Re: Ghanaians in Germany bare teeth at Foreign Ministry

The Embassy of Ghana in Germany refers to your article titled “Ghanaians in Germany Bare Teeth at Foreign Ministry” published by your online version on the 5th February 2016 which was an extract from a discussion on Adom FM’s Morning Show ‘Dwaso Nsem’ on the same day. The article highlights the perceived delays in the acquisition/issuance of passports and visas at the Embassy. The Embassy wishes to clarify some of the issues raised as follows:

Until September, 2015, the Embassy was issuing two streams of Passports namely express Passports that were issued within seven (7) days of application and regular application that took fourteen (14) days.

Express passports were issued on the same day or within three days while regular passports were issued in a week. The Embassy however, suspended the express passport service in October to manage an exigency.

The Embassy experienced delays in meeting the deadlines since October 2015 due to technical problems regarding passport booklets and later the Passport printing machine. Printing was, therefore restricted to urgent cases with the understanding of applicants. The normal schedule was resumed January 2016 on “first come; first serve basis” and to those proven to be emergency cases such as funerals, child registration, interview for resident permits etc.

As of February 8th, 2016, the Embassy has issued a total of 552 passports for the months of September, and October, 2015, and has been working even on weekends to clear the backlog.

Another element worth considering is the exponential increase in passport applications to the Embassy. The average of about 250 applications a month, increased to over 450 applications from June 2015, presumably due to the influx of migrants in Germany. Obviously these unexpected developments affected the timely processing of applications.

Regarding the acquisition of visas, the Embassy rolled out an online visa application system in October 2015 after a two-month education campaign on the processes. The online application process brought in orderliness and the required controls. It also revealed a number of fraudulent acts and inaccurate information, particularly regarding applications submitted by the so-called visa agents.

Secondly, to reduce cash handling and enhance financial administration, the Embassy encouraged Bank payments for Consular services. A few visas/passports delayed due to the inability to relate the name on the Bank transfer to the applicant (since monies were paid on behalf of applicants without any reference to the application). Other issues that occasioned delays included non-delivery of mails by the post office as some applicants supplied self-addressed envelopes with non-existent addresses.

Another element fueling unnecessary delays is the use of the so-called passport and visa agents who create the impression of shortages in order to maximize their importance and profits.

The Embassy remains committed to serve and protect the interest of our nationals and encourage them to approach the Embassy directly instead of working through the so-called Agents. At the same time, applicants are advised to submit on time request for passport renewal before the expiry of their passports and before purchase of tickets to travel to avoid unforeseen circumstances.