Getting married in Ghana

@hkann so is possible for two foreigners to wed in Ghana

Yes, as long as you have the correct paperwork and have been here the correct amount of time

In order to get my Residence Permit for Ghana based on marriage with a Ghanaian (valid for one year, but I was told that the next permit will be valid for three years) I needed to show to the officer of the Immigration Service (in my case in Kumasi):

A Police Report (in my case a so called "VOG" issued by the Ministry of Justice in The Netherlands) to prove I have no criminal record in The Netherlands.

A "Non-Citizen Card" for Ghana, which they made for me at a state run office in Kumasi. Needed for that is your passport and filling in a form. The rest is done by them (like taking your picture and taking your finger prints). It costs about Euro 100.--. The card is valid for one year (so each year you have to have it renewed). The card is made right away (the whole process only took about half an hour or so).

Two copies of our Marriage Certificate.

Two passport photos.

Two copies of my passport.

It took three months for the Immigration Service to issue my Residence Permit. I had to leave my passport with them when I applied, but they give you written proof of your application which you can show when an official wants to see your passport during that time.

An important note/warning:

When I just arrived in Ghana in September 2022, I went to the office of the Immigration Service in Konongo, the town where we are living. There I was told that if I would marry, I could only get a Residence Permit based on marriage with a Ghanaian after more than a year, counting from the date of marriage. I was told that the only way to get a Residence Permit for the duration of a year in the mean time was to fake that I worked for a Ghanaian company. Such a permit costs US Dollar 1000.-- for one year. The Officer I talked to said he could arrange for such a faked contract through a friend when I would pay an additional US Dollar 200.--. Of course, I 'politely' refused because I know better than to get myself involved in schemes like that (getting involved in schemes like that can very easily make you vulnerable for future extorsion).

The way things eventually went, made it clear to me that one is not obliged to get one's visa extensions and Residence Permits at the office of the Immigration Service in the city/town where one actually resides (likely because there are no residence registers on city/town level in Ghana).

I would advise anyone who wants to acquire a Residence Permit to get the help of a Ghana based lawyer. I am fortunate to have a family member who is a Ghanaian lawyer, practicing in Kumasi. He took care of my two visa extensions and my Residence Permit for me. This all went very smooth.

You were lucky you weren't taken in by the false information. As a spouse you are entitled to a resident's permit and can apply for it during the 3 months entry visa. Usually the first one is only for a year but after that you can get multiple years. When I came in 2010 there were no Non-Citizen IDs but now they are a must for everything from the residents permit to a bank account, driving licence and SIM card. The first one is the 120 dollars and then renewal is 60 dollars.

It is always better to do everything legally and follow the rules as there will always be someone who says they can provide something at a price but the right way may take more time but it is cheaper and it is legal.

I very much agree with your advice to do everything legally. For me I am sure it will give you peace of mind.

I would think that the assistance of a genuine Ghana based lawyer will surely help you to make sure that you do everything legally.

Agree, but personally have done everything myself with my husband and have never had a lawyer.

Good for you!

Looking at your profile you surely have a lot of experience as an expat. On top of that you have the knowledge of your Ghanaian husband.

But most of us do not have that huge amount of experience/knowledge. That is why I advise the help of a Ghana based lawyer when it comes to Residence Permits (or any other serious legal issues for that matter).

But I am fully aware that my advice creates a risk in itself. For any reader: Make sure that the lawyer you think you found is a genuine Ghanaian lawyer. Ask and check (by contacting his/her law firm) for which law firm he/she is working. Be critical. If it doesn't feel 100 % right, than probably it isn't.

Having worked as a Legal Advisor for 40 years (after getting my Law Degree at the University of Amsterdam in 1992) I offer to try to check if someone that presents him/herself as a genuine Ghana based lawyer, is really what he/she claims to be. But note that I wrote I will try. I can't, and never will guarantee that somebody who claims to be a genuine Ghana based lawyer is really one.