Directorate General of Immigration & Passports Said that Passport prices are increasing.
Passport applicants in the country are facing longer waiting times to receive their travel documents due to a shortage of lamination papers, as reported by local media.
According to sources, officials responsible for managing the supply of lamination papers did not take timely action to ensure an adequate stock, leading to the current situation. Unfortunately, no significant improvements have been made in the supply chain over the past week, which means delays in printing and delivering new passports nationwide.
If the issue persists, it’s anticipated that even those who paid the standard fee may have to wait for at least a month, or possibly even longer, to receive their passports.
Despite the shortage, passport offices are still accepting new applications. However, the scarcity of lamination papers may result in a growing backlog of pending passports.
As of now, there hasn’t been an official statement addressing the concerns of the applicants. The Directorate General of Immigration and Passport has recently extended the delivery time for passports. Normal passport processing will now take up to 21 working days, while urgent and fast-track options will take 5 and 2 days, respectively. This is an extension from the previous timelines of 10 days for normal processing, 4 days for urgent, and 2 days for fast-track.
