The development of a new e-passport enrolment centre in the United Kingdom has commenced and is expected to be completed by the end of this year, the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Kazembe Kazembe, has said.
The UK-based facility will become Zimbabwe’s second e-passport enrolment centre to be established outside the country, following the inauguration of the first such centre at the Zimbabwean Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2024.
Minister Kazembe said the establishment of e-passport centres in countries such as the United Kingdom and South Africa is part of a broader strategy to ensure that members of the Zimbabwean diaspora are able to access critical civil services without the need to undertake long and costly journeys. Said Kazembe:
We are doing centre by centre. Our team has successfully completed the Johannesburg centre, and I am confident that we will finish the UK centre by the end of the year.
This is not just about convenience; it’s about ensuring that our diaspora can access essential services without the need to travel long distances.
We are on track with our timeline, and I urge all Zimbabweans in the UK to prepare for the launch; the target is to be done by the end of this year.
Since the introduction of e-passports in January 2022, a total of fourteen enrolment centres have been established across the country.
E-passports are currently being processed at the Harare Passport Registry, in addition to provincial and district offices located in Bulawayo, Gwanda, Gweru, Lupane, Marondera, Beitbridge, Chitungwiza, Hwange, Mazowe, Murewa, Zvishavane, Chinhoyi, and Guruve.
The Government is also reportedly in the process of developing an online platform to facilitate applications for passports and national identity cards.
More: The Sunday Mail
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