Big Win for Ghana: U.S. Restores 5-Year Multiple-Entry Visas

Francis AnningSeptember 25, 2025

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Big Win for Ghana: U.S. Restores 5-Year Multiple-Entry Visas

Ghanaian travellers can once again apply for five-year multiple-entry visas to the United States. Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced the change after a meeting with the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker at the UN General Assembly.

On Facebook, Mr. Ablakwa described it as “a big win for Ghana,” stating that months of high-level talks had led to the breakthrough. “Ghanaians can now be eligible for five-year multiple-entry visas and other enhanced consular privileges,” he wrote.

In July, the U.S. reduced the duration of most Ghanaian visas to three months and limited them to single entry, saying it was realigning its visa policies under a “global reciprocity” programme. Washington argued that Ghana and other countries were offering much shorter visas to Americans than the U.S. had been issuing to their citizens. Ghana’s government rejected the move at the time, pointing out that it regularly grants multiple-entry visas to Americans, often up to five years. According to official figures, more than 40,000 U.S. citizens received Ghanaian visas in the first half of 2025, with about 28,600 of them multiple-entry.

Big win for Ghana!
The US visa restrictions imposed on Ghana has been reversed.
Ghanaians can now be eligible for five-year multiple entry visas and other enhanced consular privileges.
This good news was directly communicated to me by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker at a bilateral meeting earlier today, in the margins of the UN General Assembly.
I am really pleased that months of high-level diplomatic negotiations has led to a successful outcome.
It will be recalled that the US imposed visa restrictions on Ghana and other countries in July this year. The affected countries were slapped with a maximum three-month single entry visas and other limitations. In the specific case of Ghana, the Trump Administration said they were reacting to many years of visa overstays mainly by students.
It’s good to see healthier and stronger Ghana 🇬🇭 USA 🇺🇸 relations.
For God and Country. 🇬🇭 🙏🏾

– Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa

If the new U.S. policy is applied as described, it will make travel easier for Ghanaians visiting the U.S. for business, study, tourism, or family reasons. It also signals a thaw after months of tension between the two countries.

However, details are still emerging. The U.S. Embassy has not yet issued a public statement confirming the changes or explaining when they will take effect. It is also unclear whether existing visas issued under the old restrictions will be upgraded automatically.