Ghanaian citizens who wish to visit Morocco will not need traditional visas to do so, the Foreign Affairs Ministry has announced.

In a Facebook post on Friday, June 6, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, noted that the new development is due to a recent bilateral agreement signed between the two countries.

The Foreign Minister noted that the deal was finalized on Thursday, June 5, during a two-day working visit to Morocco, following discussions with the country’s Foreign Minister, H.E. Nasser Bourita.

He revealed that a streamlined online travel authorisation has replaced the previous application process for Ghanaian citizens.

According to him, the latest move will grant the application within 24 hours without the need to visit the Moroccan embassy.

"With immediate effect, Ghanaians will no longer require traditional visas to travel to Morocco. An online authorization which will be granted within 24-hours without embassy appointments is all that’s needed," he wrote.

The visa waiver to Morocco is expected to increase tourism, improve trade, and strengthen the relationship between Morocco and Ghana.

"With existing direct flights which would be increased following this new agreement, we expect this bilateral visa waiver policy to greatly facilitate trade, tourism and deepen people to people engagements between both countries," he added.

Meanwhile, Ablakwa has announced that a total of 31,935 passports have been printed within the first month of its launch, following the rollout of the novel chip-embedded passports.

The new chip-embedded passport, which was rolled out on April 28, represents a major shift from the outgoing biometric system and brings Ghana in line with international travel standards.

The updated document contains 175 security features and is embedded with nanotechnology to safeguard against fraud and damage. It also includes a compressed polymer-based biographical data page, which users are advised to handle carefully.

Ghanaians still holding valid biometric passports can continue using them until 2030 in line with regulations set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), though they may opt to upgrade to the new version at any time.

Biometric Travel Solutions spearheaded the development of the new passport platform, with Troskit and Ghana Post leading courier services under a 24-hour operational model.

As of May, a total number of 8,463 Ghanaians had received their new chip-embedded passports across the country, according to Mr Ablakwa. Three weeks ago, Mr Ablakwa saw to the first round of delivery of Ghana’s new chip-embedded passport. The minister joined Ghana Post on 9th May to personally hand over passports to clients at the addresses they provided.

Applicants facing address challenges will be able to retrieve their passports from designated Ghana Post offices at no extra cost. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has assured that Ghana Post will continue to ensure timely delivery of passports across the country. Delivery packages have been designed with tamper-evident sealing to guarantee document integrity.

Director of the Accra Passport Office, Felix Nyarku, has expressed concerns over the inconsistencies in applicants’ identification documents, highlighting mismatches between names on Ghana Cards and birth certificates.

During a visit by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Foreign Affairs last week, Mr Nyarku noted that this often delays the processing of chip-embedded passports.

What not to do

The new passport contains a biographical data-page composed of layers of polymer compressed into a solid substrate that must not be bent or kept in the pocket, especially the back pockets.

It must be protected from heat and all forms of liquid. Holders are advised not to store other cards with chips embedded in them inside the passport, as it may interfere with encoded information on the (RFID) inside the passport.

Avoid attempting to split the biographical data page. This will permanently damage the passport.