The Ministry of Home Affairs wishes to inform the general public that the Government of the Republic of Zambia has set 31st May 2009 as the last day for the usage of the old machine readable passports.
This therefore means that the old passports will not be recognized as valid document at any immigration exit border point for the purpose of travelling internationally.
The public is also informed that the issuance of the new passports is a continuous process and citizens are free to apply for the change of passports at any time.
However, Zambian nationals living in the diaspora will be permitted to travel to Zambia using the old passports for an extra three (3) months period until up to August 31, 2009.
Furthermore, there are a lot of processed but uncollected passports at Passport Office in Lusaka. I appeal to people who have applied for passports to make an effort to collect these documents
Hon. Dr. Kalombo Mwansa, MP
Minister of Home Affairs
this brief is very lacking in details!
e.g what happens after 31 august to anyone arriving in Zambia with an old passport?
thumbs up…this is gud news but u were suppose to extend up to 31st December for Diaspora pipo..ala.
Soundz good, but why not make it up to 31st December,2009, so that nobody panics. Cash is hard to come by genuinely.The gesture would go along way.
This news is already known, some of us applied as early as last year and are still waiting! Don’t just be quick to make announcements, please also try to honour your committments!
Thank you (for nothing at the momment).
The logical way is to change the old passport only when it expires.
#5 Nine Chale you have a nice smile, if thats you in the pic
still it takes ages to have the passport when you are living out more than 6months at times.
I agree with #6 in developed countrys they wait until the passport expires.I guess they need
the money for rigging 2011.Coz they are so much in a hurry and zambians who only come home in december what will happen?I applied for my passport end of february up todate.
I heard that ama Reg (National Registration Cards) are being changed too, is it true???
GOOD NEWS! Get your new passport in one week at USD$300, postage included. It basically takes 4 hrs to have your passport, the rest of the days will be for shipping.
#5 Kelchi, thanks bro/sis. Yes that’s me…I guess I owe it to my pretty mom.
#2input says: one can not even arrive in zambia with a passport that has expired after that day or cancelled. unless one was already on the plane. the thing is one is not allowed to traveled at all. So you might be thinking so you can say in the country were you are the hing is in the country where you are the visa is still valid so you can stay, but you cant travel out. But if your visa happens to expire you cant renew it therefore you are considered an illegal immigrant. So in short you cant be allowed to travel with the cancelled ones. the countries know that zambia has changed the passport, just dont try something crazy you may be arrested.It shows them when they scan the passports at boarding time.
imwe guys, im a little confused. maybe dull, kaya! so for those of us that work abroad and have to cross borders where does that put us kanshi?
Give credit where it is due. This process of changing passport has been handled better than any other project under taken by the MMD govt before. I ve talked to a lot of people who are satisfied with services they ve received in regard to passport changing. Some went to Z just for a short period and their passports were issued to them.Those who applied through embassies should push the staff working in embassies to make follow up. Already they are saying there are a lot of uncollected passports may be yours is there, do not just complain.
Pa Z yalikosa. Three months for despora? You come into Z and you apply for the passport that will take more than a month to come out. then what will happen to my employment out there?
Passport s are issued in a week’s time, that is truth someone else will testify to you. I mean if you physically apply at passport office and there is service for quicker service
Thank you ad I will apply for a new passport when i will be in Zambia later on in the year. On “However, Zambian nationals living in the diaspora will be permitted to travel to Zambia using the old passports for an extra three (3) months period until up to August 31, 2009“, i will try my best to comply with this information. However, things may be beyond my control and so we will see what will happen. Changing Citizenship may be an option if things don’t work out well. Have a great day and keep well Mr Minister.
___
Taking LT blogging to another level.
its all cr**p b**ll**sht………why did we even hav to switch to new ones?ifikawalala fi GOVT ifi…after they waste money buying votes in Oct now they want to raise it from us.
Nine Chale, is that you..Thanks Home affairs
Ba LT that Title sounds misplaced..thanks for the info anyhow..ndofwa ubunangani going to change .will make it a point now
15, Abena CB, are you the one I know now with a shortened CB name? Have a pleasant day.
___
Taking LT blogging to another level.
#2 it means after august, when u enter zed with an old passport, they wont allow you out..land locked down
# Nine Chale, its Sis, your mom must be very pretty and am happy that you acknowledge her, very few men do that.
#22 what it means is that if you are in diaspora you can use your old passport to enter Z up to 31/8/09 but NO one will be allowed to leave the country from 31/5/09 with old passports. This includes those who live in diaspora, they will only be allowed to enter Z with old ones from 31/5 to 31/8 09.
These new passports are not even biometric so when are you honorable minister going to ask us to change passports again! After August then what- you can’t stop anyone from wanting to travel home.do we become exiles or what?
Well, i have just been thinking about our Nigerian friend who introduced an electronic passport some time ago, but the Nigerian government has allowed its Citizens to change the passports in a gradual manner until they will expire – with their expiry dates.
This is the normal expected way of handling such an important issue of changing old passports into new ones. I just hope voters and the opposition are taking note of these things are campaign materials for the 2011 tripartite elections.
___
Taking LT blogging to another level.
ok thats good news to some extent but please can some one clarify one thing,if i want to travell to a foreign country does the old passport still work for those of us in the diasapora upto 31/08?or wat ???
Lindiwe you are not alone. I too applied my passport first week of March when i made followups, the application has not even reached Zambia and yet am suppose to travel end of June to Zambia!! Looks like our applications grow roots along the way. Its a useless system we have.
