NIA begins nationwide crackdown on illegal Ghana Card photocopying

The National Identification Authority (NIA) will begin a nationwide enforcement exercise on Tuesday, November 3, to ensure institutions comply with new rules requiring biometric verification of Ghana Cards.

The exercise will target institutions that unlawfully photocopy Ghana Cards or rely on visual inspection of the cards instead of approved biometric systems to establish customers’ identities.

The move follows the expiration on Monday, November 2, of the grace period granted to affected institutions to comply with the National Identity Register (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, L.I. 2523.

Speaking to the media on Monday, the NIA’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Williams Ampomah Darlas, said the Authority was moving from public education and stakeholder engagement to active implementation and compliance monitoring.

“Today is 2nd November 2026, which marks the deadline for the grace period given by the minister. And having undertaken these public education and stakeholder engagement activities during the grace period, the authority is now moving into the implementation and compliance monitoring phase,” he said.

Mr Darlas said the Authority would deploy its Biometric Verification Taskforce to visit institutions and assess whether they had adopted the required systems.

“Tomorrow, the 3rd of November 2026, you will see our task force on the streets. We will visit institutions and make sure they are complying with L.I. 2523,” he added.

Under the regulations, institutions providing services for which identity checks are required by law are expected to connect to the NIA’s biometric verification platform to authenticate the identities of customers presenting their Ghana Cards.

The NIA says the requirement is intended to replace reliance on photocopies and visual inspection with approved biometric authentication methods, strengthening the integrity of identity verification in the country.

Institutions found violating the regulations risk prosecution and fines of up to GH¢24,000. The Authority has urged all affected service providers to comply as nationwide enforcement begins.