Most Ghanaian paperwork goes wrong in the same two ways: a step done in the wrong order, or a trip made without the one thing the office asks for. Pick what you need to do, answer a question or two, and you get the steps that apply to you - with where to go, what to bring and what it costs, where anyone publishes a cost.

Tick steps off as you go. The ticks stay on this device, and nothing you choose here is sent anywhere.

Fix a name spelled differently on my documents

Your birth certificate, Ghana Card and bank disagree about your name. One sworn declaration fixes it for every one of them.

  1. Gather every document that shows your name

    Birth certificate, Ghana Card, passport, school certificates, bank and SSNIT records. The declaration lists them all, and one declaration covering four documents is better than four.

  2. Decide which spelling is correct

    Use it everywhere from the day you swear the declaration. The Ghana Card spelling is the sensible choice, because everything else is checked against it.

  3. Fill in the declaration, and do not sign it

    List each variation with the document it is on. State facts, not what went wrong.

    The same person declaration ➞

  4. Swear it before a Commissioner for Oaths

    Where
    A law office, or any District, Circuit or High Court registry
    Cost
    A small fee, set locally rather than published. A court registry is cheaper than a law office.

    Bring

    • The declaration, unsigned
    • Your Ghana Card or passport
    • The documents it refers to
    • Cash, in small notes

    Swearing an affidavit ➞

  5. Get certified copies

    Institutions keep the copy you give them, so take one for each.

  6. Have it authenticated

    Only if Is the document going to an embassy, or abroad: Yes, abroad

    A declaration is a Ghanaian document. An embassy or a foreign university needs it authenticated, and possibly legalised, first.

    Authenticating documents ➞

  7. Take it to whoever asked

    The bank, SSNIT, the passport office. It explains the difference; it does not change your birth certificate, which is a separate application to the Registry.

The full guide ➞

Change my name

A declaration, a notice in the Ghana Gazette, then every institution that holds the old name - in the order that stops you being half-changed.

  1. Fill in the change of name declaration

    Your former name, your new name, the date it takes effect, and that documents in the old name stay valid.

    The declaration and Gazette notice ➞

  2. Swear it before a Commissioner for Oaths

    Where
    A law office, or a court registry
    Cost
    A small fee, set locally rather than published.

    Bring

    • The declaration, unsigned
    • Your Ghana Card
    • Your birth certificate

  3. Ask whether you need a Gazette notice at all

    Only if Are you taking a spouse's name after marrying: Yes, after marriage

    The marriage certificate is already evidence of the new name, so a declaration and the certificate are often enough. Institutions differ - ask the bank and the passport office before paying for a notice.

    Getting married in Ghana ➞

  4. Publish the change in the Ghana Gazette

    Only if Are you taking a spouse's name after marrying: No

    Take the notice with a certified copy of the sworn declaration. This is the step people skip, and it is what puts the change on the public record.

  5. Get certified copies of both

    Every institution below keeps one.

  6. Update your Ghana Card first

    Everything else is checked against it.

    Where
    A National Identification Authority office
    Cost
    Updates to your details carry a fee; confirm it at the office.

    The Ghana Card ➞

  7. The passport

    Changing your name part-way through a valid visa in the old booklet creates its own problem, so check before you apply.

    Getting a passport ➞

  8. Banks and mobile money, all of them

  9. SSNIT and your pension scheme

  10. GRA, for your tax records

  11. Your employer's payroll and personnel file

  12. The DVLA - driving licence and vehicle registration

  13. NHIS

  14. Land titles and indentures

    The one that turns into litigation a generation later.

    Buying land in Ghana ➞

  15. Utilities, insurance, schools and professional bodies

The full guide ➞

Register a birth and get a birth certificate

Free within 12 months of the birth, and possible at any age after that with more evidence.

  1. Get the notification of birth before you leave

    Only if Was the baby born in a hospital or clinic: Yes; Was the birth in the last 12 months: Yes

    The facility notifies the Registry and does much of the work before discharge. Read what is written on the notification first.

  2. Bring a witness who was present at the birth

    Only if Was the baby born in a hospital or clinic: No, at home

  3. Get a GhanaPost GPS digital address

    Two minutes on a phone.

    GhanaPost GPS ➞

  4. Swear a declaration of the facts of the birth

    Only if Was the birth in the last 12 months: No, it is late

    Best made by a parent or someone who was at the birth or the naming ceremony.

