Dual Citizenship Ghana: Eligibility, Documents, and Fees

Last Updated: September 2, 2026

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What is Dual Citizenship in Ghana?
Who Qualifies and Which Countries Allow It
Required Documents and Eligibility
Application Process
Timeline and Cost
Rights and Limitations of Dual Citizens
Travel and Renewal Tips
Where to Apply
If Your Other Country Does Not Allow Dual Nationality
Citizen vs. Dual Citizen: Comparison
Sources

What is Dual Citizenship in Ghana?

Dual citizenship in Ghana means being a Ghanaian citizen while also holding the citizenship of another country.

Ghana’s legal position changed substantially in the 1990s. The Constitution of the Republic of Ghana (Amendment) Act, 1996 (Act 527) amended Article 8 of the 1992 Constitution to allow a Ghanaian citizen to hold another citizenship in addition to Ghanaian citizenship. The Citizenship Act, 2000 (Act 591) later consolidated the citizenship framework, and section 16 expressly provides for dual citizenship.

This distinction matters because dual citizenship is not a special immigration status granted by a Dual Citizenship Card. A person may already be both Ghanaian and a citizen of another country by operation of the applicable citizenship laws.

For example, a child born in the United States to a qualifying Ghanaian parent or grandparent may be a Ghanaian citizen by birth under Ghanaian law while also acquiring U.S. citizenship under U.S. law. That person does not become Ghanaian merely because Form 10 is filed.

Section 16(3)(b) of Act 591 still provides that a Ghanaian who acquires another citizenship should notify the Minister for the Interior in the prescribed manner, and Ghana continues to operate a Form 10 registration and certification process.

Important legal distinction: Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Asare v. Attorney-General, the Government of Ghana has instructed its missions that eligible Ghanaian dual nationals are no longer mandatorily required to obtain a Dual Citizenship Certificate or Card as a condition for exercising their citizenship rights. The certificate and card remain available for people who want formal documentary evidence of their dual status.

Who Qualifies and Which Countries Allow It

Section 16(1) of the Citizenship Act states broadly that a Ghanaian citizen may hold the citizenship of another country in addition to Ghanaian citizenship.

This can include Ghanaian citizens by birth, descent, registration, naturalization, marriage, or another lawful route. The practical question is not only whether Ghana permits the second citizenship. The other country must also permit or tolerate the arrangement.

A person born outside Ghana should also distinguish between already being a Ghanaian citizen and applying to become a Ghanaian citizen. If the applicable constitutional ancestry rules make you Ghanaian by birth, acquiring documentary proof of that status is different from naturalization or registration.

The table below summarizes several countries commonly relevant to Ghanaian families and the diaspora as of September 2026.

