Ghana: Getting a Visa

This is just a cautionary warning for anyone organising themselves a Ghanaian visa. Leave plenty of time, and don’t plan your trip in detail until it is firmly in your hand.

I applied for my visa by post to the London Embassy. If you are able to apply in person at the Embassy by booking an appointment, I would advise that you do so. This seems to be the most straightforward way of doing things.

Application for a visa is made online and you can pay the fee by credit/debit card. Then all of your documents need to be sent off by post/taken to the Consulate. There is a checklist to help you make sure you have everything, but be warned NOT EVERYTHING YOU NEED IS INCLUDED IN THE CHECKLIST. For example, if you are after a multiple entry visa, you will need to provide a covering letter explaining exactly why you want a multiple entry. This is not specified in the checklist.

Many documents are required including:

• Passport
• Letter of introduction from two people in Ghana (if you don’t know anyone, ask your hotel to provide one)
• Passport photographs
• Yellow Fever vaccination certificate
• Return flight confirmation (If you are planning on travelling overland through Ghana, include copies of details of your flight home. If you do not have a return ticket, explain your route in a covering letter and hope for the best. You may also need to provide proof of funds for your stay).
• A letter explaining why you need a multiple entry visa (if applying for one).

Despite sending all the necessary documents to the Consulate, my application for a multiple entry visa was declined and a single entry visa was issued instead (it took nearly 3 weeks from sending my documents off for my passport and visa to be returned). I was given no refund for the additional fee paid and the only explanation I received as to why my application was refused was that this was my “first trip” to Ghana, and multiple entries are therefore not issued. I have no idea whether this is common practice (there is certainly no indication of this on the High Commission’s website) or whether I was simply unlucky. I was advised to apply for a visa extension on arrival at Accra airport. But when I went to the immigration desk, I was met by bewildered looks.

So, the moral of this story is do not plan your trip in detail until you have your visa firmly in hand. Not having a multiple entry visa, for example, means that I cannot cross into Togo/Ivory Coast and come back in again. Ghanaian visas are not issued at the border and can only be applied for in your country of nationality.

For me, this is no big deal. There is plenty to see and do in Ghana for the time I am here, and I only had a fleeting idea of crossing into Togo, maybe on a weekend visit. However, I thought I should pass on this cautionary tale for others planning a wider West African adventure. 

It should also be noted that Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificates must be presented on arrival at the airport. Do not forget to bring it and do not think you can get away without having one.

Finally, be warned that the maximum number of days being stamped in your passport on arrival at Accra Airport is currently only 60 days. Despite having a 3 month visa single entry visa, according to the stamp in my passport I must leave within 60 days. If you are planning on staying longer than 60 days seek advice from the Ghanaian Consulate/Embassy in your country prior to departure.