People leaving abroad just get to Zambia and you shall get your passports in one weeek. Its true all my family members travelled to zambia and we got the passports in one week. The process is efficient.
And what happens if i have to leave Zambia with the old passports you cows?
#30, you will be HARDNOXED, you goat!
don’t worry mwe bantu, after all a lot of you Zambians in the diaspora are Zambias creme de la creme. Do you honestly think the govt is going to tell every country in the world not to let you travel back to zed or other countries using your old but unexpired passports.This law can only be enforced in Zambia.Once within the borders of Zambia you can’t leave using your old passport. These silly laws are as a result of the brain drain, those fikopos we left behind are now leaders and displaying their low IQs at their best.
Damn spot on cece!! We have a bunch of dummies out there who can’t make rationale decisions, only irrationale ones! fashion police join your other cows,lol!! But for real, they should allow us to move out of Zambia even with old ones for the same period we are allowed to use them to enter Zambia.
#33, you wanna fight with me????? start the game my man and i will gladly join in!
I have an old passport that has a work permit that is expiring on the 31st of december this year, I’m already done in this country, I’m coming home so I wont be applying for a new passport anytime before december. I’m coming with my old passport in january… like it or not.
#33 fighting for what??? If you can justify the fight and get a good ref, maybe i will consider the offer!! My last posting with you.
Dumela, you live in Botswana! You can even get on a bus and you are home. Some of us are atleast 3 plane-rides away from home. We get home after more than 24 hrs of traveling by air! Its expensive to travel all the way hime just because the govt decides to abruptly change passports! Some of us had travelled last year, got new passports. Just when we are saving some money again for better livelihoods in future, we have to go back! We didn’t plan for a trip home so soon! Its a headache!
#36, i was testimg your IQ! You called us cows and i thought you were smarter than a goat!
Dziko tikuonga dzikomo kwaife tilikuno kudziko luchedwa Diaspora. pakuti ine pulizi ngadzinavutha. ati least ati pulumusa. tidzaona ngati momwemo mudzanga kaya ni Meastro or maeastro kaya koma abili amudziba as wofunta wapa LT. Infact nadabwa ati ma sililu nayo ali dziko la Diaspora. awe imwe plizi sure uyu muntu is outside zambia but still same. anyway if born mumidzi what can u do apart from kuonesa mabisi form childhood. kanalolewa bad. Dzikomo akumupando stay well but not beyond 2011.
#23 Kelchi Thanks, I’m humbled.
#19 Miss Daisy, yeah that’s me, dear. You are the one who actually gave me the inspiration to put my image on the blogg, after all we only live once. What happenned to your lovely photo?
Back to the passport issue, it seems a lot of people’s thoughts are racing at the moment and they don’t know whether to renew or not to renew, I wish the Ministry of Home Affairs would be more considerate by treating each case individually and not just issuing general announcements.
39, behave yourself.
__
Taking LT blogging to an advanced level.
Minister of Home Affairs, we, zambians in diaspora, will appreciate if you can go to your passport office and see the huge number of new passport application forms from abroad. A number of us applied more than three months ago and up to now, our new passports have not been processed. We filled in the forms through our various embassies. We implore you mr. minister, not to just annouce deadlines for Zambians in diaspora without first consulting various embassies and without checking your capacity to process passports on time. If you are really that time conscious, you would instruct your people to give zambians living abroad, first priority. Please, we dont want to be locked in one country, after 31st August, simply becoz of the inefficiencies at yo passport office. It’ll be inhuman!!!
Sad state of affairs and development.
Diaspora, diaspora, if you have a zambian embassy in space where you live, try to contact them and get your forms and affidavit signed by them, you send the forms to Zambia and your passport will be sent to you in space. Just do this thing, many of us live abroad and we hsve done it. the only thing we can worry about is your money used for this going into the hands of a deputy minister. Stop this complaining
thats a relieft , but december will be even better
These uncollected passports, do there belong to Zambians in the diaspora? and if so who is supposed to send these documents to their rightful owners?
Pity, Zambian ministers always rush to issue press statements without checking facts. The statement, issued, lacks in details.
No. 6 is right on. I also applied in Dec last year. No matter how you push the embassy, if Lusaka is not delivering, what can one do? Ba Minister MP, look at what is “cooking in your kitchen”.
The problem with most of our colleagues in the diaspora is that we are either ‘illegals’ or do ultra-odd jobs (ukupipa utukote) like Maestro. This way we fear jumping on a 747 to Lusaka and doing the renewals afterall there is an express service. You are on your own when it comes to immigration !
They should jst let them expire period. Afterall, we paid to get the so called old passports not so long ago. Will look into the $300 fast track system.
i think it is high time we appreciated the efforts of the government. The extensions have been going on and on. We just have to do what is needful my fellow country men. I applied for mine and got it within 2 months despite being in uk. As people in diaspora should set an example by being the early birds. Every nation has its own way of dealing with issues. If they have to wait until a passport expires, it would be difficult for the immigrations world wide with regard to which is which and security reasons too. Mind you, the old ones at certain entry points were not able to be electronically read. Cheers!
# 43 and 45 where about are you? I am in Townsville QLD. Perhaps you have ideas of how best we can acquire new passports. Have a lovely day
51
You live in paradise!
All other bloggers in Oz are from Melbourne.
Go to Zed and you will get your passport within 3 days!
That’s what I did!
Very great post. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and wished to say that I have really loved browsing your blog posts. In any case I will be subscribing in your feed and I am hoping you write once more soon!