All passengers travelling to Ghana will have to complete an online health declaration before departure from Thursday, November 12, the Ghana Health Service has announced.
The requirement applies to every person arriving in the country and was confirmed in a release signed on Saturday, November 7, by the Service’s Director-General, Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea. It follows an earlier announcement by the Minister of Health.
Travellers who submit the form will receive a QR code, which Port Health officials will scan when they arrive in Ghana. The online platform opens in English and French.
Information required from travellers
The declaration asks for details including recent travel, symptoms and contacts. The information is sent to Port Health for use in monitoring public health risks.
For children younger than 12, the form must be completed by a parent or guardian.
Port Health officials may contact a passenger at any time during the 21 days after their arrival. The declaration also warns that providing false information or refusing to follow an instruction from Port Health could lead to action under the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851).
The Ghana Health Service did not specify a fine in Saturday’s release. It said the new requirement was intended to strengthen disease surveillance and preparedness, while helping officials monitor risks to both residents and visitors.
Measures linked to Ebola monitoring
The announcement comes after Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said on Tuesday, November 3, that passengers would have to declare any travel to, or transit through, a country experiencing Ebola transmission during the previous 21 days.
Port Health officials are expected to check passengers’ temperatures and travel histories on arrival. The Ghana Health Service will then monitor relevant travellers for up to 21 days.
The Ministry of Health said Ghana had no confirmed Ebola case and described the measures as precautionary.
Checks at airports and other points of entry were strengthened in October following an imported Bundibugyo case in Kenya and a confirmed case in Nigeria.
Dr Akoriyea has urged passengers to complete the declaration before setting out to avoid delays during their journey. Airlines and companies selling travel to Ghana have also been asked to notify their customers about the requirement in advance.
The Ghana Health Service published the release on X on Saturday morning under reference GHS/PRU/PR/26/11.
Passengers who have already submitted the form can retrieve their receipt again through the same online platform.
