On 22 May 2012, the Supreme Court of Ghana ruled that Ghanaians who are eligible for Dual Citizenship under the provisions of the Citizenship Act 2002 (Act 591) are no longer required to apply for Dual Citizenship and be issued with a Dual Citizenship Certificate or Card. A citizen of Ghana who also has citizenship of another country becomes a dual citizen by operation of the law. This means that Dual Citizens do not have to and must not apply for dual citizenship and pay a fee to obtain a dual citizenship certificate. When traveling to Ghana, dual nationals should be sure to have their Ghana passport, for entry purposes, and their other passport, for exit out of Ghana and entry into the other country. Travelers should be ready to provide both passports. Persons who have already paid dual citizenship application fees, particularly since the court ruling, should ask for refunds in writing.
The relevant sections of the judgment of the Supreme Court (Justice Date-Bah) stated as follows: “A Declaration that the administrative requirement of the Republic of Ghana for a dual citizen to obtain dual citizenship card is discriminatory, unreasonable, burdensome, serves no legitimate constitutional purpose and thereby null, void and of no effect as it contravenes the letter and spirit of Article 17 of the 1992 Constitution”
The Court held that “any administrative procedures or practices or subsidiary legislation which seek to impose fetters or conditions on the exercise by dual nationals of their rights as citizens are unconstitutional.”Parliament has no option but to go back to the drawing board, and our presidential candidates will be seeking our votes.
Source: Ghana Immigration Service
