New Passports

The Zimbabwean government has announced that they will now begin issuing e-passports to replace the old ones. These e-passports will be readable electronically. The charges for these passports are as follows:

• ordinary e-passport                        –   USD$100.00
• emergency or express e-passport   –   USD$200.00

In addition to the above, a normal fee of USD$20.00 shall be charged for every passport application fee processed at any CBZ Bank Branch Countrywide.

What happens to the those that got the old passports after a long wait recently?

According to the Statutory Instrument 273 of 2021, section 22 of the Citizenship of Zimbabwe Act [chapter 4:01], the following will apply :

“The current types of passports, issued before the date of operation of these regulations, will cease to be acceptable internationally by 31st December 2023, and will there fore be replaced by e-passports in terms of these regulations “

In other words, by the end of 2023 those passports will no longer be accepted.

View the Statutory Instrument below:

Some have suggested that this might help make the process of getting a passport much faster that it used to be and avoid any backlog like the current. However, you can imagine the frustration of individuals who have had to wait for months and even years to finally be able to get their passports this year. Others had to fork out a significant chunk of their hard earned money to get the passports, while some fell victim to some corrupt acts at the passport offices.

Do you think this move will make for a smoother passport obtaining process in the country?

The post Government Introduces New Passports. Old Passport Holders Beware! appeared first on Provoker Magazine.