LEGALIZATION / AUTHENTICATION / ATTESTATION

1. Authentication of documents emanating from Ghana e.g. for marriage, educational, birth, divorce certificates, drivers license etc. must be endorsed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in Ghana, before they are brought to the Ghana High Commission in Namibia for authentication. Original documents must be presented before copies can be endorsed.
2. In the case of documents being sent to Ghana from Namibia, applicants are required to have their documents endorsed by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation in Namibia before they are brought to the Ghana High Commission for legalization.
3. Processing fee to be paid
4. Mode of payment – Cash

EMERGENCY TRAVEL CERTIFICATE

REQUIREMENTS

1. A Police Report indicating loss of passport
2. A valid travel ticket
3. Processing fee to be paid
4. Mode of payment – Cash

RENUNCIATION OF GHANAIAN CITIZENSHIP

Requirements for application

• An application letter, applying for renunciation of Ghanaian Citizenship addressed to the Minister for the interior, Ghana.
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Four (4) recent passport size pictures
• Photocopy of Ghanaian Passport (Bio Data Pages) and the Original passport
• Assurance letter from the country where applicant is acquiring new citizenship or photocopy of passport of other nationality (eg: Namibia passport)
• Application form must be purchased. This is obtainable at the Ghana High Commission in Windhoek and Consulate in Gaborone respectively).
• Processing fee to be paid
• Mode of payment – Cash.

DUAL CITIZENSHIP

Qualification for Applying for Dual Citizenship

The Citizenship Act (Act 591 of 2000) provides, among others, that, “A citizen of Ghana who acquires the citizenship of another country in addition to his Ghanaian citizenship shall notify in writing the acquisition of the additional citizenship to the Minister in such form and in such manner as may be prescribed.”

Citizen of Ghana who holds citizenship of another country in addition to citizenship of Ghana. 

Requirements

• Evidence of Ghanaian nationality
• Current Ghanaian Passport and photocopy
• Evidence of citizenship of other country
• Current passport and photocopy OR
• Certificate of Naturalisation (where applicable) and photocopy
• Four (4) Photographs [Applicant’s name to be clearly written behind photographs]
• Application form must be purchased. This is obtainable at the Ghana High Commission in Windhoek and Consulate in Gaborone respectively).
• Processing fee to be paid
• Mode of payment – Cash

Submission of Applications

Applications are to be submitted in person along with supporting documents and photocopies for examination and endorsement. Do not detach the original receipt from the application. You are to submit the application together with the original receipt. You may make a copy of the receipt and application forms for your records.

Citizen of other country who also qualifies for Ghanaian citizenship.  (Ghanaian citizenship can be through Birth, Descent, Registration, Naturalisation or Adoption). If applicant qualifies for Ghanaian citizenship by descent, Provide following: Evidence of Descent

• Current passport of applicant’s Ghanaian parent and photocopy
• Evidence of citizenship of other country
• Birth Certificate (Including full one)
• Current passport and photocopy

Four(4) photographs [Applicant’s name to be clearly written behind photographs] Applicants are also to provide the following:

• Names, postal addresses and telephone numbers of two (2) close relatives living in Ghana who may be contacted for further information.
• Residential/Contact telephone number(s) of the applicant in Namibia/Botswana.

Other Information

• Dual citizenship applications are processed by the Ministry of Interior, Ghana and currently take between six (6) and twelve (12) months to be processed;
• Upon successful processing of the Dual Citizenship application, the applicant will receive a Dual Citizenship certificate and a Dual Citizenship ID Card.
• Holders of dual citizenship cannot hold certain specified offices in Ghana, including the following:
  • Chief Justice and Justices of the Supreme Court
  • Ambassador/High Commissioner
  • Secretary to the Cabinet
  • Chief of Defence Staff
  • Inspector-General of Police
  • Commissioner of Customs, Excise and Preventive Service
  • Commissioner, Value Added Tax Service
  • Director of Immigration Service
  • Director-General, Prisons Service
  • Chief Fire Officer
  • Chief Director of a Ministry
  • Rank of Colonel in the Army or equivalent in other security services
  • Any other public office that the Minister may prescribe by Legislative Instrument

Dual Citizenship Application forms can be obtained from the High Commission and the Ministry of the Interior, Ghana.

On acquiring the dual citizenship status, applicants would be entitled to apply for a Ghanaian passport besides the passport of the other country whose citizenship they have already acquired. All enquiries to be sent to dualcitizenship@gmail.com

BENEFITS

Dual citizenship policy is argued to create the following benefits.

• It provides the individual the right to obtain passports from either country of citizenship.
• It creates a simpler procedure for individuals revisiting former homelands for extended periods of time.
• It creates the opportunity to pursue employment opportunities in either country of nationality.
• It improves the right to social benefits, to own land or property and to inherit assets from either country.
• It creates the entitlement to convey nationality rights to offspring.
• It caters for those who feel equal alliance to both countries of origin

DISADVANTAGES

• Dual citizenship exposes citizens with dual nationality to the expectation that they should contribute, for example through national service, or taxation to their former countries.
• Dual nationality possibly complicates some domestic legal issues such as custody disputes.
• Dual nationality requires the impossible or unreasonable that people should owe allegiance to more than one country.
• Dual nationality is counter to the notion of national identity, loyalty and cohesion.

DIASPORA COMMUNITY SURVEY

In line with Government policy towards engaging the diaspora for national development, a Diaspora Affairs Bureau (DAB) has been created as one of the major Bureaux of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. The DAB is responsible for the national diaspora engagement and migration matters within the Ministry and shall function together with all Ghana Missions abroad to:

• Work to establish a comprehensive database of Ghanaians abroad which would be updated regularly
• Encourage the active involvement of the Ghanaian Diaspora in socio-economic activities of the country
• Identify Ghanaian professionals in the Diaspora in order to tap their expertise for national development
• Conduct research to inform policy on effective participation of the Ghanaian Diaspora in national development
• Disseminate accurate and timely information on government programmes and policies to the Ghanaian Communities abroad through the Bureau’s website and other social media platforms
• Mobilise Ghanaian Communities abroad to build and sustain a good country image
• Implement through the Diaspora Affairs Section of Ghana’s Missions Abroad, a robust engagement with the Diaspora Community, in accordance, with annual strategic work plans
• Initiate policies needed to harness the potentials of the Ghanaian Diaspora networks and organisations
• Handle all international migration and development subjects and representations within the remit of the Ministry such as the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), the Global Migration Group (GMG) and the United Nations High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development.

It is in this vain that the High Commission of the Republic of Ghana in Namibia, also concurrently accredited to Botswana, mandated by the Diaspora Affairs Bureau, is conducting a survey of Ghanaians resident in Namibia and Botswana to learn more about them and the development issues they care about. In this survey, we want to learn about:

• Demographic characteristics
• How you get information about employment and business opportunities in your country of origin
• Issues(or problems) in Ghana you care about and how you access/get information about these issues
• Your relationship with Ghana, your level of engagement as well as actions you have taken so far:
• Whether you are a member of any Diaspora Community Organisation(s)/ or group
• Your relations with the Ghana Mission in your current country of residence
• What sort of assistance you need from the Government of Ghana to enable you become more involved in socio-economic developments back home.

We wish to assure you that the information you provide in this survey will be treated with utmost confidentiality and will be used for only statistical purposes.

Let us stand together and develop mother Ghana!!!