Public and private institutions will soon be required to verify the identities of Ghana Card holders exclusively through biometric authentication, following new measures introduced by the Ministry for the Interior to tighten identity verification and tackle fraud.
The policy, contained in the National Identity Register (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2523), eliminates the use of photocopies, scanned images and duplicate Ghana Cards as valid forms of identification for official transactions.
Announcing the changes at a press briefing in Accra, Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak said organisations must move away from manual inspection of Ghana Cards and adopt approved biometric verification systems instead.
“Organisations offering the transactions listed under Regulation 7 of L.I. 2523 must verify identity through biometric authentication against the National Identity Register or through match-on-card verification using devices approved by the National Identification Authority,” he stated.
According to the Minister, institutions that ignore the directive could face disciplinary measures, including financial sanctions and the suspension of their access to the national identity verification platform.
Under the new rules, organisations are also prohibited from requesting, storing, reproducing or relying on photocopies, scanned versions or digital images of Ghana Cards when confirming a person’s identity.
The regulations extend beyond formal institutions. Individuals who verify another person’s identity during private transactions are expected to use biometric authentication where practical and must not retain or disclose information obtained from a Ghana Card unless authorised by law or with the cardholder’s permission.
To ensure a smooth rollout, the government has provided a three-month grace period for institutions to integrate the required biometric verification technology before the regulations are fully enforced.
