The Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services (DICS), has warned people who are spreading false information that the department is issuing dummy passports which are being rejected at some airports across the world.
Social media was awash with rumours that some airports sent back some people who owned the new passport because the document could not be scanned.
“There’s a probability that 60% of the printed passports(new) are dummies, you can’t use it to travel, I have been sent back from the airport, they couldn’t scan it…ati ikuterera (it is slippery), apparently I am not the only one, akuti ndibwerere ku Immigration akaikonze (they told me to return to Immigration so that they fix it). Tonse alliance mukupangilanji izizi (why are you doing this to us)? It’s not nice, I have a dummy pasipoti,” goes one of the reports which went viral on social media.
However, DICS through a press statement released on Thursday, 4th April 2024, signed by the department’s National Public Relations Officer Assistant Superintendent Wellington Chiponde, refuted the allegations.
While labeling the rumours as malicious and inappropriate, the department has warned people circulating such reports that if caught, they will face the music, saying their acts may compromise the security of Malawians traveling abroad.
“The Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services wishes to inform the public that social media rumours being peddled by certain individuals, alleging that the Malawi passports being printed are not being accepted at some airports, are categorically false. Further, such conduct is an arrestable offence and punishable by the court of law.
“Contrary to these malicious and inappropriate rumours that have the potential of compromising the security of Malawians traveling abroad, the Department wishes to assure all Malawians that all the passports being issued conform with the international standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized United Nations agency that regulates civil aviation standards across the globe,” reads part of the statement.
DICS has further notified the public that passport printing services being provided in Lilongwe include the issuance of Ordinary, Minor, Service and Diplomatic passports, all of which are recognized and accepted in every country across the globe, with no reports that a Malawian passport has been rejected by scanners or agents anywhere.
The Department has since thanked patriotic citizens who brought the false rumour to their attention and has reiterated their commitment to keeping Malawians safe by facilitating their ease of movement around the world in line with international best practices.
