Immigration to issue passport application forms online

Dodoma. The Immigration Department says it will start issuing passport application forms online to avoid inconveniences to applicants, who are currently forced to physically visit its offices to collect them.

Speaking on Tuesday at Agricultural exhibition staged at Nzuguni grounds, Dodoma Regional Immigration official, Mr Peter Kundy, said the procedure would be effected in the near future.

He noted that a passport applicant would have to download the application form from their website and fill it out and then attach it with other documents required before presenting them to their offices.

“This kind of passport application system will help applicants not to be forced to physically meet any person and avoid inconveniences hence increasing efficiency in our daily activities,” he said.

Mr Kundy added that they had been cooperating with the National Identification Authority (Nida) to ensure that undocumented migrants who could attempt to disrupt the exercise were tamed.

He made the statement following the challenges facing Nida in registration and issuance of national IDs.

For his part, Nida Regional Registration Official, Khalid Mrisho, said through their verification process, they normally discover names of foreigners who pose like locals and apply for national IDs.

“We normally discover this when we put names of passport applicants in the notice board… we have been cooperating well with the Immigration Department in identifying non-citizens seeking to be provided with national IDs,” he said.
He added that they were working to meet the target of proving national IDs to all Tanzanians by the end of this year.