The Director of the Passport Office Headquarters said the trend was not a significant concern The standard application fee for 32 pages now costs GH¢500 while the expedited application fee for 32 pages costs GH¢640
The Passport Office has revealed low patronage opassport applications by Ghanaians following the price increment on April 1, 2024.
Despite this directive facing strong opposition from dissenters including some passport applicants, agents and some stakeholders, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in a statement clarified that the decision to increase passport prices aligns with the 2023 fees regulations, L.I.2481.
In an interview with Channel One News, the Director of the Passport Office Headquarters, Paul Cudjoe, indicated that while this is a concern, it will not be significant as long as his office fulfils its mandate.
“Naturally, there will be a slowdown because for a long time, we had not increased the passport price and we needed to bridge the gap. It got to a point that if we had not increased the price, we couldn’t even print passports, that’s why the new fees were introduced.
“I think all the regions we’ve gone to, it’s a concern but not too much a major [concern] if only the passport office delivers on their mandate.”
The Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Ministry mentioned that the raised fees would lead to a more economically efficient production of passport booklets, as Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey defended the plan in Parliament.
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