Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services says it has introduced an enquiry system that will enable passport applicants know the status of their applications before visiting its offices for collection.
Previously, the department was publishing a list of passports that were ready for collection complete with details of the holders, but said in a statement on Saturday that the arrangement is also meant to ensure privacy and security of the applicants.
“The department is developing an enquiry module that will enable applicants to conveniently check their passport status from the comfort of their homes,” reads in part the statement.
And in an interview yesterday, Immigration national spokesperson Pasqually Zulu said the idea to publish printed passports was meant to decongest the Immigration offices as only those whose passports are ready would be queuing for collection.
He said the department opted to decentralise passport printing systems to Mzuzu and open passport centres in selected districts including Chikwawa, Zomba, Mzimba, Salima, Kasungu and Karonga.
“We believe that these district offices will help us decongest the passport printing centres. Apart from that, we are also engaging mobile phone network companies to have an SMS alert where people can get updates on the progress of their passport application,” said Zulu.
Security expert Master Dicks Mfune commended the department for the measures, saying a passport is a delicate and private document which must be protected.
He said: “A passport has sensitive security features which once made public could expose the holder to a lot of risks. I would recommend that the department should be contacting people directly to notify them if their documents have been printed.”
The department last week highlighted foreign exchange shortage as a factor to delayed resumption of passport printing.
It said it has installed new high-capacity passport printers in Blantyre and Mzuzu, but is yet to roll out at full scale to clear the backlog.
Malawi’s passport printing got messed up in 2021 after the previous administration cancelled a $60.8 million (about K106.3 billion) TechnoBrain contract due to alleged poor handling by its predecessors. TechnoBrain signed the contract in March 2019. In 2023, government re-engaged Techno Brain on a temporary basis as it sought to find a replacement.
