VISA REQUIREMENTS & COMPLETION OF ONLINE APPLICATION FORM TERMS & CONDITIONS

Please read carefully the VISA Requirements and completion of the visa application form online. Please note that any false information stated on the application form shall render the visa permit, even if issued, null and void.

PUBLIC NOTICE

1. THE PUBLIC IS BY THIS NOTE INFORMED ABOUT SOME CHANGES TO OBTAINING VISAS FROM THE GHANA HIGH COMMISSION IN PRETORIA.
2. THE PUBLIC IS THEREFORE REQUESTED TO NOTE THE REVISED REQUIREMENTS FOR VISA APPLICATIONS TO GHANA.
3. EXPRESS VISAS HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED. VISAS, THEREFORE, WILL BE GRANTED ONLY AFTER THREE WORKING DAYS (EXCLUDING THE DAY OF SUBMISSION). PLEASE NOTE THAT DELAYS OR REJECTION MAY OCCUR IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.
4. SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION SHALL BE MADE ONLY DURING THE CONSULAR WORKING DAYS AND HOURS WHICH ARE AS FOLLOWS:
5. MONDAYS - THURSDAYS
6. SUBMISSION - 09.00 HOURS - 12.00 NOON
7. COLLECTION - 13.00 HOURS - 14.00 HOURS
8. THE CONSULAR SECTION IS CLOSED ON FRIDAYS AND ALL OFFICIAL GHANAIAN/SOUTH AFRICAN HOLIDAYS

• A. REQUIREMENTS
1. THE APPLICATION FORMS MUST BE FILLED IN CAPITAL LETTERS AS STIPULATED.
2. PASSPORT MUST BE VALID FOR AT LEAST SIX (6) MONTHS. ALL PASSPORTS WITH LESS THAN SIX (06) MONTHS VALIDITY ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.
3. NON-SOUTH AFRICANS AND NON-CITIZENS APPLYING FROM COUNTRIES TO WHICH THIS MISSION IS CONCURRENTLY-ACCREDITED SHOULD PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF LEGAL RESIDENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA OR IN THOSE COUNTRIES.
4. FOUR (4) DULY-COMPLETED APPLICATION FORMS (FOR MANUAL SUBMISSIONS).
5. FOUR (4) IDENTICAL RECENT PASSPORT-SIZE PHOTOGRAPHS. (IDEM)
6. PASSPORTS MUST BEAR SIGNATURES OF BEARERS.
7. LETTER OF INVITATION FROM PERSON OR INSTITUTION IN GHANA.
8. PASSPORT COPY OF THE HOST IN GHANA IF GHANAIAN; PASSPORT COPY AND PROOF OF RESIDENCE IN GHANA FOR NON-GHANAIAN HOST.
9. LETTER FROM PRESENT EMPLOYER OR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION CONFIRMING STATUS. IF SELF-EMPLOYED, PARTICULARS OF BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT.
10. APPLICANTS SHOULD TAKE NOTE OF NUMBERS 3 & 7 ON THE APPLICATION FORMS. NUMBER 3A&B ARE SOUTH AFRICAN ADDRESSES AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS WHILE NUMBER 7 REQUIRES NAMES, ADDRESSES, CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBERS OF THE REFERENCES IN GHANA.
11. APPLICANTS MUST PRESENT COPIES OF RETURN OR ONWARD TICKET.
12. VALID YELLOW FEVER VACCINATION CARD.
13. ALL COMPLETED FORMS MUST BE DULY SIGNED AND DATED.
14. SIGNATURE ON APPLICATION FORM MUST TALLY WITH APPLICANT'S SIGNATURE IN THE PASSPORT.
15. INDIVIDUAL PAYMENTS MUST BE MADE FOR EACH APPLICATION. COLLECTIVE PAYMENTS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.
16. PHOTOCOPY OF THE BIO-DATA PAGE OF APPLICANT’S PASSPORT.
• B. VISA APPLICATION FEES
1. Single Entry : RcheckVisafees(1, 0),2); ?>.
2. Multiple Entry : RcheckVisafees(2, 0),2); ?>.
3. Single Transit : RcheckVisafees(1, 0),2); ?>.
4. Multiple Transit : RcheckVisafees(2, 0),2); ?>.
5. Please note that:
• Visa fees paid to the High Commission are NON-REFUNDABLE.
• Mission formally declines responsibility for all applications routed by Post or Courier Services which are not delivered.
• C. METHOD OF PAYMENT
1. Payments by POSTAL ORDER or BANK GUARANTEED CHEQUE, made payable to the Ghana High Commission.
2. ONLINE Payment by Master Card, Visa or Debit Cards.
• D. PRESS OFFICIALS
1. In addition to VISA Application, all foreign correspondents (Press Officials and Journalists) who wish to visit Ghana and ply their trade there must complete Press Accreditation Forms well ahead and obtain the Accreditation before submitting the request for Visa.
• E. EXEMPTIONS