Country	Dual Citizenship Position	Key Rule	Practical Point
United States	Yes	U.S. law permits a U.S. citizen to hold another nationality and does not ordinarily require a person to choose between them.	U.S. citizens, including dual nationals, must enter and leave the United States using a U.S. passport.
United Kingdom	Yes	The UK recognizes dual and multiple nationality. A British citizen does not need permission to acquire another citizenship.	British dual nationals should check current UK travel-document requirements before returning to the UK.
Canada	Yes	Canada permits Canadians to acquire another citizenship while keeping Canadian citizenship.	Most dual Canadian citizens need a valid Canadian passport to board a flight to Canada.
Australia	Yes	Australian law allows dual citizenship. The former rule that could cause citizenship loss when voluntarily acquiring another nationality was repealed in 2002.	Check Australian passport requirements when traveling as an Australian citizen.
Germany	Yes	Since June 27, 2024, German citizens can acquire another nationality without losing German citizenship, and foreigners naturalizing in Germany can generally retain their existing nationality.	A retention permit is no longer required for a foreign citizenship acquired after the 2024 reform. Earlier citizenship losses are not automatically reversed.
France	Yes	Holding one or more additional nationalities generally does not affect French nationality.	France may have limited ability to provide consular protection when a French dual national is inside the country of their other citizenship.
Italy	Yes	Italian law recognizes the possibility of multiple citizenships. Acquiring a foreign citizenship generally does not by itself terminate Italian citizenship.	Separate 2025 reforms substantially changed some citizenship-by-descent rules, so ancestry claims should be checked separately.
Russia	Yes, with notification rules	Acquiring another citizenship does not itself terminate Russian citizenship. Russia generally treats a dual or multiple national as Russian while dealing with Russian authorities.	Russian law requires notification of acquisition of another nationality, generally within 60 calendar days, subject to rules for citizens who are abroad.
India	No conventional dual citizenship	India does not recognize full dual citizenship in the same way Ghana does.	Eligible former Indian citizens and descendants may qualify for Overseas Citizen of India status, but OCI is not Indian citizenship.
China	No recognition of dual nationality	Article 3 of China’s Nationality Law states that China does not recognize dual nationality for Chinese nationals.	A Chinese citizen settled abroad who voluntarily acquires foreign nationality may lose Chinese nationality under Chinese law. Obtain country-specific advice before acquiring Ghanaian citizenship.
Japan	Restricted	Japan permits some people to possess multiple nationalities temporarily but requires a nationality choice within statutory deadlines.	Under the current rules, a person who becomes a multiple national before age 18 generally must make the required choice by age 20. A person who becomes a multiple national at age 18 or older generally has two years.
Brazil	Yes	Brazil’s current constitutional framework allows Brazilian citizens to possess another nationality. Brazilian nationality is no longer automatically lost merely because another citizenship is acquired.	Formal loss generally requires the citizen’s own request, subject to Brazilian law.
South Korea	Conditional	South Korean law permits multiple nationality in specified circumstances, including certain people who acquired Korean and foreign citizenship at birth and complete the required nationality-selection process.	Some qualifying dual nationals can retain both by making a pledge not to exercise their foreign nationality while in South Korea. Military-service rules can affect male dual nationals.
Saudi Arabia	Restricted	Saudi citizens are not permitted to acquire another nationality without government permission.	Saudi nationality law provides for permission from the Prime Minister before a Saudi citizen acquires another nationality. Obtain Saudi legal guidance before applying elsewhere.
Turkey	Yes	Turkish law recognizes multiple citizenship and allows a foreign citizenship to be recorded in the civil registry.	Turkish citizens who acquire another nationality should update their civil-registration records as required.
Nigeria	Yes for many citizens, but conditional	Nigerian citizens by birth can generally hold another nationality. Different constitutional rules can affect Nigerians who obtained Nigerian citizenship by registration or naturalization.	See our Ghana-Nigeria dual citizenship guide before relying on a general rule.
South Africa	Yes	The old rule automatically stripping South African citizenship when another citizenship was acquired without prior retention permission was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court on May 6, 2025.	South Africans no longer need the old retention permission to avoid automatic citizenship loss. People who previously lost citizenship under the invalid rule are deemed not to have lost it and can use the official Home Affairs portal to confirm their status.

Nationality law can change and may treat citizenship acquired by birth differently from citizenship acquired through naturalization. Always verify the current law of your other country before acquiring or renouncing a nationality.

Required Documents and Eligibility for Dual Citizenship Ghana

The Ministry of the Interior continues to operate a voluntary Form 10 process for people who want formal registration and documentary evidence of Ghanaian dual nationality.

The Ministry currently lists the following baseline requirements:

Application for registration as a dual citizen addressed to the Minister for the Interior.
Dual Citizenship Form 10.
Copy of the bio-data page of the applicant’s Ghanaian passport.
Copy of the bio-data page of the applicant’s foreign passport.
Four recent passport-sized photographs.
Copy of the foreign naturalization certificate, where the second citizenship was acquired through naturalization.

Requirements can be different at Ghanaian missions abroad. For example, several missions request six photographs instead of four, proof of payment, evidence of Ghanaian nationality, and contact information for relatives in Ghana.

Always use the checklist published by the office that will actually receive your application.

For Children Born Outside Ghana

The Ministry currently states that applications involving children born outside Ghana should also include:

Copy of the child’s birth certificate.
Copy of the Ghanaian parent’s passport.
Copy of the bio-data page of the child’s Ghanaian passport.
Copy of the bio-data page of the child’s foreign passport.

This requirement should not be confused with the underlying citizenship rule. A qualifying child may already be a Ghanaian citizen by birth. Form 10 documents dual status; it is not what creates the child’s Ghanaian citizenship.

