NHIS Ghana Registration: How to Sign Up, Renew by *929# and What It Covers

Many Ghanaians qualify for NHIS without paying a premium at all, including children, pregnant women, over-70s and SSNIT contributors. You register at your district office with your Ghana Card, or on the MyNHIS app.

You renew every year, in person, on the app or by dialling *929# (which adds a GH₵1 fee). NHIS doesn't publish a fixed premium online, so confirm yours at the district office. Here's how it works for anyone in Ghana.

How do you register for NHIS in Ghana?

You have two options, and both lead to the same card.

In person: go to any NHIS district office. A staff member interviews you to work out which category you fall into, fee-paying or one of the exempt groups below, then takes your photo and biometrics. Your card is issued instantly, the NHIS membership page confirms, so you don't leave empty-handed.

On your phone: download the MyNHIS app (Google Play or the App Store) and follow the steps. This works for fee-paying adults, children and SSNIT members, but not for pregnant women or people registering as indigents. The official guidance says those two groups must register in person.

Either way, you'll need to provide:

• Your full name, date of birth and marital status
• A working mobile number and your residential address
• Your Ghana Card details. NHIS checks them against the national ID, so get your Ghana Card first if you don't have one

If you're claiming an exempt category, bring proof: an antenatal card, a pregnancy test or an ultrasound report if you're pregnant, or your SSNIT number if you're registering as a contributor or pensioner.

Newborns: a baby can use its mother's NHIS card for the first three months, then needs its own registration. Don't wait until the three months are up, because cover doesn't carry over automatically.

Who doesn't have to pay the NHIS premium?

Ghana's National Health Insurance Act, 2012 (Act 852) sets out exactly who is exempt from the premium. Checked against the Act itself in October 2026, the exempt groups are:

Everyone else, mostly people in informal work who aren't SSNIT contributors, pays the premium when they register and again each year when they renew. If you're on a formal payroll, it's worth checking whether SSNIT is already coming out of your pay with our Ghana PAYE calculator, since that usually means your NHIS premium is covered too.

How much does NHIS registration and renewal cost?

This is the part NHIS doesn't make easy to answer. Its own membership and FAQ pages confirm a premium and/or processing fee is payable by fee-paying members, but neither one, nor the Act itself, publishes a current cedi figure. District offices have quoted different amounts in different years, and NHIS periodically runs free-registration drives that change what you'll pay on the day.

The clearest recent example: between 15 April and 31 May 2026, the National Health Insurance Authority ran its "Operation STORM" campaign, making registration and renewal free across the country and dropping the usual one-month waiting period at the same time. It was the first time it had done both together, according to NHIA chief executive Dr Victor Asare Bampoe. The campaign ended on schedule, and normal fees and waiting periods have applied since 1 June 2026.

So rather than quote you a number that might already be wrong by the time you read this, here's what to do: call the NHIA head office on 0302 238136, 233255, 216970 or 241690, or ask at your district office, before you go in to register or renew. If a free-registration drive is running in your area, NHIA runs these periodically, you'll pay nothing at all.

The one fee that is published and current: renewing by phone through *929# adds a flat GH₵1 convenience charge on top of whatever your normal premium comes to.

How do you renew NHIS by phone using *929#?

This is the fastest way to renew, and it works on every network without needing airtime or data to open the menu. From the official NHIS mobile renewal guide:

1. Dial *929# on your phone.
2. Choose "Renew" from the menu (the same menu also lets you check your policy expiry date for free, see your benefit package, or get the medicine list and call centre number).
3. Enter your NHIS Membership Number, which is printed on your card.
4. Pay from your mobile money wallet, which covers your premium plus the GH₵1 convenience fee.
5. You'll get an SMS confirming the renewal went through.

Mobile renewal is open to fee-paying adults, children, over 70s and SSNIT members. Pregnant women and indigents still have to renew at a district office, since those categories need the paperwork checked in person.

One quirk worth knowing: once you start renewing by phone, your physical card stops being reprinted with an expiry date on it, because the system tracks your status digitally instead. Don't be surprised if a clinic receptionist checks your number against the system rather than reading a date off your card.

What happens if your NHIS card has expired?

NHIS gives you a three-month grace period. Renew within 90 days of your card lapsing and you get cover again immediately, per the FAQ page. Wait longer than that and you're treated as a defaulter: you'll serve a one-month waiting period after renewing before you can claim again.

