Everything you need for a successful trip.
Online e-Visa or the Ghana High Commission in London: which route to take, what to have ready, and the mistakes that stop UK travellers at the check-in desk.
On 25 May 2026 Ghana switched to a digital pre-travel system. For British passport holders this is mostly good news: you no longer have to post your passport to London and wait. You apply online, pay by card and receive the visa by email, and your passport stays in your drawer until you fly.
The catch is that the check has moved upstream. Your airline now verifies your entry permission before it hands you a boarding pass at Heathrow or Gatwick. The old habit of "sorting it out at the airport in Accra" is finished. Visa on arrival has been, for practical purposes, discontinued. Do not plan around it.
Living in Britain does not decide your entry category. Your passport does. That matters, because a large share of UK residents travelling to Ghana do not hold British passports.
If anyone charges you for an ETA, you are on the wrong website. The ETA is free.
This is the intended default and, for almost every British traveller, the better choice. You apply at evisa.immigration.gov.gh, the Ghana Immigration Service portal. Fill in the form, upload your documents, pay by card, and the approved e-Visa arrives by email. Print it. Then print it again and put the second copy in your hand luggage.
Categories include tourism, business, family visits, transit and study. Choose the one that matches your trip. "Visiting family" and "tourism" are different categories, and a mismatch between what you declare and the documents you upload is one of the reported reasons for refusal.
The consular route still exists, and for some people it is the right one. Choose it if you want a physical visa sticker in your passport, if your case is unusual (dual nationality, a travel document rather than a passport, a renounced Ghanaian citizenship), or if the online card payment keeps failing and you need a human being.
You complete the form online, pay electronically, print the paperwork and post it with your passport. Processing has been reported at 10 to 15 working days, plus postage both ways. Budget three weeks without your passport, and do not book a flight inside that window.
London also runs a premium application centre with appointments, reported to issue a stamped visa in around three days for collection. Return by post has been reported at around £35 extra. Confirm the current location, hours and charges with the High Commission before you travel to London for it.
Ghana High Commission, London: 13 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PN. Current consular information, forms and fees: london.mfa.gov.gh
These are the figures reported at and since the May 2026 launch. We print them because "how much is a Ghana visa" is a fair question. But on a system this new, a stale number is worse than no number, so check the portal before you pay.
Fees are charged in US dollars, so the cost on your UK card moves with the exchange rate, and your bank may add a foreign transaction fee on top. At around $260 for a single entry, Ghana's tourist visa is expensive by West African standards. Budget for it from the start.
Most refusals come from incomplete applications, not from anything about the applicant. Gather everything first, then fill the form once, slowly.
The airline checks your eligibility against the industry database before boarding, because it is fined for flying an inadmissible passenger. If the system says you need an authorisation and you cannot show it, you do not fly. Arguing with the agent will not change that.
Have these printed, in your hand luggage, not in the hold:
If you are refused at the desk, ask the agent to write down exactly which document or requirement is missing. That turns a shouting match into a problem you can fix.
The most common problem. A card payment to a Ghanaian government portal often trips the fraud filters of British banks. Ring your bank or approve the payment in your banking app before you pay. A declined payment is not a refused visa, even though it feels like one.
Your name must match exactly across passport, payment card and supporting documents. Middle names, hyphens, married names and the order of given names all cause rejections. Diaspora travellers with documents from two countries are hit hardest.
Check the application status on the portal itself and look in your spam folder. If it is stuck and your flight is close, contact the Ghana Immigration Service rather than applying, and paying, twice.
Search results are full of unofficial "Ghana visa" sites that charge for the free ETA or add a large markup to the e-Visa. Some are simply fraud. The only portal is evisa.immigration.gov.gh. If the address is anything else, close the page.
Apply at least three weeks before you fly, more for December, Easter and the Independence Day period around 6 March. The processing times above are estimates, not promises.
Entry rules change without notice, and this page is a guide to what to look for, not a substitute for checking. These are the sources that count:
Yes, UK citizens require a visa to enter Ghana. You can apply through the Ghana High Commission in London.
The best time to visit Ghana is during the dry season, from November to March.
Transportation options in Ghana include taxis, tro-tros (shared minibuses), and car rentals.
The currency in Ghana is the Ghanaian cedi (GHS).
Yes, English is the official language and is widely spoken throughout the country.
It is recommended to check with your healthcare provider for advice on vaccinations, but commonly recommended ones include Hepatitis A, Typhoid, and Yellow Fever.