Tanzania April 2005 |
|
| Passport fee stays, says Immigration, (IPP Media, 2005-04-02):-The Immigration Department has ignored public calls to revise downwards the recently introduced 50,000/- fee charged for the new electronically coded passports. The electronic codes can reveal forged travel documents. A spokesman for the department, Herbert Chilambo, told a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the fee was reasonable and that his office would not revise it despite the public outcry. "We believe that the current 50,000/- fee is reasonable. The amount is fair because it took into consideration the actual cost incurred in producing the travel document," said Chilambo. Giving examples of the fees charged in other East African countries, he said for a 32-page passport that expired after five years, Kenya charged US$30 (about 33,000/-) while the same cost US$50 (55,0001-) in Uganda. 'The fees in the neighbouring countries are higher compared with ours," said the spokesman, adding that, the new machine-readable Tanzanian passport had 48 pages and lasted 10 years. Regarding the issuance of new passports, he said so far the exercise was going on well and as of yesterday, a total of 200 new passports had already been issued at Immigration headquarters in Dar es Salaam. "We are yet to receive figures from our regional offices and Zanzibar. But the demand is very high and many people are impressed by the new system of issuing the passes, which prohibits the use of agents," noted Chilambo. The officer said, however, that the quality of pictures in passport processing was a major drawback. "Pictures brought by most applicants do not meet our specifications," he said. He said that all submitted photographs must be neutral in colour and showing open, clear and visible eyes. An applicant must face the camera and the picture taken against a plain light blue (ocean) background. He explained that the photographs should not be more than six months old and should measure 4.5 by 4 centimetres and showing between 70 and 80 per cent of the applicant's face. With regard to glasses and head covers, the spokesmen clarified that for those who wear glasses, the picture should show the eyes clearly and be without flash reflections off the glasses. Tinted glasses are not allowed. He said that head covers were not permitted except for religious reasons. The Immigration Department started issuing new generation passports ten days ago after about an eight-month delay. The government had planned to begin issuing the new passports last July, but had to suspend the exercise due to a long bidding process and technical problems. According to Home Affairs Minister Omar Ramadhan Mapuri holders of old passports are required to change their documents within six months. An applicant is required to deposit 10,000/- and pay the remaining 40,0001- on returning the dully-filled documents. | |
South African Migration Project (SAMP) - Queen's University - http://www.queensu.ca/samp |