Photocopying Ghana Card now illegal, offenders face fines up to GH¢24,000
Photocopying or relying on a visual inspection of a Ghana Card to verify a person’s identity during a transaction is now a criminal offence following the enforcement of amendments to the National Identity Register Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2111).
The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Wisdom Kwaku Deku, announced on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, that the amended regulations had been gazetted. Under the new rules, biometric verification is now the only legally recognised method of confirming the identity of a Ghana Card holder during transactions.
With the current value of a penalty unit set at GH¢12, organisations convicted of violating the regulations could face fines ranging from GH¢6,000 to GH¢24,000. Individuals found guilty could be fined between GH¢600 and GH¢6,000.
The revised regulations prohibit institutions from photocopying Ghana Cards or using visual inspection as proof of identity. Instead, they require all identity checks to be conducted through the NIA’s biometric verification system.
The amendment follows a series of initiatives introduced over the past year to eliminate the photocopying of Ghana Cards amid growing concerns over identity theft, fraud and the misuse of personal data.
In March 2025, the Bank of Ghana and the NIA held consultations with the Ghana Association of Banks and all 25 universal banks to discuss identity verification standards.
During the meeting, the Deputy Head of Office for Financial Integrity at the Bank of Ghana, Ashitei Trebi-Ollennu, clarified that the central bank had never authorised the photocopying of Ghana Cards, warning that the practice exposed customers to the risk of fraud.
At the same event, the NIA’s Head of Legal Directorate, Teresa Eson-Benjamin, reiterated that the Ghana Card is the only legally recognised identity document for banking transactions.
In September 2025, the NIA’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Williams Ampomah Emmanuel Darlas, announced plans to amend the regulations to introduce sanctions against institutions that photocopy or request copies of Ghana Cards, citing concerns over identity theft.
Banking sector measures
The Bank of Ghana subsequently issued revised Supervisory Guidance Notes, which took effect in October 2025.
The directives require regulated financial institutions to use only the Ghana Card to identify and verify customers, including Ghanaian citizens, permanent residents, resident ECOWAS nationals, refugees and eligible foreign nationals.
They also mandate biometric liveness verification for customers opening accounts through digital channels and restrict financial institutions from carrying out transactions for people who do not possess a Ghana Card, Non-Citizen Identity Card or Refugee Identity Card, except in limited circumstances.
Wider enforcement
According to Mr Deku, the latest amendment extends the biometric verification requirement beyond the banking sector to every organisation that uses the Ghana Card to verify identities.
He urged institutions that have not yet integrated with the NIA’s identity verification platform to begin the onboarding process promptly to ensure compliance with the new legal requirements.
Source: Graphic Online
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