The one-month wait also applies to brand-new members from the date they first register.

Three groups never have a waiting period, whether they renew late or join for the first time: pregnant women, children under five and people over 70. If you're in one of those groups and a hospital tries to turn you away because of a waiting period, push back. It doesn't apply to you.

What does NHIS cover?

NHIS describes its benefits package as covering more than 95% of the disease conditions that bring Ghanaians to hospital. In practice, that means:

• Out-patient care: consultations, lab tests, X-rays and ultrasounds, day surgery (hernia repairs, abscess drainage, haemorrhoidectomy), physiotherapy, and medicines on the official NHIS Medicines List
• In-patient care: general and specialist admission, cervical and breast cancer treatment, appendicectomy, and ward accommodation and feeding where the facility provides it
• Maternity: antenatal visits, normal and assisted delivery, caesarean section, and post-natal care
• Emergencies: medical and surgical emergencies, including brain or heart surgery when it's accident-related, road traffic and workplace accidents, and obstetric emergencies
• Oral health: pain relief, extractions and simple fillings, not the full range of dental work
• Eye care: refraction tests, visual field checks, cataract removal and eyelid surgery
• Blood and blood products

What doesn't NHIS cover?

Just as important, because this is where people get caught out at the hospital till. NHIS explicitly excludes, per its own benefits page:

• Cosmetic surgery, though reconstructive surgery after burns is covered
• HIV antiretroviral medicines
• Dialysis for chronic kidney failure
• Heart or brain surgery that isn't accident-related
• Cancer treatment other than cervical and breast cancer
• Organ transplants
• Assisted reproduction, including IVF and hormone replacement therapy
• Appliances and prosthetics: hearing aids, orthopaedic aids, optical aids and dentures
• Echocardiography, angiography, clinical photography and orthoptics
• Medicines that aren't on the NHIS Medicines List
• Treatment outside Ghana
• Medical exams done for a job, school, visa or driving licence application
• VIP or amenity ward accommodation
• Mortuary services

If a provider recommends anything on this list, ask upfront what it costs out of pocket before you agree to it.

Mistakes that leave you without cover

• Don't let your card lapse for more than 90 days if you can avoid it. The one-month waiting period leaves you without cover just when you might need it most.
• Confirm the fee before you pay it. Because NHIS doesn't publish one national price list, a figure you saw on a blog or heard from a neighbour last year may not match what your district office charges today. Ask first.
• Keep an eye out for free-registration drives. NHIA runs these periodically, the April–May 2026 STORM campaign was the most recent, and timing your registration or renewal to one saves you the premium entirely.
• VIP wards and private rooms aren't covered, even in hospitals that otherwise take NHIS. If you want a private room, you'll pay the difference yourself.
• Newborns need their own card after three months. Don't assume the mother's card keeps covering the baby indefinitely.

Households on the LEAP grant can also register for NHIS without paying premiums.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Ghana Card to register for NHIS?

Yes. NHIS registration now needs your Ghana Card details, whether you register at a district office or on the MyNHIS app. If you don't have one yet, get it first: see our Ghana Card registration guide for the current fees and process.

How much does NHIS registration cost in Ghana?

NHIS doesn't publish a fixed national fee, and amounts have varied by district and year. Confirm the current figure with your district NHIS office or the NHIA head office (0302 238136) before you go in. The one fee that is published: renewing through *929# adds a flat GH₵1 on top of your premium.

Can I renew my NHIS card from my phone?

Yes. Dial *929#, select "Renew", enter your NHIS Membership Number from your card, and pay from your mobile money wallet. You'll pay your normal premium plus a GH₵1 convenience fee, and you'll get an SMS once it's done.

Is NHIS free for children, pregnant women and pensioners?

Yes. Under Act 852, children under 18, pregnant women, SSNIT pensioners and contributors, people over 70, and people classified as indigent or living with a disability don't pay the premium at all.

Does NHIS cover dialysis or HIV medication?

No. Dialysis for chronic kidney failure and HIV antiretroviral medicines are both explicitly excluded from the NHIS benefits package, along with organ transplants and most cancer treatment outside cervical and breast cancer.

What happens if I don't renew my NHIS on time?

You have 90 days of grace after your card expires. Renew within that time and your cover starts again straight away. Renew later and you'll wait one month before you can use it again, unless you're pregnant, under five or over 70, when the waiting period never applies.