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Regulatory changelog

What changed, and when.

Changes to the fees, rules and deadlines that affect Ghanaian businesses, with the source for each and an honest note of how far it has been verified.

Ghana Investment Promotion AuthoritySecondary source · to verify

GIPA Act, 2026 (Act 1173) assented

A new investment promotion law for enterprises with foreign participation, replacing the previous Act. Published summaries report the following changes.

  • Repeals the previous law (Act 865); the Authority is now GIPA, formerly GIPC
  • Removes blanket minimum capital requirements for most foreign participation
  • Keeps a US$500,000 cash requirement for trading
  • Makes GIPA registration annual

What it means for you

  • Foreign founders can realistically set up at smaller sizes than before
  • Enterprises with foreign participation gain a yearly renewal to keep track of
  • Regulations and forms are still being published, so confirm details with a lawyer

What we changed

  • Our foreign-founder pathway includes a partner lawyer who confirms what applies before you pay
  • Annual GIPA renewal is part of our compliance rules for enterprises with foreign participation

Source: Mondaq and Firmus Advisory FAQ (August 2026); Adomonline and GhanaWeb (July 2026), quoting the GIPC chief executive; Global Law Experts. Status: Verify against the Gazette and the GIPA regulations once published.

Guide: foreign investors and the GIPA ActForeign founders
Ghana Revenue AuthoritySecondary source · to verify

VAT registration threshold of GHS 200,000

The turnover threshold for VAT registration is reported as GHS 200,000 from April 2026.

  • VAT registration threshold reported as GHS 200,000, from April 2026

What it means for you

  • If your taxable turnover is approaching the threshold, you may need to register for VAT
  • A licensed tax partner can confirm whether and when it applies to you

What we changed

  • Our post-registration checklist flags VAT registration where the threshold may apply

Source: Ghana Business Web, “How to Register a Business with the ORC in Ghana in 2026”. Status: Verify with the Ghana Revenue Authority.

Compliance
Office of the Registrar of CompaniesSecondary source · to verify

ORC fees and charges updated

A new schedule of Registrar fees and charges took effect, covering registrations, name searches, annual returns, renewals, stamp duty and penalties.

ORC fees and penalties in schedule gh-2026-02-02
Business name registrationGHS 130
Partnership registrationGHS 270
Company registrationGHS 585
Name searchGHS 30
Annual return filingGHS 175
Business name renewalGHS 70
Stamp duty on stated capital1%
Penalty: annual return not filed, 1 to 4 yearsGHS 1,000
Penalty: annual return not filed, 5 years or moreGHS 2,000
Penalty: beneficial ownership not filedGHS 500

What it means for you

  • Government fees on every quote reflect this schedule
  • Penalties for late annual returns and beneficial-ownership filings are material for a small business

What we changed

  • Loaded as fee schedule gh-2026-02-02, effective 2 February 2026
  • Every quote names the schedule, and an application keeps the version in force when it was quoted

Source: Ghana Business Web and PISTIS And Associates 2026 guides, citing the ORC 2026 Fees and Charges publication. Status: Statutory amounts are from secondary publications of the ORC 2026 Fees and Charges schedule. Verify against the ORC's official publication before launch (Blueprint Appendix A).

PricingGuide: annual returns explained
How we handle changes

Rules change. Our process for keeping up does not.

Fees, requirements and deadlines are held as versioned settings, never typed into pages or code, so a change reaches every quote at once.

  1. We watch for changes

    Registrar notices, the Gazette, GIPA, GRA, the Bank of Ghana and the Data Protection Commission are reviewed every week, with counsel reviewing monthly.

  2. One person prepares, another approves

    Every change to fees, requirements or deadlines records the old and new values, the source, the reason, who made it and who checked it.

  3. Changes take effect on the right date

    A change can be scheduled for the date the law commences, so quotes switch over exactly when they should.

  4. Your quote keeps its version

    An application keeps the fee schedule and rules in force when it was quoted, and customer-facing changes are published here.

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