Ghana - Obtain Birth Certificate

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Procedure

The Birth and Death Registry in Ghana has introduced an automated birth certificate to avoid fraud.

Apply Online:

This allows citizens and non-citizens to apply for a police clearance certificate:

Step 1 - Registration:

• Access the Ghana E-Payment Portal under https://www.epay.gov.gh/ and create an account.
• Enter your personal data, choose a password and confirm your registration with <Submit>.
• An E-Mail confirmation is sent to you listing your user details and password.
  

Step 2 - Service Selection

• There are two different options to browse for the Service or Product you want to pay for:
• Click service by clicking on the service icon and select BDR - Births and deaths registry tab
  

Step 3 - Add To Cart

• Under BDR - Births and deaths registry tab choose (i) or (ii) for new application or replacement application respectively.

• BDR - Certified Copy of the Entry in Birth Register GH₵50.00
• BDR- General Search for Birth Certificate GH₵50.00
  

Choose (i) or (ii) for normal vetting for non-resident or residents respectively.

• Attach the documents requested.

• Birth notification
• Clinical weighing card.
• An affidavit from one of your parents if you are a minor
• Old birth certificate
• Baptismal card
• Proof of payment receipt.
• Copy of both parents ID cards
• Copy of a Death certificate (If a parent passed on)

• Click <Add to Cart>. And you will be forwarded to your cart.
  

Step 4 - Cart & Shipping Estimate

• This shows a summary of your application and shipping fee estimate
• Select the city where you want your certificate to be shipped to and proceed to make the payment
• When done click <Proceed to Checkout>.
  

Step 5 - Checkout Process

• Step 1 <Billing Information> confirms your actual billing address.
• Select <Ship to this address> if you want to ship to the same address
• When selecting <Ship to different address> you are requested to provide the new address data in Step 2, else this step is skipped.
  

Step 6 - Payment Processing

• As soon as your order is placed the payment is processed in two different ways depending on the payment method you have chosen:

• Bank Transfer
• Cash & Cheque Payment (Payall Network)
  

Step 7 - User Account

• At any point in time you can access your account using the <My Account> button in the menu top to get a comprehensive summary of your certificate order and status associated with it.
  

Step 8 – Delivery

• After processing the BDR – Birth certificate will be delivered to the shipping address you provided.
• Your birth certificate will be ready after 14 working days.

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Required Documents

• Birth notification
• Clinical weighing card.
• An affidavit from one of your parents if you are a minor
• Old birth certificate
• Baptismal card
• Proof of payment receipt.
• Copy of both parent’s ID cards
• Copy of a Death certificate (If a parent passed on)

Office Locations & Contacts

Ghana E-Payment Portal under : E-Payment Portal

Birth & Death Registry - Head Office
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development
Address2nd Liberia Road
Ministries
Accra
P.O.Box M50 Accra
Ghana, West Africa
Tel: 0302 66 8068/ 4383/2871
Email: [email protected]
Website: MIGRD Website

Eligibility

• The individual must be born in Ghana and of Ghanaian parents (either one or both).
• Parents/guardians of a newly born baby can apply on behalf on the new born
• Rescue centres taking charge of newly born abandoned babies

Fees

It cost GH₵50.00 to apply for the Ghanaian biometric birth certificate online.

Validity

The Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

Birth Certificate sample : Birth Certificate Sample Image

Processing Time

The process take a period of 14 days to complete.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Instructions

• You may request for a copy of a birth certificate online through Ghana Government's eService’s Portal. First you will need to register then log-in to your account – Link : E-Pay Website
• Simply follow the instructions and provide all required information.
• Attach required documents
• Pay for the certificate.

Required Information

• The name of the new born baby.
• Date and the place of the birth.
• The sex of the child (Whether male or female)
• The type of birth (i.e. whether single or multiple as in twins/triplets etc.)
• Exact place of Birth / Name of hospital where child was born
• The nature of birth.
• Birth Notification No.
• The particulars of the mother. i.e. the name, age, marital status, the previous births and the area/district the mother resides in.
• Full Name of Mother before marriage
• The name of the father for the married couples.
• Applicants' Address
• Postal Address of Child (For late application)

Need for the Document

1. The birth certificate is the first step towards the full exercise of citizenship. It is a proof of citizenship in Ghana and enables the holder to access the rights of a citizen of Ghana.
2. It proves your existence, your place and the date of birth, it is a legal document that proves and provides the names of your parents. i.e. it shows one’s kinship.
3. Without this document and the birth certificate number, citizens are deprived of their most fundamental rights and have no access to social programs and other government services.

   These services and documents include;

   • National ID Cards
   • Passports application
   • Visa application
   • Application for employment
   • Registering for final exams in primary and secondary schools.

4. Apart from being the first legal acknowledgement of a child’s existence and ticket to citizenship and nationality, a certificate of birth is fundamental to the realisation of a number of rights and practical needs such as:-
   • Ensure that children enrol in school at the right age.
   • To prevent child labour by enforcing laws relating to minimum age for employment.
   • To effectively counter the problem of forced marriage for girls before they are legally eligible without proof of age.
   • Getting a passport.
   • Getting an educational, health and or insurance policy cover for a child.
   • Opening a bank account for a child.
   • Protecting a child orphan from being disinherited by guardians/ relatives
   • Ensure that children in conflict with the law are given special protection and not treated (legally) and practically as adults.
   • Protect children who are trafficked, including through repatriation and family reunion.
5. Without a birth certificate a child does not officially exist and therefore lacks legal access to the privileges and protection of a Nation. It is therefore very vital that parents apply for their children’s birth certificate as soon as they are born to avoid inconveniences in the future.

Information which might help

The core business of registration and certification of Birth is to provide accurate and reliable information of the birth occurring in Ghana for the social-economic development of the country. Birth certificate in Ghana is one of the single most important document you need to have for any purpose.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development : MLGRD Website

Birth and Registration Act Ghana : Birth Act Ghana

Others

In Ghana, the Births and Deaths Registry was established by the Act 301 of 1965, within the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, to handle and develop the births and deaths registration system in Ghana. However, the Registration of Births and Deaths Act of 1965, (Act 301) is the legislation currently in force in the country.