charges Bill, which will take effect once Parliament resumes and passes the legislation.
In addition to the fee reduction, Mr. Ablakwa disclosed this during the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday, September 15, that the Ministry is introducing a same-day passport delivery service for emergency cases and members of the business community who may require super express processing. This new service will come at a premium cost.
He also underscored several reforms rolled out to avert backlogs and enhance service delivery.
“The era of passport backlogs—I inherited over 70,000—waiting months for passports, and being exploited by ‘goro boys’ is all behind us and gone for good,” he said.
Among the reforms are a modernised digital application platform, a 24-hour customer call centre, and a streamlined process integrated with the National Identification Authority (NIA) for real-time cross-verification, reducing fraud and speeding up processing.
Diving into consular services, Mr. Ablakwa indicated that Ghanaian missions abroad have deployed a 5-day visa processing policy, with e-visas anticipated to be implemented in 2026.