    The late registration declaration ➞

  5. Gather evidence from the time

    Only if Was the birth in the last 12 months: No, it is late

    A baptismal or naming-ceremony record, a school admission record, a clinic or weighing card. Anything from the time carries more weight than anything written this week.

  6. Bring a witness who can speak to the birth

    Only if Was the birth in the last 12 months: No, it is late

    Often a parent or an elder relative.

  7. Register at the district Registry office

    Where
    The Births and Deaths Registry, district office
    Cost
    Free within 12 months. A late registration costs more; the Registry sets the fee.

    Bring

    • The notification of birth, if there was one
    • Both parents' Ghana Cards
    • The marriage certificate, if the father's details go on and the parents are married
    • The digital address

  8. Read every field back at the counter

    Names and their order, date, place, parents' details. Correcting it while the registrar is typing is free; correcting it later is a formal process.

  9. Keep a certified copy somewhere other than your house

    Birth certificates ➞

The full guide ➞

Register a death and get a death certificate

The burial permit is needed within days; the death certificate is needed for years, by the bank, SSNIT, insurers and the court.

  1. Register it where the death happened

    Only if Where did the death happen: Abroad

    The nearest Ghanaian mission helps with repatriation and the paperwork. The foreign death certificate usually needs authenticating before Ghanaian institutions act on it.

    Authenticating documents ➞

  2. Get the medical cause of death

    Only if Where did the death happen: In Ghana

    From the hospital, or as the facility or the coroner directs if the death was at home. A sudden or unexplained death is a police and coroner matter first.

  3. Get the burial permit

    Only if Where did the death happen: In Ghana

    The mortuary and the cemetery both require it.

    Where
    The district Registry office, or the assembly

  4. Arrange the mortuary

    Only if Where did the death happen: In Ghana

    Funerals here are rarely quick, and the mortuary charges for every day. Understand that cost early.

    Funerals in Ghana ➞

  5. Register the death within 12 months

    Only if Where did the death happen: In Ghana

    Where
    The Births and Deaths Registry

    Bring

    • The medical certification of the cause of death
    • The deceased's Ghana Card, and birth certificate if there is one
    • Your own Ghana Card, and your relationship to them
    • Their full name, date and place of birth, occupation and last address

  6. Ask for several certified copies at once

    Every institution below wants its own and most will not give it back. Families go back to the Registry three times otherwise.

  7. The bank

    The account is frozen on notice of death. Releasing it needs the certificate and letters of administration or probate.

  8. SSNIT, for survivors' benefits

    SSNIT and pensions ➞

  9. Insurers, for any life policy

  10. The court, for letters of administration or probate

    Where there is no will, the Intestate Succession Act decides who inherits. This is where paying a lawyer is the cheap option.

    Lawyers and professional services ➞

  11. Land and property, to transfer title

The full guide ➞

Get or renew a Ghanaian passport

Apply online, then attend once for your fingerprints and photograph. The queue outside the office is people who did not apply online.

  1. Make sure every document spells the name the same way

    A mismatch between the Ghana Card and the birth certificate is the commonest reason an application stalls. Fix it before you apply.

    Fix a name mismatch ➞

  2. Have a valid Ghana Card

    The application draws on it.

    Getting a Ghana Card ➞

  3. Have a birth certificate

    Only if Is this a first passport or a renewal: First passport

    Or a certificate of naturalisation or registration.

    Register a birth late ➞

  4. Line up two guarantors

    Only if Is this a first passport or a renewal: First passport

    In the categories the form lists - typically professionals or public officers who know you personally.

  5. Gather the child's papers

    Only if Who is it for: A child

    Where a parent is absent or has died, expect to prove it with a death certificate, a court order or a declaration. Sort it out before, not at the counter.

    Bring

    • The child's birth certificate
    • Both parents' Ghana Cards, and passports if they hold them
    • Parental consent, in the form the office requires

  6. Apply and pay online

    Use a phone number and email you will still have in three months. Pay only through the portal or the designated bank.

    Where
    The Passport Office portal, or a designated bank to pay
    Cost
    ₵350 standard, ₵700 expedited, for a 32-page booklet. Confirm on the Passport Office site before paying - this fee changes.

  7. Book the biometric appointment

    Application centres are in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale, Ho and Sunyani; missions abroad take applications from outside Ghana.

  8. Attend in person

    Fingerprints and photograph are taken there - do not bring photos. Anyone who says they can do this without you is lying or committing an offence in your name.

