He said those who do not frequently travel outside the country can especially use the document instead of applying for a passport. Addressing Kgotla meetings in the villages of Jackalas Two and Ramokgwebana in the North East District on Friday, Siele said the soon to be introduced electronic passport, popularly known as the e-passport, will cost P260 with a validity period of 10 years. The minister said he has been receiving a lot of complaints that the e-passport is expensive. However, he said that compared to other countries, the passport is cheap in Botswana. He emphasised that in some countries the e-passport costs as much as P3,000.
He added that the e-passport is affordable because it is cheaper than a cellphone. "If one can afford a cellphone or to have even two at a time, then they can afford to get this e-passport," he said. He added that it is not mandatory for everybody to apply for the e-passport, especially those who do not frequently travel outside the country. "Quite a large number of people, especially the elderly do not travel outside the country a lot to need this passport, and I therefore advice them to resort to applying for temporary traveling documents whenever the need arises for them to cross the border," he said.
