The Immigration Department and Citizenship Services has successfully issued over 3,000 travel documents to Malawians since the introduction of electronic passport system.
According to the Deputy Public Relations Officer for Immigration Department, Wellington Chiponde, the new system is speeding up the process of issuing travel documents as within a month, they have issued over 3,000 e-passports.
“This new system has excited and simplified our clientele as it has eliminated various requirements including getting as well as filling passport application forms endorsed by District Commissioner of applicant’s home village,” said Chiponde.
According to Chiponde, the new system uses the Malawi National Identity Card as the major document required in the application of Malawi’s passport.
Chiponde further said that the department has also reduced the issuance period of passports from 20 to 10 days for the sake of Malawians interest.
Commenting on the new system, Yunus Mongani, one of the passport applicants, concurred with Chiponde saying the new system has really lessened the burden of the applicants face in processing passports.
The new system was introduced in order to meet the standards of International Civil Aviation Organization so as to upgrade security on country’s passports.
The immigration department launched the electronic passport system in December, 2019, replacing the old system of ‘Machine Readable Zone’ passports.
