Visa appointment in Ghana (2026): VFS Global, BLS, US Embassy, which centre for which country

In Ghana, most visa applications for Europe, the UK and Canada go through a private centre, and VFS Global runs most of them in Accra: UK, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Canada biometrics. BLS International receives Spanish files. Germany and the United States receive you at the embassy itself. These centres only receive files and take biometrics: the decision always belongs to the embassy or the immigration service.

This guide explains, for each destination, where to apply, how to book, what you will pay and what the official sites say about intermediaries. Everything below was checked on October 15, 2026 on the official sources listed at the end of the page.

The Schengen short-stay fee is 90 EUR for adults and 45 EUR for children aged 6 to 12; the Italian Embassy charges children under 6 nothing and converts the fee at a quarterly rate (1,170 GHC for an adult). You apply to the country where you will spend the longest time. To see where a Ghanaian passport needs no visa, read the list of visa-free countries for Ghanaian passport holders.

Ghana is not affected by the 2026 restrictions. Presidential Proclamation 10998, in force since January 1, 2026, fully or partially suspends visa issuance to nationals of 39 countries; Ghana is not on either list (State Department page updated February 2, 2026). Ghana is not on the State Department's list of countries subject to visa bonds either (updated October 2, 2026). Under the reciprocity table, a B1/B2 visa for a Ghanaian is issued with no reciprocity fee, multiple entries, valid up to 60 months.

How to book:

1. Fill in the DS-160 online form.
2. On the official U.S. visa website the embassy links to, create your account, pay the visa application fee and schedule your interview. For a B1/B2 visitor visa the fee is 185 USD, non-refundable and non-transferable.
3. Go to the interview: the entrance to the Consular Section is on Fifth Link Road, interviews are by appointment only, and you need a government-issued photo ID to enter.

Key rules published by the embassy:

• All applicants require an interview: there is no interview waiver in Accra.
• Applicants under 14 must be accompanied by one parent or guardian; from 14 to 17 it is optional.
• Expedited appointments exist for urgent, unforeseen needs (medical care, bereavement, urgent business), but very few are available and the embassy cannot guarantee an interview before your travel date. Explain in detail why you qualify and attach documents.
• Book in your country of residence or nationality.
• F, M and J (student and exchange) applicants, among other categories, must set their social media accounts to "public".

The consular section prefers email: [email protected]. Route details: US visa for Ghanaians.

Since October 22, 2024, the UK's visa application centre in Ghana is run by VFS Global (it replaced TLScontact). The centre is on the Mezzanine Floor, Grand Oyeeman Building, South Liberation Link, Accra. VFS lists submission from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday to Friday, and states that its optional services have no bearing on processing times or outcomes.

1. Apply online on gov.uk, no earlier than 3 months before you travel. Each family member needs their own form and fee.
2. Book the VFS appointment as part of that online process: you must apply before you can book.
3. At the centre, show your passport, give your fingerprints and photo and your supporting documents. You get your passport back the same day.
4. You will usually get a decision within 3 weeks. If approved, the visa is an eVisa linked to a UKVI account.

If UKVI grants a shorter long-term visa than you applied for, the fee is not refunded. Route details: UK visa for Ghanaians.

All applicants (except diplomatic and service passport holders) submit at VFS Global, One Airport Square, Ground Floor, Airport City, Accra. Booking on the VFS website is mandatory and includes prepayment of the service fee. Submission runs Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; passport collection from noon to 4 p.m. The VFS call centre is +233 (0) 30 274 6224.

Bring the printed appointment confirmation, a passport with at least 2 blank pages whose number matches the confirmation, your documents in checklist order, and the visa fee (cash or card). Documents must be in French or English, or translated. Apply at least 15 days before departure, up to 6 months ahead. Electronic devices and large bags are not allowed inside. Route details: France visa for Ghanaians.

• VFS Accra: 3rd Floor, The Grand Oyeeman, South Liberation Link, Airport, Accra. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• VFS Kumasi: Jacob Abeka Enterprise, Plot 71D Adum, next to Starlife Insurance. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

An appointment is required for every application. Book through the VFS Italy mobile app (family reunification with a Nulla Osta has its own platform). Applicants who held a Schengen visa in the last five years can use the "previous travellers" category. Fees: 90 EUR visa fee (1,170 GHC) plus a 143 GHC VFS service fee, payable online or in cash. Documented emergencies go by email to [email protected]. Route details: Italy visa for Ghanaians.