Application Process for Dual Citizenship Ghana

The exact filing method can vary depending on whether you apply in Ghana, through a diplomatic mission, or through Ghana’s newer digital services system.

Confirm that you are already a Ghanaian citizen. Dual citizenship registration is not a substitute for proving Ghanaian citizenship in the first place. If your Ghanaian citizenship claim is based on ancestry, establish that citizenship chain before assuming Form 10 is the correct process.
Check whether you actually need a certificate or card. Eligible Ghanaian dual nationals are not required to obtain a Dual Citizenship Certificate or Card merely to exercise their citizenship rights. Some people still obtain one because it provides useful documentary proof.
Obtain or access Form 10. The Ministry’s current service page continues to instruct applicants to purchase Form 10 from the Ministry of the Interior or a Ghanaian diplomatic mission. Some missions also make Form 10 available electronically.
Gather the required documents. Include the Ghanaian and foreign passport pages, photographs, foreign naturalization certificate where applicable, and any mission-specific supporting evidence.
Submit the application using the current procedure. Applications in Ghana are handled through the Ministry of the Interior. Ghanaian missions abroad also process applications. The Ministry launched an Online Digital Services Portal in December 2025 that includes Dual Nationality/Citizenship services, so applicants should check whether their application can now be initiated through the e-services system.
Government review. The Ministry reviews the application and may return incomplete applications. Its current guidance states that when an application does not meet the requirements, it is returned for correction and the processing sequence begins again.
Receive documentary evidence if approved. Applicants using the Form 10 process may receive formal documentation confirming their registered dual-national status.

No general oath requirement for Form 10: Form 10 is different from naturalization or citizenship-by-registration procedures that create Ghanaian citizenship and may require an Oath of Allegiance. A person filing Form 10 is documenting an existing Ghanaian citizenship alongside another nationality.

Timeline and Cost of Dual Citizenship Ghana

Processing Time: What to Realistically Expect

The Ministry of the Interior currently publishes a processing timeframe of one month after receipt of a duly completed Form 10.

Treat that as the Ministry’s administrative target rather than a guaranteed completion date. Applications filed through overseas missions must also move between the mission and Ghana, and mission-specific procedures can add time.

The previous version of this guide quoted a six-to-twelve-month UK timeframe. That figure is no longer stated on the current Ghana High Commission UK website, so it should not be treated as a current official processing estimate.

Apply well in advance if you need the certificate or card for a particular administrative purpose.

Fees

Ghana’s official sources currently contain an important fee inconsistency.

The Ministry’s individual Dual Nationality/Citizenship service page still lists Form 10 at GH₵500 and a processing fee of GH₵100. However, the Ministry’s newer formal fee schedule under the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations, 2025 (L.I. 2512) lists the processing fee as the cedi equivalent of US$100.

The newer formal fee schedule is the safer figure to budget for, but applicants should confirm the exact amount requested before paying.

Item	Current Published Fee	Approximate Conversion – September 2, 2026
Dual Citizenship Application Form 10	GH₵500	Approximately US$44 / GBP 33 / RMB 298
Processing Fee under L.I. 2512	Cedi equivalent of US$100	Approximately GH₵1,133 / GBP 74 / RMB 672

Official-source discrepancy: The Ministry’s dedicated dual-citizenship page still displays a GH₵100 processing fee, while its current statutory Fees and Charges page lists the processing charge as the cedi equivalent of US$100. Verify the amount directly with the Ministry or mission before payment.

Foreign currency conversions are approximate and will change with exchange rates.

Overseas missions may charge different local consular amounts. For example, the Ghana High Commission in Ottawa currently lists Form 10 at CA$240. Ghana’s Permanent Mission in Geneva currently lists CHF150 for Form 10 and CHF250 for processing.

Mission fees and submission methods can change, so use the current fee page of the office handling your application.

Rights and Limitations of Dual Citizens in Ghana

A Ghanaian dual citizen remains a Ghanaian citizen. Dual citizens can live in Ghana without ordinary immigration restrictions, obtain a Ghanaian passport when otherwise eligible, own property subject to Ghanaian land law, register to vote when they satisfy electoral requirements, work without a foreign-national work permit, and exercise the ordinary rights attached to Ghanaian citizenship.

