From today in Kenya citizens who need to renew their passport or foreigners called to renew their Alien Card (identity card for residents or tourists for more than three months) will be required to apply online to the Department of Immigration and will receive instructions on the matter, without having to go to the offices, which are open for any clarification of the case or to help foreigners in the procedure.
In agreement with the Kenyan Post Office, the Immigration Office has decided to transfer the procedures to the network in this pandemic emergency period, in an attempt to speed up the procedures and to avoid gatherings in the offices.
Postmaster Dan Kagwe and Director General of the Immigration Department Alexander Muteshi said the new protocol will help prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
"Thanks to the initiative, passport applicants will not have to visit our offices to collect ready passports," said Muteshi. "This will save time for applicants, reduce congestion in our offices and help in the fight against the pandemic in the country.
The initiative is operational even though it is currently in a pilot phase.
Immigration has also urged foreigners who wish to travel to Kenya from now on to use the online visa service to avoid further delays on arrival in the country.
For some time now, operations at Immigration Department offices have been scaled back to adapt to the Covid-19 pandemic and to adhere to the Ministry of Health (MoH) safety guidelines. No fingerprints are taken during this period and the issuance of new alien cards is effectively blocked. You can still apply online with your registration number and keep the receipt until the service is restored.