NIA Halts Date of Birth Changes on Ghana Card Until Further Notice

People hoping to correct or change the date of birth on their Ghana Card will have to wait. The National Identification Authority (NIA) has put all such requests on hold, with effect from Monday, 9 November 2026, and has not said when the service will resume.

The Authority announced the move in a statement issued on 9 November. According to Graphic Online, the press release was signed by the NIA's Head of Corporate Affairs, Williams Ampomah Emmanuel Darlas.

Graphic Online reported that the Authority took the decision after reviewing how date of birth updates are handled, a review it said showed that stronger safeguards were needed. As first reported by Citi News, the NIA said the pause would allow it to tighten the rules for the process and guard against possible irregularities.

Under the suspension, NIA offices across the country will neither receive nor work on fresh applications to amend a date of birth. Applicants whose requests were already being handled will also not receive approval while the halt remains in place.

Also read: GES Pilots Entrepreneurship Programme in Three Senior High Schools

"During the temporary suspension, no new date of birth update requests shall be accepted or processed at any NIA office nationwide, and requests already in progress will not be approved," the statement said, as quoted by Citi News.

The NIA said it was holding talks with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the Births and Deaths Registry (BDR) and other relevant bodies to improve how applicants' claims are checked before any change is made to their records.

According to the Authority, the aim of these consultations is to put in place "a transparent, credible, and standardised system" for dealing with requests to change dates of birth.

Graphic Online reported that the NIA has promised to notify the public once the consultations end and the approved guidelines are ready for use.

The Authority apologised for any inconvenience the suspension may cause and thanked the public for their understanding and cooperation as it works to strengthen the verification process.