Ghana rolls out biometric digital visas as part of travel modernization push

Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama has unveiled the country’s new biometric digital visa system alongside a policy allowing passport holders from African countries to obtain visas free of charge. Non-African visa applicants will pay $260.

The launch forms part of a broader digital transformation of Ghana’s immigration system. Alongside the rollout of chip-based passports and biometric airport gates, the government is using digital identity technologies to streamline travel, improve security and support regional integration across Africa.

The digital visa platform was developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement, Foreign Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa said, although the private-sector partner has not been publicly identified.

The new visa regime was introduced during an event on Monday which coincided with celebrations of Africa Day held every May 25. The new policy also scraps the visa-on-arrival system which had existed for many years.

The Electronic Visa System will allow travellers from all around the world to apply for visas online, upload supporting documents electronically, make secure digital payments and receive travel authorization on their phones or by email, with processing expected within 48 hours.

Cabinet approved the digital visa rollout recently, and the immigration service had also trained nearly three dozen officers on how to effectively manage the system ahead of its launch, as reported by local media.

During the rollout ceremony, Mahama said the new system is a milestone for the country and will substantially boost its business and tourism potential, as well as advance the country’s push towards socio-economic integration.

“We are gathered here not merely to launch a digital platform, but to affirm Ghana’s readiness to embrace a new era of mobility, connectivity, innovation and economic opportunity,” the president declared during the ceremony.

He went on that “this initiative reflects our determination to position Ghana as a forward-looking nation that leverages technology to improve governance, facilitate legitimate travel, deepen continental integration and strengthen national security.”

The president mentioned that the new visa system is part of wider immigration reforms which the government has undertaken, with the aim of improving efficiency in Ghana’s passport and visa issuance systems.

Ghana launched its chip-enabled passport in late 2024, with issuance beginning in April 2025. The government has also introduced biometric gates at the country’s main airports. Together with the new digital visa platform, these initiatives point to an emerging digital travel ecosystem in which passports, visas and border controls are increasingly integrated through digital identity and biometric verification technologies.

Mahama recognized that for far too long, travellers seeking entry into Ghana have had to navigate cumbersome and largely manual procedures that have imposed delays, uncertainty and administrative burdens that would otherwise have been avoided.

He also regretted that for many years, “investors, tourists, business executives, students, researchers, and members of the African diaspora have all encountered frustrations that are inconsistent with the Ghana that we seek to build,” adding that “in today’s rapidly evolving digital world, the old systems we inherited can no longer define how Ghana engages the rest of the world.”

President Mahama told the event attendees that launching the digital visa system on Africa Day was not a coincidence.

“On this day, we are not merely unveiling a digital visa platform. We are reaffirming Ghana’s historic commitment to pan-Africanism, African unity, and continental integration. On 7 January 2025, during my swearing-in as president, I pledged to reset our nation,” he said.

“That commitment was not limited only to economic recovery or technological transformation. It was also about restoring Ghana’s place as a leader in Africa’s collective advancement.”

The government says the new system applies only to tourist and business visas, while existing arrangements for other categories of visas will stay in place.

Digital work, residence permits soon

In his launching speech, President Mahama also hinted at plans by the government to move away from paper-based work and residence permits.

He said it was time to modernize the issuance of these documents in a manner that will significantly reduce processing time and eliminate physical bureaucracy.

“You will agree with me that the time has come to move away from the traditional paper-based methods towards an e-permitting platform,” he stated.

He urged the Minister of Interior, via the Ghana Immigration Service, the Ghana Investment Promotion Center, the Ministry of Transport, and Service Providers, “to expand this platform to cover the full automation process for the issuance of work permits and residence permits.”

To him, the move will “boost foreign direct investment, strengthen regulatory compliance, and improve the ease of doing business,” In Ghana.

The planned digitization of work and residence permits suggests Ghana’s reforms are extending beyond border management toward a broader digital immigration ecosystem, with identity, permitting and travel services increasingly delivered through digital identity and immigration platforms.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital travel  |  Ghana  |  public-private partnerships  |  travel documents  |  visas