Visit Ghana
A first-visit guide
A first-time visitor's orientation to Ghana, drawn from the Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Airports Company, the UK FCDO and the CDC.
This guide is for a first visit. Each point comes from an official page: the Ghana Immigration Service and its eVisa portal, Ghana Airports Company, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Rules change. Read the linked page before you book, and treat that page as the last word.
Visa. Apply on the eVisa portal, evisa.immigration.gov.gh, which the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) runs with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It issues tourist and business visas in five steps, from an eligibility check to a decision by email, and lists standard processing at 96 hours. The portal says an approved eVisa gives you 90 days to enter Ghana and a stay of up to 60 days, set at the border. You can show it on your phone or printed.
Sources differ. The FCDO's page for British passport holders describes applying through the Ghana High Commission in the UK, with processing of 10 to 15 days. The portal is the Ghanaian official source. Check it first.
Other routes. GIS says citizens of ECOWAS member states and other selected African countries are exempt from obtaining a visa, though entry is still subject to prescribed conditions. Ghana's 56 diplomatic missions abroad issue single- or multiple-journey visas for periods from six months to five years. GIS also describes an Emergency Entry Visa or Visa on Arrival for someone who reaches an immigration officer without a visa. It is granted subject to conditions in the Regulations and any the officer imposes.
Entry is not automatic. GIS and the portal both say a visa does not guarantee entry. The immigration officer at the port of entry decides. The portal's notice adds that working without the requisite permit is prohibited and attracts sanctions.
Passport. The specimen eVisa asks for a passport valid at least six months beyond your intended stay. The FCDO puts it as an expiry date at least six months after the day you arrive. The portal's wording is the stricter of the two.
Yellow fever. The FCDO says you must have a yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter. The CDC lists the vaccine as an entry requirement for all arriving travellers aged 9 months and older, and recommends it for the same group. On 16 October 2026 the CDC posted a Level 2 notice for a yellow fever outbreak in the Upper West Region, advising travellers there to get vaccinated at least 10 days before travel. At the airport, Port Health, which handles yellow fever vaccination, is in Terminal 3.
Malaria and other vaccines. The CDC recommends that travellers to Ghana take prescription medicine to prevent malaria. It names atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine and tafenoquine as options, and your doctor chooses among them. For parts of Ghana in the meningitis belt during the dry season, roughly December to June, it recommends meningococcal vaccine. The CDC advises seeing a doctor at least a month before the trip.
Arriving. International flights use Terminal 3 at Kotoka International Airport. Terminal 2 is domestic. Ghana Airports Company says the Terminal 3 customer service desk is in the arrival hall by baggage reclaim. Report delayed or lost bags at the Lost & Found Desk in the arrival hall before you leave the airport; it is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Free Wi-Fi runs in both terminals on the network KIA FREE WIFI. The Airport Clinic, 500 metres from the terminal, is open to the public and runs 24 hours.
Customs and cash. The FCDO says all hard currency must be declared on the form provided on arrival, and that you can bring in up to a maximum Ghanaian cedi equivalent of 10,000 US dollars.
Leaving the airport. The FCDO reports that British nationals have been robbed by impostors in the main arrivals area who pretended to be their driver. Ask any driver who meets you for ID. Keep the camera down: the FCDO says photography near the airport and military installations is illegal.
Money. The FCDO says ATMs are common in large towns but may not be available in rural areas. Many hotels, guesthouses and shops accept credit cards, it says, except Mastercard, which is not widely accepted.
Getting around. The FCDO says drivers of trotros and of popular app-based taxi services are not centrally licensed. It advises against road travel outside the main towns after dark, when the risk of serious accidents is much greater. For flights, Ghana Airports Company advises checking in at least two hours before departure.
Manners and the law. The FCDO advises dressing modestly in public. Wearing military clothing, camouflage included, is illegal. If a building has guards on duty, ask permission before you photograph it. Possession of even small amounts of cannabis can lead to a prison sentence of more than five years.
Health and safety. The FCDO says pickpocketing and bag-snatching are on the increase in Accra. It calls swimming dangerous on the beaches of the southern coast because of rip tides and undertows. It also advises against all but essential travel to parts of Ghana. Read its safety page before you plan your route.
Weather. The FCDO says the rainy season runs from March to November. In those months flooding is common in the Upper West, North East, Northern and Savannah regions, and heavy rain can also flood urban areas such as Accra.
Family ties. The FCDO says Ghana recognises dual nationality, and Ghanaian-British dual nationals can register with the Interior Ministry in Ghana for a dual nationality card.
Art Life's Ghana. For music in the room, start with Live (tccartlife.com/ghana/live/). For releases, New Music (tccartlife.com/ghana/new-music/). For pictures, Photography (tccartlife.com/ghana/photography/).
“The immigration officer at the port of entry decides.”