    Bring

    • Your Ghana Card
    • The old booklet, if you are renewing

  9. Track it, then collect it in person

    Bring

    • The receipt
    • Your Ghana Card
The full guide ➞

Get a Ghana Card

The card everything else hangs on: bank accounts, SIM cards, your tax number and your passport. Free the first time.

  1. Bring one proof of citizenship

    Only if Do you have a Ghanaian passport, birth certificate or naturalisation certificate: Yes

    A Ghanaian passport, a birth certificate, or a certificate of naturalisation or registration.

  2. Arrange two guarantors to come with you

    Only if Do you have a Ghanaian passport, birth certificate or naturalisation certificate: None of them

    Two Ghanaian citizens with valid Ghana Cards, in person. There are limits on how many people one person may vouch for - arrange this before you travel, not in the queue.

  3. Get a GhanaPost GPS digital address

    GhanaPost GPS ➞

  4. Have a working Ghanaian phone number

  5. Check which office is registering

    The right place depends on the current exercise. Turning up at the wrong centre is the commonest wasted trip - check or call first.

    Where
    An NIA district office or premium registration centre

  6. Go early

    The queue forms before the office opens. Bring water and a charged phone. Verification, then fingerprints, photograph and an iris scan.

    Cost
    First issuance is free for a citizen.

  7. Photograph the confirmation slip, and keep the paper

    It is your only proof you registered, and many institutions accept it until the card arrives.

  8. Collect the card

    Instantly at some centres, later at others. Then photograph both sides and keep the image off your phone.

The full guide ➞

Replace documents that were lost or stolen

The first hour, then the order to replace things in - each document needs the one above it.

  1. Report it to the police and get a report

    Almost every replacement asks for one. After a fire or a flood, the fire service or police report stands in for it.

  2. Call your bank and your mobile money provider

    Only if Was a phone, bank card or wallet taken too: Yes

    A stolen phone with a live MoMo wallet is an open account, not a lost handset.

    Mobile money ➞

  3. Block the SIM with your network

    Only if Was a phone, bank card or wallet taken too: Yes

    So it cannot receive one-time passwords.

  4. Swear a declaration of loss

    List every document lost in one declaration, then take a certified copy for each office.

    The declaration of loss ➞

  5. Birth certificate

    It holds the record permanently and issues certified copies.

    Where
    The Births and Deaths Registry, where the birth was registered

  6. Ghana Card

    Your record already exists, so this is a replacement, not a new registration.

    Where
    The National Identification Authority
    Cost
    Replacement carries a fee; confirm it at the office.

  7. Passport

    A fresh application, with the police report and the declaration of loss.

    Get a passport ➞

  8. Driving licence

    Once you have photo identification again.

    Where
    The DVLA

    Driving licences ➞

  9. Bank cards and cheque books

  10. SSNIT and NHIS records, then employer and professional records

  11. The ones people forget

    Vehicle documents, land documents at the Lands Commission, academic certificates, and the landlord's copy of your tenancy agreement.

The full guide ➞

Buy a used car and transfer it into my name

Where money is lost: a car can come with debts, a bad customs history, or a seller who is not the owner.

  1. Check the DVLA record against the car and the seller

    The chassis number on the car must match the document, and the seller must be the owner on it.

  2. Ask for the customs entry

    Only if Was the car imported into Ghana: Yes, or not sure

    A car cleared improperly can be seized from you, years later.

    Importing a car ➞

  3. Confirm there is no outstanding finance on it

  4. Have a mechanic you chose inspect it

    Not one the seller recommends.

  5. Insure it, and check the policy exists

    Third-party cover is compulsory. Check the policy is in the insurer's system, not just on the windscreen.

  6. Complete the DVLA change of ownership

    A signed note from the seller is not a transfer. Until it is registered, every fine and accident attaches to the seller's name - and unwinding that is your problem.

    Where
    The DVLA

  7. Keep the roadworthy certificate current

    Every 12 months for a private car, 6 for a commercial one.

    Registering a vehicle ➞

The full guide ➞

Where these steps come from

Each plan is the short form of a guide on this site, and links to it - read the guide when a step needs more than a line. Fees are quoted only where an office publishes one; where a fee is set locally or changes without notice, the plan says so rather than guessing, and the office has the last word.

Two things hold for almost every plan:

  • Get your name consistent first. A mismatch between your Ghana Card and your other documents stops more applications than anything else.
  • Never sign a declaration before you are in front of the Commissioner for Oaths. It is the commonest wasted trip.

Letter and document templates How to swear an affidavit