Ghana Immigration Services

Newland Chase offers full support with all aspects of corporate immigration to Ghana. Please find an overview of the typical corporate immigration processes below. Every situation is unique, so please do get in touch, either through your usual Newland Chase contact or using the details on the right hand side of the page. Our immigration experts will be glad to discuss your needs in greater detail.

Immigration Summary

The standard Work Permit (In Quota) is for companies with a valid quota with available spaces. All companies registered with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) will be granted an automatic quota for foreign nationals depending on the amount that they have invested and usually up to a maximum of four spaces. This quota does not need to be renewed and is not position specific. When a foreign national employee taking up a quota space leaves Ghana, that space will become vacant. Work authorisation is indefinite.

If the host entity has no further automatic GIPC quota, it will need to request a discretionary quota support letter from the GIPC, and then apply for a work permit and a resident permit directly from the Ghana Immigration Service. It is expected that any foreign nationals in this category would transfer their skills to Ghanaian nationals over the course of their employment (usually approved for up to five years). It is unlikely that renewals will be granted beyond this point and if they are they would require corporate support and justification and would be issued at the discretion of the GIPC.

The Work Permit for oil and gas companies requires a local labour market search and an additional approval from the Petroleum Commission, which adds approximately three weeks to the processing time.

The Rotator Permit is for foreign nationals entering Ghana for a short-term assignment (up to six months) within the oil and gas industry. The process is a streamlined application, with fewer documentary requirements, no local labour market search and faster processing.