fims.org.gh Registration of Foreign Nationals Living in Ghana for Identity Cards : Foreigners Identification Management System

Name of the Organization : Foreigners Identification Management System
Type of Facility : Registration of Foreign Nationals Living in Ghana for Identity Cards
Country : Ghana

Official Website : https://www.fims.org.gh/

Registration of Foreign Nationals Living in Ghana for Identity Cards :

Non-Citizen Ghana Card :
The National Identification Authority (NIA) was established in 2006 to register all Ghanaians and foreign nationals permanently resident in Ghana and issue them with National Identity Cards.

Related : Foreigners Identification Management Ghana System Buy Scratch Card : www.statusin.org/5078.html

All eligible foreign nationals living in Ghana are required by law to register and be issued with a Non-citizen Ghanacard. The registration of foreign nationals is part of the process to register all people living in the country. The NIA started with registration of Ghanaian citizens; this process is still on-going. The Non-citizen Ghanacard is the national identity card for foreign nationals.

Registration for the Non-citizen Ghanacard is a must for all foreign nationals. The Non-citizen Ghanacard shall be used for all transactions which require identification. Foreign nationals who do not have the Non-citizen Ghanacard may not be allowed to register SIM cards for telephones, open bank accounts, acquire driver’s licence or even have access to other essential services in the country.

National Identification System (NIS) :
To fulfill its mandate, the NIA has established a National Identification System (NIS) which is a multi-purpose national electronic biometric database of all Ghanaian citizens living in and out of the country and all foreign nationals permanently resident in Ghana.

The NIS is made up of the following Components :
** A national register (electronic database)
** A process of registration to collect personal information and biometric data
** A process of randomly-generating and assigning a unique Personal Identification Number (PIN) to each individual linked to their personal data
** The National Identity Cards (Ghanacard)
** Mechanisms to verify and authenticate identity

The Foreigners Identification Management System (FIMS) :
To register all permanently resident foreign nationals and those who will be in the country for at least 90 cumulative days in any given year, the NIA has developed a separate process to register foreign nationals – this is the Foreigners Identification Management System (FIMS).

Ghana is not the only country with laws requiring national identification. Other countries requiring national identification include Nigeria, South Africa, Mauritius, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, UAE, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

The service involves the registration and issuance of Non-citizen Ghanacard to those who are eligible at a fee of $120.00 or its Cedi equivalent. All those registered will be issued with the Non-citizen Ghanacard instantly at the point where biographic and biometric data are captured.

What FIMS is NOT :
FIMS is not meant to identify foreign nationals for discrimination or repatriation; it is for their protection. The 1992 Constitution of Ghana prohibits all forms of discrimination.
All non-Ghanaians resident in the country are encouraged to fully participate in the FIMS registration; just tell us who you are and we will classify you accordingly.
FIMS is not meant to abuse the privacy of the individual; there are laws / regulations protecting the use or otherwise of a foreigner’s personal information to be stored in the National Identification Database. Only persons / institutions authorized by law shall be allowed to access the data stored in the national database.

Who is Eligible :
All foreign nationals who are above six years old and meet the following criteria are eligible for registration :
** A foreign national permanently resident in the country;
** A foreign national with resident permit; and
** A foreign national who is living in the country for at least 90 cumulative days in any given year.

Those exempted :
** A foreign national who is a diplomat or employed by a diplomatic or consular mission;
** A foreign national employed by the United Nations or any of its agencies.
** A foreign national employed by the African Union or any of its agencies as well as other International/Multilateral agencies duly accredited to Ghana.
** A spouse or dependent of a foreign national who falls in the categories specified above.

Benefits of the Non-citizen Ghana card :

** It will be harder for someone to fraudulently obtain another’s identity.
** It will facilitate the issuance and renewal of a driver’s licence and the processing of requests for the validation of international driver’s licence.
** It will strengthen foreign missions in Ghana to provide necessary services to resident foreign nationals in Ghana. Foreign nationals living in Ghana can expect special treatment when they can prove their nationality by producing their Non-citizen Ghanacard.
** The Non-citizen Ghanacard will easily help to establish the identities of non-Ghanaians resident in the country in difficult and emergency situations.
** The ability of diplomatic missions to protect their nationals in Ghana will be considerably enhanced as FIMS can provide them with incontrovertible or verifiable information in a timely fashion.
** Identity Cards would be a way for young people to prove their age.
** Personal data can be read automatically in usages that require the holder to provide an identity evidence and authentication.
** All foreign nationals in Ghana are encouraged to register for their Non-citizen Ghanacard. FIMS is to their benefit.

Benefits of the Non-citizen Ghanacard to the Government of Ghana include :
** Producing credible electronic National Identity Register that shall contain the personal information of foreign nationals resident in Ghana to enable the Government to plan for all persons living in the country;
** Issuing foreign nationals with a Non-citizen Ghanacard for the purpose of identity authentication;
** Facilitating access to services which require identity verification as defined in the National Identity Register Regulations 2012, L. I. 2111 (refer to Regulation 7);
** Appropriately planning for services to cater for the needs of foreign nationals;
** Improvements in national and border security; and
** Helping Government to protect the rights of foreign nationals as required by international obligations/treaties to which Ghana is a signatory

Mandatory Use of the Ghanacard :
Regulation 7 of the National Identity Register Regulations 2012, (L. I. 2111) states as follows

( 1 ) A national identity card issued to an individual shall be used for the following transactions where identification is required :
a) application for and issuance of a passport; (Ghanaians only)
b) application for and issuance of a driver’s licence;
c) opening of individual or personal bank accounts;
d) purchase of insurance policies;
e) purchase, transfer and registration of land by an individual or a connected transaction subject to the provisions of other enactments;
f) transactions pertaining to individuals in respect of pensions;
g) transactions specified under the National Health Insurance Scheme; (Ghanaians only)
h) transactions that have social security implications;
i) consumer credit transactions;
j) registration of voters; (Ghanaians only)
k) payment of taxes;
l) registration of SIM cards;
m) applications for public or Government services, facilities, approvals, permissions, or benefits; and
n) any other transaction which the Authority may determine and publish in the Gazette.

( 2 ) Any organisation that offers any of the services in respect of transactions listed under sub-regulation (1) shall demand the presentation of a National Identity Card from the individual concerned before providing the relevant service to the individual.

Note : Sub-sections (a), (g) and (j) are not applicable to eligible foreign nationals.

No Registration, No Service :
Any organisation that offers services to foreign nationals shall demand the presentation of a Non-citizen Ghanacard from the individual concerned before providing the relevant service.

FIMS Registration Form: https://www.statusin.org/uploads/5077-Application%20form%20&%20addendum.pdf

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