No more photocopies, Ghana officially bans copying or manually inspecting the Ghana Card | Discuss Ghana

Say goodbye to the age-old practice of having your Ghana Card photocopied at the bank, telecom office, or government agency. The National Identification Authority (NIA) has officially made photocopying or relying on a visual inspection of a Ghana Card for any transaction a criminal offense. The newly gazetted amendment to the National Identity Register Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2111) mandates that biometric verification—such as fingerprints or facial matches—is now the only lawful method to verify a cardholder’s identity during any official transaction.

Why has the law changed?

According to NIA Executive Secretary Wisdom Kwaku Deku, the amendment was introduced to address critical security vulnerabilities:

Stopping Identity Theft: Photocopying the card or leaving hard copies in unsecured office files has heavily exposed citizens to identity fraud, data leaks, and cloning.

Eliminating "Eyes-Only" Checks: Simply looking at a card (visual inspection) is no longer deemed secure enough, as sophisticated fraudsters can easily manufacture high-quality fake cards that look identical to the real thing.

The "Single Source of Truth": This new law forces all institutions to verify a cardholder's live biometrics directly against the NIA’s secure central database in real time, making fraud virtually impossible.

The cost of breaking the law

The state is not playing around with enforcement. Based on the current value of a penalty unit (which is GH¢12), the financial sanctions for ignoring the new regulations are steep:

Who Commits the Offense?	Unlawful Practice	Potential Penalty / Fine
Institutions & Organizations (Banks, Telecoms, Public Offices)	Requesting photocopies or using visual checks instead of biometric verification.	Fines ranging from GH¢6,000 to GH¢24,000 (upon summary conviction).
Individuals (Agents or Customers)	Intentionally bypassing the biometric platform.	Fines ranging from GH¢600 to GH¢6,000.