The government has come out to give passport solution to kenyans who want urgent processing of their passports
Through the Ministry of Interior, the government has asked kenyans who want their passports to be processed within a short period of time to upgrade from 34-Page booklets due to shortage of the booklets.
According to reports, the 34 page booklets applications are having the most applications making kenyans who are applying now and need urgent passport processing to experience delays in receiving their passports.
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This comes after the Immigration Principal Secretary Julius Bitok revealed that the country had received 112,700 additional passport booklets that will ensure faster processing of pending passports.
From the consignment, 50-page booklets were 92,400 while the rest, a total of 20,300, were 66-page type. The consignment was in addition to 50,000 other booklets with 50 pages that had been received earlier.
The shortage of the 34-page booklets is what is making most kenyans, majority of whom applied for the 34-page to experience delays thus advising kenyans who want urgent passportsto consider upgrading.
“The issuance of passports will be prioritised on a first-in-first-out basis. Applicants with pending 34-page passports who have an urgent need to travel are advised to upgrade their applications to the 50-page booklet through the eCitizen portal. No physical visit to Immigration offices is necessary to apply for the upgrade.”
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In terms of charges, the ministry advised that those seeking to upgrade will, however, pay an additional Ksh2,000 for the service in line with a new fee format introduced by the Ministry. A 34-page booklet costs Ksh7,500 while the 50-page version costs Ksh9,500.
Bitok also confirmed that the Ministry had procured two new machines which are expected to expedite the process of printing passports. The waiting period will be reduced to 21 days.