Passport Application Fees Go Up By 544%

Ghanaian citizens are facing a significant financial hurdle as passport application fees soar by an alarming 544% beginning Monday, April 1, 2024.

This unprecedented increase has sparked widespread concern and debate throughout the country. The sudden surge in passport application fees has left many individuals questioning the rationale behind such a dramatic adjustment. 

For many Ghanaians, obtaining a passport has now become an expensive endeavor, posing challenges for those from lower-income backgrounds who rely on this essential travel document for various purposes.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration put a proposal before Parliament to review the current charges for passport application from GH¢100 to GH¢644 last year.

The new charges as posted on the passport application website indicate that the expedited application of 48 pages will now cost GH¢800 whereas expedited application of 32 of pages will cost GH¢ 700.

For those who want to apply for the standard application, the 32 pages passport is now GH¢ 500 whereas the 48 pages will cost them GH¢ 644.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, who tabled this increment proposal to Parliament last year said “It is time for Ghanaians to pay realistic prices for passports they acquire to travel beginning next year.

She said it was due to financial constraints prevailing in the economy, it had come to a point where it was no longer “sustainable” for the state to continue to subsidize passports.