Internal Affairs Minister Gen Jeje Odong has revealed that over 24,000 passports are ready for collection in the first step towards transiting from paper to electronic passports.
Recently Uganda joined the two East African countries of Kenya and Tanzania using electronic passports compelling president Museveni to direct for phasing out of paper passports to electronic come January 2019.
“We are not in line to fulfill that directive, we are due to receive the initial batch from Uganda security Printing Company who are our suppliers, electronic Passport is significantly different from the current passport, it is going to improve the security of the document and delivery of service,” he said at his office in Kampala.
The EAC electronic passport are printed in three coolers, red for diplomats, green for officials and sky blue for ordinary people. The minister said those with old passports have up to 2021 to acquire the current ones.
He said passengers bearing electronic passports will be quickly processed through cross boarder points through self-service point or a counter manned by an individual.
He said a national identity card can be used as a travel document through East African member states of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.
Uganda is now part of the family of the over 150 countries travelling using electronic passports.