How to Get An International E-passport in East Africa

The advent of passports has made it easier to identify humans all-roundly. Prior to the fact that we’re now in a technology-driven world, passports serve as a valid means of acceptance or identification in any country both internally and externally. For travellers and students planning to study outside their country of origin, it is very important to have a valid International passport. Even if you’re enrolled for a scholarship internationally, the absence of your passport can disqualify you from that luxury. Passports are now replaced in a new modernized way called “E-passport”.

The East African Governments have introduced an International East African e-Passport to replace and eventually phase out the current East African and International Machine-Readable Passports. The e-Passport system which was commissioned in January 2019.

How To Get An International E-passport in East Africa

The East African Governments urges her citizens to note the following:

1. The new e-Passport will be presented in the following colours: Slay Blue (Ordinary Passport), Green (Service Passport) and Red (Diplomatic Passport).

2. Distinct features: The new International EAC e-passport will be a physical passport like the current ones but will be embedded with a secure electronic chip that will contain more details including a biodata page that will have special security features.

3. How it works: The new passport will ease clearance at the entry/exit points. It will facilitate the use of e-gates for self-clearance, automated issuance of Boarding Passes, and quicker processing across airports worldwide where e-passport reader equipment is installed.

4. The e-passport is expected to comply with guidelines set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, making it acceptable around the world.

5. The commissioning of the International EAC e-Passport issuance commenced on 7th December 2018.

How To Get An International E-passport

The e-Passport application process is both manual and online, below is the procedure

a) Manual Applications;

i. Applicants will be required to fill out an application form with all details.

ii. On completion, the applicant will proceed to the Bank to make payments and proceed to the nearest Passport Centre to submit the application and undertake bio-metric enrolment.

iii. When the passport is ready, the applicant will be alerted to proceed and pick up their passport from the place of enrolment.

b) Online Applications;

i. Applicants will be required to fill out an online form. The form will act as an assessment tool with URA.

ii. The applicant will be required to schedule an interview online with the Passport Office (Kampala, Mbale, Mbarara, Gulu and Ugandan Missions abroad) for purposes of enrolling applicants’ biometrics.

iii. Applicant will print out the application with the Payment Registration Number (PRN), proceed to the Bank to pay the Passport Fees.

iv. The applicant after payment will proceed to the Enrolment Centre mentioned above for the scheduled appointment.

v. After the interview, the application will be processed and the passport printed for those that will qualify.

vi. When the passport is ready, the applicants will be alerted to proceed and pick up their passports from where the applicant was enrolled.

vii. If the applicant doesn’t qualify, he/she will be immediately notified.

Note: In populous East African countries like Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, the e-passports application fee doesn’t cost much.

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