COUNTRIES WHOSE NATIONALS ARE EXEMPTED FROM ENTRY VISAS TO GHANA

1. ECOWAS Citizens – Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
2. Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago
3. Kenya, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, Hong Kong and Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China
4. Nationals of the following Commonwealth, East and Southern African countries: Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe
5. Holders of Diplomatic/Service Passports of Brazil, Cuba, Germany, Namibia, Hong Kong, Iran and **South Africa (for a period not exceeding three (3) months).
   **Children with ordinary passports accompanying parents holding South African diplomatic, service or official passports accredited to Ghana or South Africa are exempt from entry visa requirements.>
6. Persons in direct Airside transit.
7. Holders of official passports of the African Union, Regional Economic Communities in Africa, United Nations and its specialized agencies:
• The World Bank
• African Development Bank
• International Monetary Fund
• World Food Programme

ONLINE VISA APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

1. Complete one online visa application form per applicant.
2. Ensure that you have uploaded the applicant’s PHOTOGRAPH before completing the main section of the online visa application form.
3. Only image file types “jpeg”, “jpg” and “png” are allowed.
4. Take note of your visa reference number as you will need it in all official communications with respect to this online visa application.
5. Processing of the online visa application WILL only begin after all the relevant supporting documents(s) and evidence of payment have been duly submitted at the Consular Section of the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria.
6. Please note that successful completion and submission of a visa form does not guarantee issuance of visa.
7. You will receive a minimum of four (4) automatic notifications via E-Mail and/or by SMS to the stated contact on the application form during the online visa application process. Please note that the SMS notification service is an optional extra, which is charged at a flat fee of RsmsFixedCharge,2); ?> per application. (This goes to the Service Provider). You are at no obligation to choose this service. The communication notifications occur as follows:
• The first notification is sent upon successful completion of the Online Visa Application.
• A second notification acknowledgement is sent when your passport and all supporting document(s) are received at the Ghana High Commission, Consular Section in Pretoria.
• The third notification is sent when the VISA Application is either approved or declined.
• A final notification is sent to prompt applicant to pick up passport irrespective of the outcome.
• Please do not send or come to the Ghana High Commission to collect your passport unless you are in possession of this final notification.
• You may also use your reference number to track the progress of your visa application on our website at http://www.ghanahighcommission.co.za.
8. After reading the visa terms and conditions below, click the AGREE button if you want to proceed further or click the DISAGREE button to return to the home page.

PHOTO SPECIFICATION

Please follow strictly the photo specifications as failure to do so will render your application null and void.

1. The digital photo must be taken face view and cover roughly 80% of the picture frame (without sunglasses and normally without a hat or other head covering, unless the applicant wears such items because of their religious belief or ethnic background).
2. Photo should be not more than 6 months old and must be taken against a white or off-white background. Photos must have no borders.
3. The digital photo must adhere to the following dimensions, colour and file format as set out in the table below:

Dimensions	The image dimensions must be in a square aspect ratio (the height must be equal to the width). Minimum acceptable dimensions are 600 x 600 pixels. Maximum acceptable dimensions are 1200 x 1200 pixels. Please review passport and visa photo requirements for specific dimensions.
Colour	The image must be in colour (24 bits per pixel) in sRGB colour space which is the common output for most digital cameras.
File Format	The image must be in JPEG, JPG or PNG file format.
File Size	The image must be less than or equal to 500 Kb (kilobytes).
Compression	The image may need to be compressed in order for it to be under the maximum file size. The compression ratio should be less than or equal to 20:1.

Sound like a lot? Don't worry. Rather go to a professional photographer.