The idea that a dual citizen needs a Dual Citizenship Card before exercising these rights is outdated. The Supreme Court has held that an administrative card or certificate cannot be made a mandatory condition for exercising rights that flow from citizenship itself.

There are, however, important public-office restrictions.

Article 8(2) of the Constitution currently prevents a dual citizen from holding several specified positions, including:

Ambassador or High Commissioner.
Secretary to the Cabinet.
Chief of Defence Staff or a Service Chief.
Inspector-General of Police.
The constitutionally specified customs office.
Director of Immigration Service.

Article 94(2)(a) also remains important because a person who owes allegiance to a country other than Ghana is currently disqualified from being a Member of Parliament. This affects other constitutional offices whose qualification rules depend on eligibility to become an MP.

Major 2024 Supreme Court ruling: In Francis Osei-Bonsu v. Attorney-General, the Supreme Court struck down sections 16(2)(a) and 16(2)(h)-(l) of the Citizenship Act. As a result, the Act can no longer be relied upon to bar dual citizens from positions such as Chief Justice or Justice of the Supreme Court, Commissioner of the former Value Added Tax Service, Director-General of the Prisons Service, Chief Fire Officer, Chief Director of a Ministry, or the rank of Colonel solely on the basis of those invalidated provisions.

This means some Ghanaian mission websites that still publish the old, longer list of prohibited offices are outdated.

2026 proposed constitutional change: Parliament is considering the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which seeks to remove additional restrictions on dual citizens. The bill has not become law as of September 2, 2026. In July 2026, the Council of State advised Parliament against passing the bill, although that advice does not legally bind Parliament. The government has separately accepted a constitutional-review recommendation that would allow Ghanaian dual citizens by birth to contest parliamentary elections. Those proposals still require constitutional and legislative action before the current rules change.

For a detailed breakdown, see our guide to dual citizenship and public office in Ghana.

Ghana’s Citizenship Regulations also make it an offence for a dual national to use Ghanaian and foreign passports interchangeably for the purpose of deceiving an immigration officer. The maximum statutory penalty is a fine of 250 penalty units, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.

On taxes, dual citizenship by itself does not automatically mean every dual citizen owes Ghanaian tax on all income everywhere in the world. Ghanaian tax obligations depend on matters such as tax residence, income source, business activity, and applicable tax law. Your other citizenship can create separate obligations. U.S. citizens, for example, generally remain subject to U.S. federal tax filing rules even while living abroad.

See our Ghana tax obligations for dual citizens guide for more detail.

Travel and Renewal Tips for Dual Citizens

Dual-national travel is one of the areas where old Ghana guidance can be confusing because different Ghanaian mission pages describe the procedure slightly differently.

Carry both passports when practical. Ghanaian government missions advise dual nationals to travel with their Ghanaian passport and their foreign passport so that each citizenship can be demonstrated when required.
Use your Ghanaian passport for Ghanaian immigration. Ghana’s Citizenship Regulations state that a dual national who enters Ghana on a Ghanaian passport may remain without immigration limitation and should leave Ghana on the same passport used to enter.
Use the foreign passport to prove admissibility to the other country. For example, a Ghana-U.S. dual citizen would generally use the Ghanaian passport for Ghanaian immigration and must use a U.S. passport when entering or leaving the United States.
Do not use the passports deceptively. The offence under Ghana’s Citizenship Regulations is not simply possessing or presenting two passports. It is using them interchangeably to deceive an immigration officer.
Do not assume a Dual Citizenship Card is mandatory at the border. Ghanaian government directives issued after the Asare judgment state that eligible dual nationals are not mandatorily required to obtain the card or certificate.
Renew the Ghanaian passport before it expires. Keeping both travel documents current makes airline and immigration checks much easier. See our guide on how to renew an expired Ghanaian passport.

Our separate guide on using two passports in Ghana covers common travel scenarios.

Where to Apply for Dual Citizenship Ghana

The application system has changed since older versions of this article were written.

