Ghana dependant residence permit (family reunion)

GIS issues the dependant's residence permit to dependants of expatriates living in Ghana and of Ghanaian nationals who have acquired foreign passports. The category covers spouses, children and other dependants. GIS states that spouses become eligible for this permit when they have been married for more than four years; couples married for a shorter time should ask GIS how their case is handled.

Dependants of investors and employees covered by a GIPA immigrant quota also use this permit, as do the non-Ghanaian children of people holding indefinite residence status. A child under the law means a biological or adopted child under eighteen.

GIS asks for an application letter requesting the residence permit, two passport photographs of the applicant, a copy of a bank statement or a property indenture, a letter of consent from the child's parents where applicable, the child's birth certificate, a statutory declaration (affidavit) by the guardian sworn at the High Court where applicable, two guarantors with copies of their Ghanaian passports or national identification cards, a copy of the marriage certificate where applicable, a letter of support from the principal guarantor and a copy of the applicant's non-citizen identification card. The applicant also signs a bond form at the nearest immigration office.

Documents issued abroad, such as a marriage certificate or birth certificate, should be in a form GIS can read; the GIS pages do not set rules on translation or legalisation, so ask GIS before you leave.

The application letter is addressed to the Comptroller-General of Immigration and filed with the completed dependant's residence permit form at GIS headquarters or a regional command. The fee is paid at the bank on the premises and receipted, and the applicant receives a retention slip showing when to check on the application. The 2022 client service charter sets four weeks as the standard time.

Under the L.I. 2512 schedule the permit costs GHS 388 for nationals outside ECOWAS, GHS 259 for ECOWAS nationals and GHS 194 for Ghanaians with foreign passports. The non-citizen identification card is a separate fee of USD 40.

The dependant permit follows the status of the principal, so renew it in step with the principal's work or residence permit. An expired residence permit costs GHS 300 a month for nationals outside ECOWAS. Residents who leave Ghana temporarily can take a re-entry permit (USD 100 single, USD 194 multiple for nationals outside ECOWAS), and GIS asks residents to notify the Comptroller-General in writing if a permit may expire while they are abroad.