Ghana card as e-passport begins March 1

The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has announced that holders of a valid Ghanacard should be allowed to board flights to Ghana, without the need for a visa.

According to the company, a Machine Readable Travel Document (MRTD) that can be read and verified by the ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD) is available at most airports.

“Following a “Key Ceremony at the Headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada on 9th February, 2022. Ghana National Identity card (Ghana Card) is now duly recognized globally as a valid ID card-passport a Machine Readable Travel Document (MRTD) that can be read and verified by the ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD) at most airports” part of a statement from GACL reads.

The statement added, “Ghana Airports Company Limited announces to all airports and airlines that holders of a valid Ghana Card should be allowed to board flights to Ghana without the need for a visa. This takes effect from March 1, 2022”.

This comes after spokesperson to the Vice President, Dr. Gideon Boako refuted claims by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) that the National Identification Card, popularly known as Ghana Card, cannot be used as an e-passport.

In a social media post, Dr. Gideon Boako indicated that Ghana has officially undergone the process of making the Ghana card certified as an e-passport and that the ICAO’s explanations should be ignored.

“Ghana has crossed this stage with respect to the Ghana card, making it officially certified as having the right qualities to be admissible by receiving countries as e-passports subject to country-to-country bilateral agreements”, he wrote.

He further added, “Through the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), official communication has gone to all border ports that Ghana as a receiving country is accepting holders of the Ghanacard into Ghana. The statement by ICAO that Ghana has crossed the major millstone in efforts to provide for more international acceptance of its biometric electronic travel documents is therefore not inconsistent with official communication from government.

“In practical terms, the holder of a Ghanacard will be allowed to board a flight to Ghana (receiving country) from any airport, just as with the normal biometric passport, without the need for a visa. Also, Diasporan Ghanaians who hold the Ghanacard will not require a visa to travel to Ghana. Within ECOWAS the Ghanacard can be used to travel to any country. Traveling outside ECOWAS however, will require that you use your normal biometric passport which will contain your visas.”