The amendment, which was introduced in Parliament has now matured and been gazetted
Photocopying or visually inspecting a Ghana Card for the purpose of conducting transactions is now an offence following the coming into force of amendments to the Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2111 governing the National Identification System.
Under the amended law, organisations are required to use biometric identity verification instead of relying on photocopies or visual inspection of the Ghana Card when authenticating an individual’s identity for transactions.
The amendment, which was introduced in Parliament three months ago, has now matured and been gazetted, making its provisions legally enforceable.
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According to the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Yayra Koku, organisations that fail to comply with the new requirement commit an offence and, upon summary conviction, face fines ranging from 500 to 2,000 penalty units.
Koku announced the development in a post on X on July 15, 2026, stating that biometric verification is now mandatory for transactions requiring Ghana Card authentication.
He added that any organisation that contravenes the directive commits an offence and could face fines of up to 2,000 penalty units upon conviction, while individuals who breach the law are liable to fines ranging from 50 to 500 penalty units.
The new measures are aimed at strengthening identity verification, reducing fraud and improving the integrity of transactions by requiring biometric authentication through the NIA’s Identity Verification Platform.
Government is expected to provide further details in the coming days on measures being implemented to enforce the amended law.
Meanwhile, institutions seeking to comply with the new requirements have been encouraged to apply for access to the NIA Identity Verification Platform by emailing idverification@nia.gov.gh.
It is now an offence to photocopy or visually inspect a Ghana Card for the purpose of transaction. Biometric verification is now MANDATORY.
— Yayra Koku (@YayraKoku) July 15, 2026
An organization that contravenes this order commits an offence and faces a fine of at least 500 penalty units and up to 2,000 units on… pic.twitter.com/omvvmLrUXO
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