Issuance of Zimbabwe e-passports, birth certificates commences in SA
According to a public notice from Zimbabwe’s Civi Registry Department, an e-passport bio-enrolment centre has been established at the Zimbabwe Consulate in Johannesburg.
Zimbabwean nationals in South Africa can now apply for e-passports and save themselves a trip back home for passport renewals.
This follows an e-passport trial phase in June, where the Zimbabwe Consulate tested the new facility. The first phase involved training consulate staff, followed by a system test run, The South African reported.
The trial period was open to a limited number of clients, randomly chosen from the existing pool of clients visiting the Zimbabwe Consulate in Johannesburg.
“The process will help the consulate to gauge the level of the system’s responsiveness and effectiveness in a real-world environment before the full rollout [phase two] to the public,” said Consul-General Eria Phiri at the time.
A streamlined process
South Africa is home to over one million Zimbabwean nationals. The e-passport initiative is designed to streamline the application process. It also looks to address the issue of many Zimbabweans staying in South Africa illegally due to expired travel documents.
In addition to e-passport applications, the Zimbabwe Consulate will also be offering several other important document-related services.
Zimbabwean citizens in South Africa can now apply for birth and marriage certificates, non-marriage certificates, confirmation of certificates, and temporary travel documents through this enhanced consular service in Johannesburg.
How to apply for an e-passport
During the trial run phase, the following was announced regarding fees and required documents for the Zimbabwe e-passport:
- The cost of the e-passport is set at US$150 (converted to ZAR based on the previous week’s average exchange rate). An additional fee of US$20 will apply for a QR code.
Requirements for the Zimbabwe e-passport include:
- Original birth certificate.
- Original identification documents (ID) (metal or plastic or paper IDs are acceptable).
- Passport if it is valid, and not required if it expired.
- Original marriage certificates will be required for married women.
Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage of Zimbabwe, Ambassador Raphael Faranisie said they also hoped to provide passport issuing services to Zimbabweans in the UK, the UAE and the United States.