The Director for Consumer and Corporate Affairs at the National Communication Authority (NCA) has revealed that visiting foreigners will have their SIM cards de-activated 30 days after they register.

Nana Defie Badu on Wednesday explained that, unlike resident foreigners, visiting non-nationals will use their passports to register their SIM cards instead of a non-citizen Ghana card issued by the National Identification Authority (NIA).

In view of that, they will not enjoy the same benefits as people who have registered their SIM cards with Ghana Cards as specified by law.

“Foreigners can get SIM cards. But for visiting foreigners the exception has been made for them to use their passport or travel document which will be checked by their mobile service provider.

“The only hitch is that with visiting foreigners your SIM card will be activated for a 30-day period after which it will be de-activated,” she said.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Mrs Badu said visiting foreigners who extend their stay beyond 30 days will have to see their telecommunication service provider to re-register.

“We have given directives to the mobile network providers to make sure that we don’t keep re-registering people with the same passport or travel documents as it sidestepped the SIM registration.

“So this person will have to see their mobile network provider and prove the extension they have been given and the service provider will seek clarity from the NCA as to whether they extend or they issue a new SIM card,” she explained.

To resident foreigners, Mrs Badu charged them to do the needful by acquiring a resident permit and obtaining a non-citizen Ghana card in order to register their SIM cards.

She insisted that foreigners who do not get the aforementioned identification card will risk having their SIM cards deactivated.

Ghana has begun a nationwide SIM card re-registration.

However, since the exercise commenced last week, there have been calls for government to include other forms of identification as requirements for SIM card registration.

While critics have considered the exercise as a waste of national resources, the Ministry explained the exercise has been necessitated due to the increase of communication services since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic and to facilitate E-education, among others.