06 February 2022
Vimbayi Mahachi
The long anticipated electronic passport is finally in use.
The government has commenced issuance of the E-passports and are to be in circulation on Monday.
In a statement the government said that the electronic passport will be accepted at the country’s borders as of tomorrow.
According to the Civil Registry Department (CRD) the issuance of the new feature passport began on the 18 of January this year.
Zimbabwe has upgraded production and issuance of e-passports that contain an electronic chip. The chip is embedded with the same information that is printed on the passport’s data page that is the holder’s name, date of birth, and other biographic information. It also contains a biometric identifier.
Biometric identifiers are fingerprints, facial patterns, voice or typing cadence which are distinct in every individual.
In a way these features make it impossible for identity theft and forgery.
The Acting Registrar-General Henry Machiri informed the Press that the roll out of the travel documents has begun in full force.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage through the Civil Registry Department commenced issuance of electronic passports at the central registry in Harare on 18 January 2022. Following its historic launch by his excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Cde ED Mnangagwa,” Machiri said.
“Members of the public and all our valued stakeholders are therefore advised that the e-passport will be usable at all our ports of entry and exit with effect from Monday 7 February 2022. The nation will be kept informed on any further developments surrounding the on-going implementation of the passport.”
An ordinary e- passport costs US$100, while an emergency passport is pegged at US$200 with an extra US$20 application fee that was instituted under Statutory Instrument (SI) 16 of 2022.
There however, has always been a problem of passport issuance as people apply and wait for several months or even a year to get the travel document.
Hope is that the turnaround time for the issuance of the new passport will be improved.
Zim GBC News