Issuing a special announcement in this regard, the Controller General has therefore requested applicants to apply for passports only if their needs are urgent.

The announcement also mentioned that new electronic passports (E-Passports) are set to be introduced soon, with the tender already awarded to a foreign firm.

The Controller General stated that in order to bridge the gap until the E-Passports are launched, the department has arranged for an additional 50,000 standard passports, which are expected to arrive by the end of October.

The statement further noted that statistics from the department indicate that only about 23% of passports issued last year were used for international travel. Considering this, the public is kindly urged to postpone non-essential passport applications until the new stock arrives.