FAQs

GHANA CARD

Below is a listing of commonly asked Ghana Card Verification questions and answers, and basic troubleshooting steps for your verification operation systems and software.

1How do I generate new serial numbers?

New serial numbers can be generated on the Persus portal.
• Login into the portal (use this link: https://verifyid.nia.gov.gh/persus/).
• From the left corner of the menu, click on the tribar (≡).
• From the pop-up menu, select "Generate Serial Number".
• Proceed to input the serial information.
• Click on "Generate" to complete the process.

2How do I reactivate a serial number?

Serial numbers can be re-activated on the Persus portal.
• Login into the portal (use this link: https://verifyid.nia.gov.gh/persus/).
• From the left corner of the menu, click on the tribar (≡).
• From the pop-up menu, select "Activate Serial Number".
• Proceed to input the serial number information.
• Click on "Activate" to complete the process

3The issuance date on the Ghana card is different from the issuance date provided on the system. What do I do?

During some verification attempts, the issue date in the NID system differs from what is present on the card.
This was caused by the album distribution exercise conducted before the voter's registration. Kindly ignore this and proceed with the verification process; this is not a red flag.
Only in cases where the expiry date is different from what is present on the card should escalations occur.

4How do I add mode of operations?

Kindly login into the Persus portal (https://verifyid.nia.gov.gh/persus/).
• From the left corner of the menu, click on the tribar (≡).
• From the pop-up menu, select "Add Mode of Operation".
• Proceed to input the mode of operation information.
• Click on "Create" to complete the process.

5The Username name on the Ghana Card differs from the username on the Verification Platform when the Ghana Card was verified. What do I do?

The system was initially designed to accommodate only two additional names other than the surname. Hence, although the individual's full names were captured or printed on the card, the third name was truncated in the system.
However, the individual's full name has been captured in your callback.
In subsequent versions, the system will be modified to allow more than two additional names.

6How do I access the Persus portal?

To access the Persus portal kindly use the link below:
https://verifyid.nia.gov.gh/persus/

7Will the short transaction ID generated from the verified results be unique and not repeated during any further verification?

Yes. The Transaction ID is an alphanumeric combination of seven characters and will not be repeated. These characters are unique for any transaction; either failed or successful.
Thank you.

8I am unable to create any additional serial numbers. I always received an error message that Maximum Serial Number Reached. What do I do?

Please contact Verification Support (verification.support@imsgh.org) for an increase in the serial number capacity.

9What do I do when I receive this error message (PLEASE CARD READER CLOSED. CLOSE APP AND START AGAIN) on the offline device?

After the offline device is left inactive for a while, the card is temporarily closed. In such an instance, please close the application and restart it; this will re-open the card reader.

10. There is a field “Mode of Operation” which is supposed to have drop-down values, but there are no values.

Please note that you or your institution is required to fill out the "Mode of Operation" field based on your operational specification. Example: "Transaction".

11The card number input field does not automatically provide hyphen (-) before the last digit; it, however, provides it after GHA.

Please note that some of the card numbers have only eight (8) digits and not nine (9) as commonly seen. Hence, you would have to manually insert the hyphen.

12What values does “Mode of Operation” support?

Ans: The Mode of Operation field supports numbers and texts.

13I received the error message, (Poor fingerprint captured or Failed Verification) when I tried to verify the card, what do I do?

Ans: The operator may receive the error, “Poor Quality Fingerprint captured” due to the following reasons:
• Faint fingerprint: This occurs when the card holder's fingerprints are very faint due to dryness, and the print captured appears faint on the application.
Solution:
        o The cardholder must wash their hands, clean, and dry them before trying again
        o Moisturize hands, but ensure that it is not too greasy
        o Apply pressure to the finger on the reader
• Dirty Fingerprint: This occurs when the scanner surface gets dirty from the accumulation of liquid or dirt; hence, the sensor cannot read the prints properly.
Solution:
        o Wipe the fingerprint scanner (Kojak or columbo) with a clean cloth or tissue paper. If the dirt is sticking to the module, gently wipe it with a damp cloth wetted with alcohol.
• Poorly placed finger: This occurs when the cardholder places just the tip of the finger on the sensor; hence, the sensor is unable to capture the prints properly.
Solution: Place about one-third (1/3) of the finger on the reader.

14I received the error of Poor Image Quality Captured or failed verification when I tried to verify the card, what do I do?

Ans: The operator may receive the Poor Image Quality Captured or failed verification error due to the following reasons:
• Poor room lighting: This occurs when the room light is dim, so the image captured appears dark and the card holder’s physical features cannot be read.
• Solution:
        o Re-position the cardholder in a more lit-up place o Perform finger verification.
• Glare: This occurs when light reflects onto the camera lens, so the image captured is too bright or has a light reflection on it. This makes the features difficult to read.
        o Solution: Adjust the camera away from the light glare.
• Smudges on the camera lens: This occurs when there is dirt on the camera lens, so the image captured appears blurry or not clear.
• Solution:
        o Periodically wipe the camera lens with a clean cloth or tissue.
        o Adjust the camera using the side to avoid touching the lens.
• Subject out of focus: This occurs when the camera lens is not properly focused on the subject. It happens when the subject fidgets while the image is being captured.
Solution: Request the cardholder to sit still and look into the camera until the image is captured.

15The camera feed from a number of our users shows black and not able to take a passport picture of the customer for verification.

Ensure that the user's webcam is properly connected to their computer and select the right webcam is selected in the application/device settings.

16. We are looking at the possibility of not only receiving requests from NIA but also issuing (GET REQUEST), i.e. when one keys in a national id number, he/she can also get the Customer’s NIA Data details for validation for their transactions. We need the GET request strings (eg - card no/national id) and the ports and what will be pushed to us apart from the push/post request from NIA for a possible system integration.

Ans: Please be informed that the National Identification Authority (NIA) does not provide such services as requested; hence your request cannot be approved.

17The feedback I receive when they attempt to log in is an Invalid username or password, what do I do?

Ans: Kindly log into the Persus web application (use this link: https://verifyid.nia.gov.gh/persus/app/merchant_user.xhtml) to reset the user's password. Once the password reset has been completed, kindly log in again with the USERNAME and NEW PASSWORD

18I noticed that Columbo Fingerprint reader displays as Unknown USB device when connected to any desktop or laptop. What do I do?

When you connect the USB of the columbo device to your PC, the USB device descriptor helps identify the connected device. This helps the system determine which device driver to load.
But if the USB device descriptor malfunctions, your PC won’t recognize the columbo device. Instead, you’ll receive an error message that reads, "Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)" or "A Request for the USB Device Descriptor Failed.
Solution:
• Ensure that there the columbo drivers have been properly installed onto the computer. • Plug your columbo fingerprint scanner device into a different computer. This will help you determine whether the problem comes from the USB of the columbo device or your PC.