The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has officially invalidated 701 Diplomatic and Service passports as part of a sweeping effort to enforce Ghana’s travel document regulations.
A statement released by the Ministry on Tuesday confirmed that 341 Diplomatic passports and 360 Service passports have been canceled and placed on a stop list, rendering them unusable for international travel. The move follows repeated directives issued earlier in the year—on January 15 and March 10—urging former government officials and other beneficiaries to return all expired or unauthorized official passports.
The cancelled documents include passports held by a wide range of individuals no longer entitled to such privileges, including
- Former Ministers and their spouses
- Former Members of Parliament
- Former Council of State members and their spouses
- Retired Justices of the Superior and Lower Courts
- Former Regional Ministers, MMDCEs, and board members
- Officials associated with the National Cathedral Project
- Former non-career ambassadors and their dependents
- Traditional and religious leaders, businesspersons, and other former public officials no longer in active service
The Ministry stated that the cancellations are in accordance with the Passports and Travel Certificates Act, 1967 (NLCD 155), particularly Sections 6 and 7, which govern the issuance, return, and misuse of official passports.
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“All affected documents are no longer valid,” the statement noted. “Anyone found using these passports will face confiscation and possible legal consequences.”
Enforcement agencies at Ghana’s borders and international ports of entry have been instructed to uphold the directive, with the Ministry stressing its commitment to accountability and lawful travel documentation.
This development signals a firmer stance by the government on the misuse of state-issued travel documents, aimed at tightening compliance with national and international standards.
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