The Ghana Foreign Affairs Ministry and Regional Integration has increased its passport application fees.

The increment made public on the passport application website took effect on Monday, April 1.

The decision was after the Ghana foreign affairs minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey’s proposal before the Parliament’s Committee on Subsidiary Legislation in December last year to review the current charges for passport applications.

Ms Botchwey said the ministry recorded losses from printing of passport booklets because Ghanaians have not been paying realistic prices for passports, adding  that to produce one passport booklet costs the state GH¢400.

“It is time for Ghanaians to pay realistic prices for passports they acquire to travel beginning next year. The current situation is not sustainable for the state to continue subsidizing passports,” the minister said.

Therefore to ensure financial viability while also providing essential services to citizens, the ministry increased the fee for a 32-page booklet under the standard service GH¢500 from its earlier GH¢100 while the 48-page booklet was increased to GH¢644.

For individuals opting for accelerated service, the service for the 32-page booklet was raised to GH¢700, while the 48-page booklet was increased to GH¢800.