The government has once again extended the deadline for the total migration to the e-passport by another 10 months due to disruptions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, the new deadline is December 31, 2021.

“Starting January 1, 2022, the old dark blue passport will be null and void and no Kenyan will be able to travel internationally without a valid East African Community biometric e-passport,” he said.

Kenya has been keen on introducing the e-passport and had issued a deadline for August 31st, 2019 before it was further extended to March 1, 2020.

In February last year, the government further extended the deadline for the migration of the e-passport to 2021 reportedly because approximately 1.8 million Kenyans, especially those living in the diaspora, were yet to migrate to the new generation e-passports.

E-Passports

The phasing out the old ordinary passport is informed by Kenya’s commitment to migrate to the new-generation e-passport in accordance with ICAO specifications.

The e-passport, also known as  a  biometric passport  or a digital passport) is a traditional passport that has an embedded electronic microprocessor chip that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of the passport holder.

Countries across the globe have been moving towards issuing biometric passports to their citizens. Malaysia was the first country to issue biometric passports in 1998

APPOINTMENT

Applicants of the Kenyan Passport are required to apply for their passports online and book an appointment at the e-citizen portal and get approval before setting off to any passport processing centres in the country for either new passport application or renewal.

Why You Need to Book Appointment to Apply/Renew Passport In Kenya