Foreign Affairs Ministry to safeguard integrity of Ghanaian travel documents

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has assured that it will continue to adopt relevant measures to protect the integrity of Ghanaian travel documents.

The Ministry in reaction to videos circulating on social media about several foreign nationals residing in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf States holding Ghanaian passports said the appropriate measures would be taken to deal with the situation if found to be true.

The statement noted that with the current biometric passports issued by the Passport Office, applicants go through rigorous vetting processes, making it difficult for unqualified individuals, particularly foreigners, to obtain Ghanaian passports.

“The Ministry wishes to further point out that it is an offence under Ghanaian Laws for foreign nationals to acquire Ghanaian passports. Indeed, there have been several instances where the Ministry, in collaboration with the Ghana Immigration Service and other law enforcement agencies, have apprehended some individuals for attempting to acquire Ghanaian passports. These cases have been successfully prosecuted and appropriate sanctions have been applied to the culprits,’’ it stated.

The statement, however, cautioned against unfounded claims on social media concerning foreigners acquiring Ghanaian passports.

It said people with credible evidence of foreign nationals holding Ghanaian passports should report the Ministry for further action by the law enforcement agencies.