Residents of Ghana, Liberia, Niger and Sierra Leone apply at the VFS Global centre in Accra. The same centre takes Schengen applications for Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland and Portugal. The Dutch government asks you to book yourself, not through an intermediary, to make a separate appointment for each person, and to attend in person, even under 18. Apply between 6 months and 15 days before travel. The embassy warns that forged documents are reported to the Ghana Police (CID) or the Ghana Immigration Service and are not returned. Route details: Netherlands visa for Ghanaians.

Germany has no private centre in Ghana: you apply at the embassy in Accra, after registering on a waiting list in the Federal Foreign Office's online appointment system. Registration is free, and the embassy says it does not work with agents. Expect a wait of several weeks, sometimes months, between registration and appointment.

• Pick the right category: "tourism", "all other purposes" (family, business, conferences), or "privileged groups" (for example frequent travellers who used two Schengen visas in the last three years, or one Schengen visa plus a UK, Irish, US, Canadian, Japanese, Australian or New Zealand visa). A booking in the wrong category is refused at the door.
• One registration per person, and a new one only after one month. Each child needs their own.
• Latecomers are not admitted, and misuse of the system gets the applicant blocked.
• Processing usually takes about 15 days after submission.

Route details: Germany visa for Ghanaians.

Spain's embassy requires submission at the BLS Ghana Schengen Visa Reception Center, Lower Ground Floor, The Elizabeth, Senchi Street, Airport Residential Area, Accra. The same centre accepts short-stay applications for Greece and Slovenia. Book only on the BLS website, apply in person between 6 months and 15 days before travel, and expect a decision within 15 calendar days (up to 45 if an interview or more documents are requested). BLS reminds applicants that travel insurance is mandatory. Route details: Spain visa for Ghanaians.

Canada. IRCC states that "you must apply online" for a visitor visa. Fees: 100 CAD per person (500 CAD maximum for a family of five or more) plus 85 CAD for biometrics (170 CAD maximum for a family). After IRCC's instruction letter, book biometrics as soon as possible at the Canada Visa Application Centre in Accra, run by IOM in partnership with VFS Global at Ghana Baptist Convention House, Abelenkpe Road. Canada visa for Ghanaians.

Ireland. Ghana residents must apply through VFS in Accra: applications sent directly to the visa office are refused. Apply online, then book a VFS appointment to submit your documents. The fee is the local currency equivalent of 60 EUR (single entry) or 100 EUR (multiple entry). The application is decided by the Embassy of Ireland in Abuja.

• Never pay for an appointment. Germany's embassy says booking is free and it does not work with agents; BLS says its staff never ask for money for an appointment or a faster decision, and advises against payments into personal bank accounts; the Dutch government says to book yourself.
• Book only through the official channel: the website the US Embassy links to, the VFS site or app, the BLS website, the German waiting list.
• For the US, ask for an expedited appointment only if you really meet the criteria, with documents.
• For Germany, register as soon as your trip is foreseeable, and check whether you qualify as a "privileged" applicant.
• Do not switch country to get a slot: apply to the country of your longest stay.

Travel insurance. Compulsory for every Schengen visa: the European Commission says it must cover emergency medical care, hospitalisation and repatriation, including in the event of death. Criteria and traps are in our Schengen visa travel insurance guide.

Accommodation. Your file must show where you will stay: a hotel booking or an invitation from your host. Choose free cancellation, and keep the booking until you travel: border police can ask for it.

Checked on October 15, 2026.

• U.S. Embassy Ghana, nonimmigrant visas, State Department fees, reciprocity for Ghana, suspension of visa issuance and countries subject to visa bonds.
• gov.uk, new UK visa supplier in Ghana, Standard Visitor visa and VFS Global UK in Ghana.
• France-Visas, Ghana.
• Embassy of Italy in Accra, where to apply and fees.
• NetherlandsWorldwide, Schengen visa in Ghana.
• German Embassy Accra, visa appointments and appointment system.
• Embassy of Spain in Accra and BLS Spain Ghana.
• IRCC, visitor visa, IRCC fees and IOM Ghana, Canada VAC.
• Embassy of Ireland, visas for Ireland.
• European Commission, applying for a Schengen visa.

IziVisas is not an embassy or a visa centre and does not book appointments. Check the amounts on the centre's website before you go: they can change.