There are no longer long queues at the Immigration Department after the government introduced the application of passport online.
Through a statement issued on August 25,2019 the
government through the Department of Immigration said it has introduced a
booking system where applicants specify the date and time they wish to have
their biometrics taken and another date to collect the passport.
Anyone who needs a new passport or need to renew a
lost passport is required to visit the e-citizen portal and book their
appointment.
“You can apply for, renew or replace your passport
and pay for it online. You’ll have to print out a form at the end. You must
sign and date the form, add any documents or photographs that are needed, and
return it for processing,” a notice on eCitizen reads.
After paying and submitting your personal biodata
online, the submission of the physical application form is done at the
Immigration offices. One the same day biometric and the pictures are taken.
On the eCitizen digital platform, the Immigration
department says it takes an applicant at least 10 working days to get their
first passport once the form is physically submitted at their offices.
“For all other application types, it should take
at least five working days,” reads a notice on eCitizen.
You also do not need to collect your document at
the Immigration offices, it can actually be dropped at the preferred postal
office near you.
When applying for the passport, one is supposed to
indicate the post office where they will collect their passport.
The Immigration office will send an SMS
notification to the applicants whose passports are ready for
collection/delivery.
The applicants who receive the message can then
track their passport on the Posta website using a tracking number provided by
the Immigration department.
If the passport is available for collection, the
applicant will then fill out the form as required.
The portal will direct the applicant to make a
payment to a paybill number. After paying, they will receive a message from
Posta detailing the collection information.
Below are steps to
follow when making an appointment for the e-passport application:
If you do not already
have an account here, this should be the first step. Registration is free.
Select Department of Immigration Services – e-passport by clicking on the ‘Get
Service’ icon
On the Department of
Immigration page, click on Passport Application:
Step 1: Category
Click on the drop down
menu to choose whether the application is for you or your child.
Step 2: Instructions
Page
On this page you will
find information on how long it takes to get a passport after submission of
application.
You will also find
information on passport fees depending on number of pages or category.
An application for an
ordinary 32-page passport will cost 4,550 while 48 pages’ costs Ksh. 6,050 and
64 pages’ costs Ksh. 7,550.
A diplomatic passport
application also costs Ksh. 7,550 while mutilated passport application costs
Ksh. 10.050.
For lost passports,
applicants are required to pay Ksh. 12,050.
Applicants are required
to appear in person either in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, Kisii, Embu or
Nakuru for the biometrics.
For those in the
diaspora, here are the countries with e-passport issuance centres: France
(Paris), Germany (Berlin), United States (Washington, Los Angeles), China(Beijing), Canada (Ottawa) United
Kingdom (London) United Arab Emirates (Dubai) and South Africa (Johannesburg).
Step 3: Dual Nationality
Select Yes if you have
Dual Nationality and No if you don’t
Step 4: Select Passport
Type: Ordinary or Diplomatic
A drop down menu will
emerge prompting you to choose whether your application is for first time,
replacement, lost or mutilated passport or change in particulars.
You will also be
required to select the number of pages for your passport: 34, 50 or 66.
Input your current
passport number if application is for replacement.
Step 5: Applicant
Details
It is compulsory to fill
sections marked with asterisk symbol (*); otherwise the applicant will not
succeed in moving to the next step.
Input your surname,
given names, date of birth, gender, color of eyes, height (in feet/inches),
birth location, country of birth and citizenship status (by
birth/naturalization).
Other details required
in this section are KRA PIN, birth entry number, profession/occupation, marital
status, name change if by marriage, reason for travel and residential
information (country of residence, postal address, phone number, estate
location, village, email address).
When filling the postal
address section do not include the dot symbol (.)
Step 6: Parents Details
Input father and
mother’s names and status (deceased/alive/unavailable).
Step 7: Next of Kin
Details for two people
Name, ID number, Division,
Location, relationship, address, phone number and email contacts.
Step 8: Children Details
If you have children,
select Yes and if you have none select No.
For those with children
you will be required to input details including legitimacy (birth/adoption),
full name, place and date of birth as well as gender.
Step 9: Recommender’s
Details
Full Name, ID number,
profession/occupation, email address, phone number and postal address.
Step 10: Uploads
You will be asked to
download the application form that will have been automatically filled with
details you provided in previous sections.
Once you have checked
that the details are correct you will need to upload it alongside your ID copy
and that of the recommender.
Other documents required
for upload are the last, 2nd last, 3rd last, 4th last pages of previous
passport if you are renewing an old one.
Click COMPLETE to make
payment and choose date, time and station to appear for biometrics.
Applicants will be
required to present appointment slip generated from the e-citizen portal,
original ID and old passport if seeking replacement.