NIA: Photocopying, Scanning Or Visually Inspecting Ghana Cards For Transactions Now An Offence

Jul 23, 2026 - 11:30

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NIA: Photocopying, Scanning Or Visually Inspecting Ghana Cards For Transactions Now An Offence

Photocopying, scanning or visually inspecting a Ghana Card to verify a person's identity for official transactions is now a criminal offence following the coming into force of the National Identity Register (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2523).

The announcement was made by the Chief Executive Officer of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Wisdom Yayra Koku Deku, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he explained that biometric verification has officially become the mandatory method of authenticating Ghana Card holders in all transactions requiring identity verification.

According to the NIA, the amendment replaces the previous practice under the National Identity Register Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2111), which permitted institutions to rely on physical presentation or visual inspection of the Ghana Card and only resort to biometric verification where there was doubt about a person's identity.

Under the amended regulations, all organisations are now required to verify customers' identities electronically through the NIA's Identity Verification System Platform (IVSP) using biometric authentication.

The Authority warned that institutions that fail to comply with the new legal requirement commit an offence and, upon summary conviction, are liable to fines ranging from 500 to 2,000 penalty units.

Individuals who contravene the regulations could also face fines of between 50 and 500 penalty units.

The amendment, which was laid before Parliament three months ago, has completed the mandatory legislative process and has been gazetted, making its provisions legally enforceable.

The NIA said the minister responsible for the authority is expected to brief the public in the coming days on measures being implemented to ensure nationwide compliance with the amended regulations.

The new legal framework is expected to significantly strengthen identity verification, improve data protection and reduce identity fraud by making biometric authentication the standard for all Ghana Card-related transactions.

To facilitate implementation, organisations that require access to the NIA's Identity Verification System Platform have been encouraged to begin the integration process.

Institutions seeking to connect to the verification platform have been advised to submit their applications by emailing idverification@nia.gov.gh.

The NIA believes the new regime will enhance the integrity of Ghana's national identity system by ensuring that the individual presenting a Ghana Card is the legitimate holder of the identity attached to it.