TheEast African community aims to issue out e-passports in the coming months [Photo/newsofafrica.org]
The Immigration Department has initiated plans to hasten the transition from the entry point to the exit with the introduction of e-passports.
According to the Immigration Department the e-passport differs from the current passport because it will has a data chip which holds the passengers biometric information.
“Application procedures remain the same, that is through ecitizen.co.ke and the cost (of application) will remain the same,” the department wrote on its Twitter Account as reported by Capital FM.
Those intending on purchasing the will have to do so through the ecitizen portal and pay Sh4,550 for a 32-page passport or Sh6,050 for a 48-page passport.
According to reports, this move was made to replace the current passport within the next two years.
“Smart gates that will be used alongside the e-passports will be introduced at our airports,” the department added.
East African countries are implementing this strategy in an attempt to bring all East African countries together.
African countries that have already given out e-passports include Gabon,Egypt,Ghana, Morocco, and Mauritius.