Paul Addo writes: My experience at the Accra Premium Passport Office

Paul Addo – My old passport expired in May 2017, and I had to renew it; I bought one of the old forms at ADB Bank in Dec. 2017 but never submitted it because of what I went through in 2012 to get my passport.

In April 2012, I woke up at around 3 am and got to the passport office in Tema station around 4 am. When I got there, I met twenty(20) people and seven stones in a queue; I was number 28.

Goro boys put the stones intending to sell them to people who come late or people they already have in mind coming on that day. I went through a series of processes, scrutinising my application from one office to the other. I asked myself just one question, ‘Why am I going through all this stress as a Ghanaian to get a passport?’

My application was finally accepted, and I was given a month to go for it(It was a premium service), But that wasn’t the case; I got the passport in two months.

Paul’s renewal experience in March 2019

Early this year, I chanced upon an article which was posted by a blogger friend John-Bunya Klutse that the Ghana passport office has a new premium passport office at Accra Digital Centre, so I decided to give it a try; if it doesn’t go well maybe, I do ‘Goro’ boy(Don’t Try). So on February 4 2019, I paid Ghs50.00 with mobile money on the Ministry of foreign affairs website, got the code and headed to the passport office website to start the registration. The online process went through smoothly.

Message after paying via MOMO on the Ministry’s website:

‘Dear Paul, the voucher for your manual passport application is JBSQ………80’.
I opted for regular service and was given a month to submit the hardcopy printout after online submission. Because it is a premium service, I paid an extra Ghs59.00 on the day of submission.

So in all, I paid Ghs109.00.

Message received after online data submission:
‘ADDO PAUL, your appointment date for passport processing is March 8, 2019’.

Reminder Message 7/3/2019:
‘Hello ADDO PAUL, your data collection appointment for receiving a Ghanaian passport comes up on March 8, 2019.

I wanted to be the first person to be served, so again I woke up early and got there early; I was the first. No stones queue. lol. At precisely 8 am, we were given numbers according to who came first.

So yeah, I was the first. At 9 am, the process started. The whole process took me less than an hour; within this time, I went to swear an affidavit at a nearby certified Commissioner Of Oaths because my old passport had had contact with water which they classify as a ‘damaged passport’. (So keep your passport in a safe place).

Right after the process on March 8 2019 I received this message:
‘Your passport application ref. no ACCR/00…/00../01 has been forwarded to the Ghana Passport office, Accra on 3/8/2019.

I was given April 11, 2019, as the day my passport will be ready. But I got my passport 17days after submission. (I don’t know any big man or a Goro boy there).

On March 22 2019, this message was sent to me: ‘Your passport application ref. no ACCR/00…/00../01 is under process at Ghana passport office.’
On the same day March 22 2019, I received this message as well
‘Your processed application ref. no ACCR/00…/00../01 has been received
from the Ghana passport office.’

On that same day, I received the message I had been expecting:

‘Hello Paul, Your passport G2……..2 is ready for collection at Premium PAC-Accra Passport Office. Collection time is 9:30 to 3 pm. Thank You.

On Monday, March 25, 2019, I went to the premium passport office to claim my passport. I went straight to counter 29, which is the collection counter. I spent only 5minutes at the counter and was given my Ghanaian GreenBook.

Received this message after:
‘Your passport application ref. no ACCR/00…/00../01 has been collected from Accra Premium Passport office on 3/25/2019

THIS IS FOR ANY GHANAIAN WHO WANT TO RENEW OR APPLY FOR A GHANAIAN PASSPORT FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Paul Addo is a professional Ghanaian Photographer and traveller. Kindly follow his work on Facebook via Paul Addo Photography

John-Bunya Klutse writes:

I’m excited as a Ghanaian, and also because our article on the passport application is changing the narrative today. Rome, they say — was never built in a day. I wish every Ghanaian must adhere to the new online system and trust and cooperate. Just like Paul, he knew no one; he just followed the process and got his passport without stress as compared to his experience in 2012.

I applaud the Ministry for this initiative and kudos to all the partners that made this possible: Eco Bank, Zenith Bank, GCB Bank, MTN Mobile Money, AirtelTigo Money, Vodafone Cash, IT Consortium, NITA, and Vodafone Business Solutions

Forgot the rumours, and click here to start your application now.

We hope this article has helped you have faith in the new digital application process for passport application in Ghana. You might want to check out our simplified Ghana online passport application process guide.

Feel free to send your Ghanaian passport application process experience to me. Let’s help change the narrative.