The Bank of Ghana has issued a revised and strict supervisory guidance note which makes Ghana Card a mandatory identification document for all banking transactions.
The directive issued in the last quarter of 2025 takes effect immediately.
This means the Ghana Card is now a compulsory means of identification for customers in all accountable institutions.
The Central Bank published this notice on its website on January 8, 2026, hence replacing its 2022 guidelines with rigorous new verification procedures for both new and existing customers.
According to the notice, notice number BG/GOV/SEC/2025/36, the guideline is designed to enforce strict compliance with Know Your Customer (KYC) and Customer Due Diligence (CDD) requirements.
“Accountable Institutions (AIs) shall use only the Ghana Card to identify and verify all customers,” the notice stated.
In a bid to strengthen identities of individuals linked to financial accounts and banking transactions in Ghana, the new guidelines also makes the Ghana Card a key requirement for “Foreign Directors/Shareholders and Non-Residents who are signatories to accounts during onboarding”.
Also, in line with the guidelines, all accounting institutions are required to update their customer data with information from the National Identity Authority (NIA) as customers without the Ghana Card, Non-Citizens Identity Card and Refugees Identity Card are not allowed to transact any business with the financial institutions.
However, for foreign non-residents in Ghana for less than 90 days, the guidelines make an exception for them to use their valid international passport, visa information and date of entry to be able to access remittances.
The Ghana Card therefore becomes the primary source of identification in Ghana as it has been integrated into the nation’s telecommunication and financial systems.
Furthermore, it is the primary source of identification to access a number of public services.