Cabinet leads the way into e-passports

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Friday April 9, 2010 00:00

Some of the people who have been issued with the passports are President Ian Khama and his cabinet.

In an interview with Mmegi, the ministry spokesman, Letso Mpho, said the new passport system is on track and on schedule and it is done by regional deadlines to be reached by September 2010.

Applicants for the passport only have to pay P12 for the electronic document.

Mpho has also said that they will launch the Immigration and Citizenship System (ICS) project on Friday afternoon in Gaborone.

'This project will facilitate the electronic transformation of the processing of permanent residence certificates, appeals, exemptions and renewal of visas,' he said.

The lifespan of the e-passport is 10 years while those under 16 years of age will hold the document for five years. Replacing a new passport will cost P1,000.

The old passport will remain valid until December, 2011. In an earlier interview with Mmegi, Mpho said the passport is secure because it is machine-readable.

'It has high electronic security features and it cannot be easily faked.

The data about the e-passport holder is embedded in a micro-processor chip,' he said.

The e-passport project is expected to be complete by November next year. 

Labour and home affairs minister, Peter Siele, has previously said that all International Civil Aviation  member states are expected to have adopted machine-readable documents by April this year.