Monrovia – The Bureau of Passports and Visas at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has suspended the issuance of Liberian passports because of the “unusual influx” of applicants since the beginning of October 2019.
Report by J.H. Webster Clayeh [email protected] & Alline Dunbar, [email protected]
Since Monday, October 21, the Ministry’s security personnel began screening applicants for the Ordinary Liberian passport in order to grant access only to those with a valid Liberia Revenue Authority’s (LRA) receipt from the Bureau of Passports.
In an exclusive interview with the Assistant Minister for Public Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, Slyvester Pewee, stated that the Ministry had to halt the process of issuing Ordinary Passports because they were overwhelmed with new applicants.
“We stopped issuing the Ordinary Passport from Monday, October 21, 2019, that will run through Friday, October 25 and we will resume taking in new applicants beginning Monday of next week,” said the Minister.
He spoke with this newspaper on Tuesday, October 22, at his Foreign Ministry office in Monrovia.
Asst. Min. Pewee disclosed, “We are having what I will refer to as an unusual influx of citizens for the ordinary Liberian passport and this is happening, perhaps because of the U.S. lottery program’s new measures.”
According to him, normally, the Bureau sees at most 200 to 250 applicants for the Ordinary passport but presently the number has escalated to an “alarming” amount of 600 to 1000 applicants daily, something he termed as “unfortunate.”
“Our system has been a little bit overburdened and the issuing system got some problems. We could not continue because our system is used to process around 200 to 250 applicants a day,” Min. Pewee said.
To not encounter similar problems of influx of applicants at the Bureau of Passports in the future, the official spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry stated that the Ministry is working on a new procedure which will allow at most the processing of 300 applicants daily.
To start fresh, he says that the Bureau has to clear the ‘Backlog’ by firstly issuing passports to all of its old applicants before reopening the system.
“We have a lot of individuals already who applied for passports which are still within the system. So the system needs to clear those individuals and then we can now begin the process again. That is the reason why we closed the process for five working days to allow us clear close to 2,000 applicants that have overwhelmed the system,” the Minister disclosed.
However, Pewee disclosed that the Bureau of Passports will open for applicant with special and critical cases when necessary.
“Liberians that are ill and Liberians that need some quick intervention in terms of travel; you will have to provide information/documentation to be eligible for this,” he disclosed.
Meanwhile, he cautioned everyone coming to apply for passports not to pass through individuals who are purporting to be working with the Bureau of Passports to avoid being robbed.
“We have a lot of individuals already who applied for passports which are still within the system. So the system needs to clear those individuals and then we can now begin the process again. That is the reason why we closed the process for five working days to allow us clear close to 2,000 applicants that have overwhelmed the system.”
– Slyvester Pewee, Assistant Minister for Public Affairs at the Foreign Ministry
Meanwhile, applicants from both the Bureaus of Vital Statistics and Division of Passports and Visas have expressed their anger against the process of getting birth certificate and passport respectively.
At the Bureau of Vita Statistics, where the Government issues birth certificates, large crowd of applicants can be seen waiting uncertainly for their names to be called to pick their birth certificates.
Possessing and presenting a valid birth certificate is one major requirements for obtaining a passport at the Foreign Ministry.
At the Bureau of Vital Statistics, Mary Weah had been coming for few days to get her certificate. She was finally told last week Tuesday to come back Tuesday, October 22 to pick up her certificate. To her surprise, Richard Holder, an employee of the Vital Statistics emerged with a huge folder but only called out few names for those who certificates were really for pickup.
This got many of the applicants, including Ms. Weah, who had been promised to come and pick up their certificates to be disappointed.
She expressed her frustration to this newspaper: “These people are not treating us good. For God’s sake, the time that they gave me to get my birth certificate has expired. I am so disappointed in these people. If they are not able to do the job, let them make it known and give other people the chance to do the job,” Madam Weah said.
Another applicant Joseph Kesselly is worried that the delay is going to hamper his chance of going to the Foreign Ministry to apply for a passport and get it in time before the Dervisity Visa (DV) program expires.
“I do not know what is going on with these people. I cannot get my birth certificate for almost one month now. If it takes this long and I cannot get my birth certificate what more about the passport. I do not think I am going to be part of this year’s DV process,” Kesselly said.
The Bureau of Vital Statistics on the Capitol Bye-pass is about a 20-minute walk from the Bureau of Passports and Visas at the Ministry of Foreign Affair.
Since the beginning of this year’s DV process, both offices have been tense with people venting out their anger on the slow pace of personnel at those public entities issuing them their birth certificates and passports.
At the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, October 22, people were seen standing in a long queues under the scorching sun.
It was observed that most of the applicants were there or had applied for “Express Service” which is twice the price of the ordinary “Regular Service.”
Normally, the Express service, which costs US$100 and should take at least a day for the applicant to obtain the passport now takes three days, which the regular service, which take at least five working days or a week, is now going to a month.
Despite the three-day period now for express, applicants are still finding it difficult to get their passports.
Many applicants told FrontPageAfrica that officials of the Passport Division are not up to the task in performing their duties.
Esther Moore, an applicant, explained that for more than a week she has not been issued her express passport, she paid for.
“I am not going anywhere. I paid my hard-earned money for my passport and I cannot get it. They say ‘express’ is three days but almost one week now, I cannot get my passport. Every time I come they can tell me go come, go come. I will not leave from here today until I get my passport or get back my money,” Ms. Moore said.
If ‘Express’ passport is a problem what more about the regular passport, James Jah an applicant for regular passport told FPA.
According to Jah, he had paid for regular passport, which is supposed to take one week but to his dismay it has been more two weeks and no one is telling him anything concrete about when he will be issued his passport.
“Why will these people be behaving like this, these people think we do not have work to do. You know what it means to leave your busy activities and come here every day. Since the first week in October, I put in for my passport I cannot get it,” Jah expressed his disappointment.