Kenyans who have not yet updated their passports to the new e-passport have until November 30 to do so.
Alexander Muteshi, Director General of Immigration Services, stated that the decision was made at the East Africa Community Council of Ministers meeting on November 22 and 29, 2021.
The council set November 2022 as the deadline for all EAC member states to phase out the old generation passport.
“In line with this decision, the Directorate of Immigration Services wishes to inform the general public that Kenya is bound to migrate fully to the new East African Community biometric e-passport by 30th November 2022.”
“Kenyans are therefore hereby advised to acquire the new Biometric e-passport to avoid any inconveniences,” said Muteshi in a statement.
Since 2019, the government has been extending the deadline for traveling with the new e-passport.
The government had previously announced that old passports would become invalid in 2020, causing a mad dash for new e-passports before the deadline.
Many Kenyans were forced to spend long hours in endless queues at Nyayo House in Nairobi to obtain new passports, making the process a nightmare.
An Automated Fingerprint Verification System has been added to the new e-passport database to help reduce fraud, identity theft, forgery, and passport skimming.
To obtain the e-passport, applicants must first apply for a replacement passport and then return their current ones. The move is part of the government’s shift to e-services in order to improve efficiency and close security gaps.
