Before you start

Non-citizen Ghana Card
Passport with the residence permit
Proof of address — tenancy agreement or utility bill
A Ghanaian phone number
Employer's introductory letter, commonly requested

Step-by-step

1
Get the Ghana Card before you attempt a bank
It is required for account opening and for mobile money. Trying to open an account on a passport alone will usually fail, or at best produce a restricted account you then have to upgrade.
In personWho: YouBefore the bank visit
2
Open a cedi account and a foreign-currency account together
Ghanaian banks offer foreign-currency accounts (funded from abroad) and foreign-exchange accounts (funded locally), which are treated differently for transfers out. Ask the bank which one matches how your money will actually arrive, and open both alongside the cedi account in one sitting.
In personWho: YouWeek 2–3
3
Register mobile money on the same number you will keep
MTN MoMo is used for everything from paying a plumber to splitting a restaurant bill. It is linked to your Ghana Card and your SIM registration, which is another reason the passport-registered SIM that dies at 30 days is such a problem — the wallet dies with the number.
Mobile appWho: You
4
Expect the account to be tiered by documentation
Transaction limits scale with the completeness of your KYC. A newly opened account with minimal documentation may have low limits that are lifted once proof of address and employment are on file. Ask what your limits are before you plan a large payment.
In personWho: You
5
Use a specialist service for inbound transfers
Sending money into Ghana through a specialist remittance provider is cheaper and faster than a correspondent-bank wire. For business capital going toward a GIPC threshold, though, the transfer must go through the banking system and be confirmed by the Bank of Ghana — that is the point of the exercise.
Mobile appWho: You
6
Confirm your Ghana Card PIN is on file for tax
Since April 2021 the Ghana Card PIN has been the taxpayer identification number for individuals. Banks and the Ghana Revenue Authority both key off it, so make sure the number on file at the bank matches the card exactly.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Non-citizen Ghana Card
Passport and residence permit
Proof of address
Employer's introductory letter
Passport photographs

Things most newcomers don’t know

One card unlocks the bank, the wallet, the tax file and the SIM — and one queue produces it.

The non-citizen Ghana Card is required for account opening, for mobile money, for SIM registration beyond a short window, for the residence permit and, through its PIN, for tax. That concentration is unusual and it cuts both ways: a single National Identification Authority appointment removes five separate blockers, and not having the card blocks all five at once. It is the highest-leverage errand of your first month in Ghana.

Source: National Identification Authority

Your Ghana Card PIN is your tax number, and there is no separate TIN to obtain.

From 1 April 2021 the Ghana Revenue Authority replaced individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers with the Ghana Card Personal Identification Number. Anyone reading older guidance goes looking for a TIN registration that no longer exists for individuals. If a form asks for your TIN, the answer is the PIN printed on the card — and if a bank has recorded it wrongly, your tax filings and your banking will not reconcile.

Source: Ghana Revenue Authority

Mobile money is mainstream infrastructure here, not a convenience app.

MTN MoMo and its competitors carry an enormous share of everyday payments in Ghana — tradespeople, small shops, informal transport, splitting bills. Coming from a card economy it is easy to treat it as optional and then find yourself unable to pay for ordinary things. Set it up in the first fortnight on a number you will keep, because the wallet is tied to the SIM registration and dies with it.

Source: community-reported

Foreign-currency and foreign-exchange accounts are two different products with different transfer rights.

Ghanaian banks distinguish accounts funded from abroad from accounts funded with foreign currency bought locally, and the rules on transferring out differ between them. Opening the wrong one and discovering the restriction when you try to move money is a familiar and avoidable frustration. Tell the bank exactly how the money will arrive and let them pick the product.

Source: community-reported; Bank of Ghana