Zimbabwe To Open New E-Passport Centers For Citizens Abroad
Zimbabwe is set to enhance access to essential civic documents for its citizens living overseas by establishing three new e-passport centers in the United Kingdom, Zambia, and the United States.
This initiative aims to streamline the passport application process and follow the successful launch of an e-passport office at the Zimbabwe Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa, earlier this year.
The initiative was announced by Registrar-General Mr. Henry Machiri, who emphasized the government’s commitment to providing convenience and reducing hardships for Zimbabweans in the diaspora. “We are committed to ensuring that our diaspora community has access to essential documents without undue hardship,” he stated in an interview with state media.
The Johannesburg e-passport office, which commenced operations on June 18, 2024, has already made a significant impact, issuing nearly 7,000 e-passports in just a few months. “As of September 20, 2024, a total of 6,967 e-passports have been issued,” Machiri confirmed. The service charges for the e-passports are currently set at R4,900, payable only in South African rand, reflecting the office’s location and the need for a local currency payment system.
The government is also planning to extend its e-passport services to Cape Town, South Africa, pending the completion of renovations at the local consulate. In total, Zimbabwe has established 14 e-passport offices across the country, issuing over 100,000 travel documents since the introduction of e-passports in January 2022. Currently, e-passport applications can be processed at the Harare passport registry, as well as provincial and district offices in several towns, including Bulawayo, Gweru, and Beitbridge.
In addition to the new international centers, the Civil Registry Department (CRD) aims to establish e-passport offices in Gokwe South district and Mutare by the end of this year. The government is also focused on modernizing the application process through the development of an online platform for passport and national identity card applications, which is expected to be launched before the year ends.
The backbone of this digital initiative will be the Zimbabwe Population Registry System (ZPRS), a comprehensive database that will house citizens’ demographic information, including names, dates of birth, and places of residence. This system will play a crucial role in the operationalization of the online application platform, linking various government departments, including healthcare institutions, to facilitate immediate birth and death registrations, thereby improving overall efficiency.
