Further Information Released on Medical Certificate Requirement

The situation

The Ghana Immigration Service has released additional information regarding the requirement for first time applicants for Work and Residence Permits to obtain medical certificates from the GIS Medical Facility in Accra, including: fees, types of tests conducted, hours of the clinic and the obtainment of results.

A closer look

• Fee. The fee per applicant to obtain a medical examination in order to obtain a medical certificate is GHs 900, payable to the Ghana Immigration Service. This is for all medical examinations except those that will need to include X-rays which have been outsourced to Sunshine Medical Healthcare, located at Airport Residential Area, Accra. The fees for X-rays are payable to Sunshine Medical and include laboratory tests.
• Tests. The tests conducted at the GIS medical facility include tests for Hepatitis A and B, HIV, Syphilis, lungs and muscoskeletal diseases, central nervous system diseases, and sickle cell anemia, amongst others.
• Hours. The GIS clinic will be open from 12 P.M. to 4 P.M. each day from Monday through Friday. There are no appointments required as the clinic is a walk-in service.
• Results. Results will be ready within 24 hours and will be sent electronically to the work and residence permit sections of the Ghana Immigration Service as soon as they are ready. Copies will be made available to applicants upon request, but once the examination is over, applicants do not need to take any additional steps to receive the medical certificate.

Impact for foreign nationals

Applicants for Work and Residence Permits will incur additional costs since they will have to travel to Ghana to undergo their medical examination at the GIS headquarters or Sunshine Medical Healthcare and then leave the country to apply for their work and residence permit outside of Ghana.

Foreign nationals should also anticipate that the personal appearance requirement will increase the amount of time that it will take to file a work or residence permit applications and therefore delay work start dates.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to africainfo@fragomen.com.