24 March 2022
Prosperity Sikhosana
The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage officially launched the e-passport Enrollment Center at the Bulawayo Civil Registry Provincial Office, koMsitheli.
The opening of the Provincial Enrolment Centre is to bring the service closer to the people thus doing away with applicants having to travel to Harare.
Gracing the event was Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Kazembe Kazembe, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube, Acting Registrar General Mr. Henry Machiri, Provincial Registrar Mrs. Jane Peters, Managing Director of Garsu Pasaulis Mr. Chukri Assal.
In his speech, Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Kazembe Kazembe said:
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to witness the official opening of the Bulawayo Provinve E-passport Bio-Enrolment Center.”
Electronic Passports (e-passports) were officially launched in December 2021 by the President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The launch resonates with the National Development Strategy One (NDS1) which aims at modernising the economy of Zimbabwe through the use of ICTs and digital technologies.
E-passport project rollout started in Harare which makes Bulawayo the second province to have an e-passport facility. Next will be Hwange and Lupane where the process of setting up infrastructure for the issuance of electronic passports is ongoing.
“This shall be followed by a similar exercise to the remaining seven provincial offices, which should be up and running by 30 June 2022,” said Minister Kazembe.
Digitalisation of passports will ensure safety from fraudulent activities as it consists of enhanced security features such as;
“-Electronic cover with a chip;
-personal data of the holder
-Each page of the passport chronicles a story about Zimbabwe’s rich Cultural heritage and major tourist attractions and;
-Security thread fully embedded in the inner booklet pages.”
This way, the ministry hopes there will be less criminal activities involving passport thefts and misuse.
The passport turnaround for an ordinary passport used to be minimum one month but now takes seven (7) days, the express passport will take 48 hours to be issued.
The prices are US$120.00 for the 7 day passport and US$200.00 for the 48 hour express passport. The turnaround time for the passport is regardless of where one is in the country.
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