points not to allow Zambians to travel abroad today using the old passports.
Ministry of Home Affairs permanent secretary, Ndiyoyi Mutiti issued the directive during an interview in Lusaka yesterday.
She however said those coming into the country with the old passports should be allowed entry.
Ms Mutiti said it will be against the law for anyone to attempt to use an old passport when traveling abroad because it will no longer be valid.
She said the old passport was not computerised and it will be unfortunate for anybody to use it when leaving the country because it will not respond to the computer system.
Ms Mutiti said the Ministry of Home Affairs did its best to sensitise Zambians about the change of passports.
“No one will be excused to use the old passport when leaving the country because the information has been clear from the time the new passports were introduced last year,” she said.
And Ms Mutiti has urged all Zambians who had traveled abroad with the old passport not to panic because they will be allowed entry into the country.
She said Zambians living abroad are the only ones whose deadline has been extended up to August 31, 2009.
“Zambians living abroad are still having difficulties obtaining the new computersied passports, and the Ministry of Home affairs is doing everything possible to ensure that they obtain passports before the deadline of August 31, 2009,” Ms Mutiti said.
She said Government has no intentions of extending the deadline for the use of old passports because everything has been put in place.
Ms Mutiti said extending the deadline for the use of old passports will further derail the process of phasing out the old passports.
A 32 page passport is pegged at K300, 000 while that with 48 pages is costing K500, 000.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
nambala 1
Please twapapata, ensure that people living abroad have their passports asap, I applied for my relative’s passport who has a study visa when her passport was stolen in 2007 and upto now we keep waiting, I have paid for lost passport fees and the new passport fees, what more do you people want us to do? we have done all that is required but it seems no one wants things to move without NCHEKELAKO pa Zambia awe mwe, thats why i left.
what about when traveling from another country to another apart from Zambia, with the old passports? lets say from UK to America.
That means a Zambian living & working abroad like me gets trapped in Zambia when I travel back with an old passport? Is it our fault if you haven’t handed us the new passports we applied for as early as last year?
This is just not right!
# 3, If you are the one in that picture then you wouldn’t be allowed to travel from one country to the other. I wonder how you managed to leave Zambia
If you have not yet changed your old passport till date, then its your own problem. GRZ needs to be recommended on this one, they have given enough time to change old passports.
#5 Tonga Bull uliwalubuli. Ala wansekesha
I traveld to zambia to have my passport changed and in exactly 11 days it was out.
When will this present Government get anything right??? God help up!
Applied for renewal of passport long time ago. To my suprise, people whom I know, applied later than me and got theirs. The Embassy here are saying we have to wait. For how long? This is a big issue. If I travel to Z with my receipts, will the passport office issue? All these are questions we need answers to. I think the way forward would be to extend the deadline to 2011 when Bwezani can use it as during the campagns.
yaba some of us applied so early, n we are still waiting hope we don’t get grey hairs before then
This is nonsense but of course we have a government that does not listen. Let people’s passports expire and then let them renew with the new ones. Its simple but you guys are full of day light robbery; lekeni bukabolala.. each time we have a new governmnet somone has to come up with a money making ventru like changin passports or drivers licences. Just let the passports expire and provide newones when someone is renewning whats the big deal with that. You just enjoy making people panick for nothing but your selfishness. This reminds me why iam not in Zambia because of some useless policies that are just frustrating and infringing on peoples rights. I wonder whose pocket is gaining during this process of forcing people to onbtain new passports. Good luck with that y’all
Oweee, bansanswa nomba… chashupa pa Zedi… ni sala amano nomba…..
I got my new passport within the stipulated time which is wthin 21 days. I think you guys who it is is taking long might have given someone money with a nichekeleko and the person did not hand over the money to the authorities because you gave the personoutside the office. Certain things are straight forwrd all the time i have applied for a passport and renewal i have always got then in time. I think this move is s good move for these passort which are computerised everyone has to move on their is no choice. If one doesnt change change will change you.
Nine Chale: there’s no need for someone to be trapped in Zambia on an old passport since that’s where all passport applications are being processed. U can also have your passport processed within 5 days if you request for an express one but it costs K500 000. Alternatively, you can tell the guys at the passport office that U live abroad so as to have your passport ready within 21 days. if unlucky, they may indirectly ask for some “cream” to oil their hands:-)
Amidst the waste of circumstances regarding the way the MMD GRZ has carried itself on the bringing into operation of new passports, I believe this is the best that can be done.
However, “A 32 page passport is pegged at K300, 000 while that with 48 pages is costing K500, 000” is too exhorbitant for any Zambia whether living abroad or at home. I hope these charges will be reviewed with time to make the passport acquisition exercise better and affordable to all Zambian Citizens.
To this end, I still ask GRZ to behave like the Nigerian govenrment which has allowed its people to only change to new passports when their old ones expire.
Let this issue be a 2011 campaign message by the opposition.
___
Prevention is better than cure.
and am so sick of passport issues
#12 .you talking sense. GRZ make people to panick and this breeds corruption.
….what do u expect from GRZ?? poor service delivery as usual. been waiting for my new passport for ever
#5 You’ve made my day. You got me cracking with laughter my man, typical Tonga Bull. By the way my passport, applied for from abroad, came out within the stipulated time albeit with errors which i am stil struggling to have corrected to an extent that i have to trvael back home to sort it. I hope i don’t get stuck there- that queque doesn’t inspire confidence at all.
Here is my story,I decided to apply for a new passport november 2008,the old forms were sent to me which I filled in and sent back to the embassy.when I decided to follow up on my application in january 2009,I was told that my forms were still at the embassy because I needed to fill in the new forms.when the new forms were available I filled them in and sent them back early february. This is june 26th and I still dont have my passport. When I call the embassy they have no concrete information for me,all they say is “wait your passport will come”,BUT when is it coming? for all I know my application might be in the bin and here I am waiting. I am not feeling so proud to be zambian right now. If its an overload of work…. HONESTLY they should have seen coming.
I applied for a passport and it come with a different name (spelling ) and date of birth. Sent it back but they want me to go back to Zed to reapply. Can I still travel with an old one??
I delight in, result in I discovered exactly what I used to be taking a look for. You’ve ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye