We can print up to 500,000 passports daily, says Haseeb

KABUL (Pajhwok): The General Directorate of Passport says the passport issuance process has returned to normal and if needed, the directorate has the capacity to print up to 500,000 copies daily.

Last year alone, it generated 13 billion afghanis in revenue from passport distribution.

Speaking at a press conference about the directorate’s operations and achievements, General Director of Passport Directorate Maulvi Abdul Karim Haseeb said that efforts have been made to improve services delivery and that applicants’ requests were now processed within a single day.

He confirmed that the issuance process was now operating under normal conditions with no major issues. In response to a Pajhwok question, he said citizens could now obtain a passport in as little as one hour.

According to Haseeb, during the previous solar year (1403), a total of 2,272,384 passports were distributed across Afghanistan, bringing in nearly 13 billion aghanis in revenue.

He added that the passport directorate currently issues passports both online and through physical applications. Additionally, passports are now delivered directly to applicants’ homes via Afghan Post for a fee of just 100 afghanis.

Passports are still issued based on traditional paper ID cards; however, Haseeb urged citizens to apply using electronic ID cards for faster service.

He also said the directorate has enhanced its technical capacity and introduced new facilities for issuing visas to foreign nationals.

To further streamline the process, Haseeb explained that the passport system has now been integrated with the National Statistics and Information Authority’s e-ID system. Previously, physical documents from the provinces had to be transported to Kabul, causing delays and complications. Now, documents are scanned in the provinces and transferred electronically to Kabul, allowing for faster passport distribution and prompt delivery back to the provinces.

He stressed that corruption in the department has now been reduced to zero, and that they are fully capable of printing up to 50,000 passports daily if demand requires.

According to the Passport Directorate, around 4,000 passports are currently being issued each day nationwide.

kk/ma