Ghana permanent residence (indefinite residence status)

Under section 15 of Act 573, as summarised in the GIS client service charter, a foreign national qualifies for indefinite residence status if he or she has lived in Ghana throughout the twelve months before the application and, during the seven years before those twelve months, for at least five years in total; is of good character as attested in writing by two Ghanaians who are notaries public, lawyers, senior public officers or another approved class; has not been sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment or more; has made or can make a substantial contribution to Ghana's development; intends to live in Ghana permanently; and holds a residence permit valid for at least six more months. GIS describes the general route as suited to investors and people whose stay has contributed substantially to the economy.

Under section 16, a foreign national married to a Ghanaian qualifies after living in Ghana for the twelve months before the application and an aggregate of at least two years before that, with no sentence of twelve months or more, the intention to stay permanently and a residence permit valid at least six months. In special circumstances the Comptroller-General, with the Minister's approval, may accept shorter periods.

For the general route GIS asks for the completed form, two photographs, an application letter from the sponsor, the attestation letter by two Ghanaian notaries public, lawyers with practising certificates or senior public officers with copies of their national IDs, a copy of the passport biodata and current residence permit pages, evidence of immovable property where applicable, company documents (company regulations, three years of audited accounts, SSNIT returns for Ghanaian employees, GIPC certificate and six years of personal and company tax clearance), evidence of social contributions such as donations, a current police report from Ghana, the non-citizen ID card and a medical report from the GIS Clinic. Two copies of every document are required.

Foreign spouses submit the form, two photographs, their own application letter, a support letter from the Ghanaian spouse with a birth certificate, the two attestations, passport and residence permit pages, property evidence where applicable, marriage (and any divorce or death) certificates, the Ghanaian spouse's passport biodata page, the non-citizen ID card, a current Ghanaian police report, and personal tax clearance or evidence of financial support from the spouse.

The L.I. 2512 schedule published in July 2026 lists the indefinite resident permit at USD 18,000 for nationals outside ECOWAS and GHS 10,000 for ECOWAS nationals, with a separate line of GHS 18,000 for the indefinite resident permit for non-African and diaspora applicants. Indefinite residence for spouses of Ghanaians costs GHS 5,000 in all categories, and the permanent resident form costs GHS 65. The 2022 client service charter gives six months as the standard processing time.

A holder is entitled to remain in Ghana indefinitely, to enter Ghana without a visa and to work as an employee or self-employed person without a work permit, while remaining subject to Ghanaian law, and can sponsor a dependant permit for a non-Ghanaian child under eighteen or another dependant. Status lapses automatically after an absence of more than twelve consecutive months; reinstatement is treated as a fresh application. For a foreign spouse, separation, divorce or the spouse's death does not affect status already granted, and a person whose marriage has ended may still be granted the status on proof that the marriage was contracted in good faith.