Ghana work and residence permit

GIS names four types of work permit: the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre quota (now administered by the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority, GIPA), the immigrant quota granted by the Ministry of the Interior's Immigrant Quota Committee, the immigration work permit issued by GIS itself, and the free zones work permit. Companies, schools, hotels and other institutions that want to employ foreigners must first secure a quota or work permit through one of these bodies and then apply to the Comptroller-General for the residence permit. GIS issues a residence permit together with the work permit.

A separate channel covers missionaries, NGOs, holders of Ghana Free Zones Authority approval, GIPC automatic quota holders and shareholders; it requires a letter of approval from the Ministry of the Interior. Short assignments are covered by rotator permits, and household staff by a domestic assistance work and residence permit.

For the company permit GIS lists the certificate of business registration (certificate of incorporation and certificate to commence business), GIPC registration certificate, the company's current tax clearance certificate and audited accounts for the previous year, a medical report from the Ghana Immigration Clinic in Accra, a police report from the home country, a marriage certificate if married, a letter of support from the relevant ministry, department or agency, the employee's passport biodata page, CV, professional and educational certificates, the organisation's annual report, any previous residence permit, the offer or appointment letter or employment contract, and a copy of the non-citizen identification card.

The quota and NGO channel adds a letter from the employer applying on the employee's behalf, the completed application form, NGO registration or Free Zones licence where relevant, two passport photographs not older than six months and the Ministry of the Interior approval letter. Obtain the police report from your home country before travelling.

Under the L.I. 2512 schedule published by GIS in July 2026, a work and residence permit through a company costs USD 1,293 for nationals outside ECOWAS (USD 647 for ECOWAS nationals and USD 194 for Ghanaians with foreign passports). An immigrant quota permit costs USD 647, a GIPC automatic quota permit and a permit for missionaries or NGOs USD 388, a domestic assistance permit USD 388 and a rotator permit of up to six months USD 647. The non-citizen identification card costs USD 40. Free zone residence permits cost USD 240 in the first year and rise to USD 600 in the fifth.

The 2022 GIS client service charter gives two weeks as the standard time for each work permit category; the GIS FAQ says one month. The schedule also lists a premium express fee of USD 200 for work permits. The fee is paid at the bank within GIS headquarters or a regional command, and the applicant receives a retention slip with a date to check back.

A work permit holder may only do the job specified unless the Comptroller-General authorises another activity in writing. Employers with an immigrant quota or work permit must submit annual returns of all foreign employees on the prescribed form to the nearest immigration office by 14 January each year; missing returns cost a company GHS 2,000 and an individual GHS 1,000. Permit holders who travel abroad for a period during which the permit may expire must notify the Comptroller-General in writing beforehand.

Penalties under L.I. 2512 include USD 150 a month for an expired work permit, GHS 300 a month for an expired residence permit, and USD 2,500 for a company or USD 1,000 for an individual found in illegal employment.

A permit holder's spouse, children and other dependants apply for dependant residence permits. After living in Ghana for an aggregate of at least five years within the seven years before the last twelve months, and continuously for those twelve months, a foreign national can apply for indefinite residence status, which allows work without a work permit.