Ghana’s Ministry of the Interior officially launched an Online Digital Services Portal in December 2025. The Ministry specifically identified Dual Nationality/Citizenship Application as one of the citizenship and migration services available through the portal.

At the same time, the Ministry’s current individual dual-citizenship service page continues to instruct applicants to purchase Form 10 at the Ministry of the Interior or at a Ghanaian diplomatic mission abroad.

That means applicants should check both the Ministry’s current e-services platform and the instructions of the office serving them rather than relying on the old statement that Form 10 is never available online.

Online: Start with the Ministry of the Interior’s digital services portal at e-services.mint.gov.gh.
In Ghana: Ministry of the Interior, Migration Unit/Citizenship services, Accra.
Abroad: Ghana embassies, high commissions, and consulates. See our directory of Ghana consulates and embassies worldwide.

Mission procedures can differ. Some require appointments, some accept postal applications, and some have their own local fee schedule or photograph requirements.

If Your Other Country Does Not Allow Dual Nationality

Ghana’s permission to hold dual citizenship cannot override another country’s nationality law.

This is especially important if you are already a citizen of a country that prohibits or restricts multiple nationality. Acquiring Ghanaian citizenship could cause the other country to terminate your existing citizenship, require a declaration, restrict your ability to exercise the second nationality, or trigger another legal consequence.

The exact result depends on the other country’s law and how your Ghanaian citizenship is acquired.

China, India, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Nigeria, and several other countries all approach multiple nationality differently. The distinction between citizenship by birth and citizenship acquired voluntarily as an adult can be decisive.

Do not renounce a nationality merely because a website says dual citizenship is prohibited. Renunciation can have permanent consequences for residence rights, inheritance, employment, voting, property, family sponsorship, and travel.

Where the consequences are significant, obtain nationality-law advice in the other country before completing the Ghanaian process.

Ghanaian Citizen vs. Ghanaian Dual Citizen: Comparison

Right or Privilege	Citizen – Ghana Only	Dual Citizen – Ghana + Other Country
Ghanaian citizenship status	Yes	Yes
Hold Ghanaian passport	Yes, if passport requirements are met	Yes, if passport requirements are met
Hold foreign passport	Not as a single-national Ghanaian	Yes, if permitted by the other country’s law
Live permanently in Ghana	Yes	Yes
Work in Ghana without foreign-national work permit	Yes	Yes
Register and vote in Ghana	Yes, if electoral requirements are met	Yes, if electoral requirements are met
Use Ghanaian passport for Ghanaian immigration	Yes	Yes
Use foreign passport alone and expect Ghanaian treatment automatically	Not applicable	No. Traveling solely as a foreign-passport holder can cause immigration authorities or airlines to process the traveler under the rules applicable to that passport until Ghanaian citizenship is established.
Need Dual Citizenship Card to be a Ghanaian citizen	Not applicable	No. Eligible dual citizenship exists independently of the optional certificate/card.
Own land as a Ghanaian citizen	Yes, subject to Ghanaian land law	Yes. A Ghanaian dual citizen remains a citizen and is not subject to the constitutional non-citizen land restriction merely because of the second nationality.
Hold Chief Justice or Supreme Court Justice position solely as affected by section 16(2)(a)	Potentially eligible if otherwise qualified	Potentially eligible if otherwise qualified. The statutory dual-citizen prohibition was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2024.
Serve as Ambassador, High Commissioner, Secretary to Cabinet, senior security chief, or another office still restricted by Article 8(2)	Potentially eligible if otherwise qualified	Currently restricted
Serve as Member of Parliament while owing allegiance to another country	Potentially eligible if otherwise qualified	Currently restricted under Article 94(2)(a), although constitutional reform proposals seek to change this.

If you need personalized legal assistance with your Ghanaian citizenship status, Form 10 documentation, passport issues, or a dual-citizenship application, consider speaking with a qualified Ghanaian lawyer.

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Disclaimer: The information on this page is provided for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Citizenship rules can depend on the law of more than one country, how citizenship was acquired, the applicant’s age, public-office rules, military obligations, and individual circumstances. Confirm current requirements with Ghana’s Ministry of the Interior, the relevant Ghanaian diplomatic mission, and the authorities of your other country before acquiring, registering, or renouncing citizenship.