The Immigration Department has said the new electronic passport (e-passport) is now accepted as an official document at all ports of entry.
Memory Mugwagwa, the Immigration Department’s spokesperson revealed that the specimen of the e-passport had been sent to all borders and immigration officials were now familiar with its features. She said:
Yes, the passport is acceptable. We have since sent the specimen to all borders and the officers are now conversant with the new security features.
It has enhanced security features, which are not prone to fraudulent activities.
On 14 December 2021, Zimbabwe launched an e-passport with improved security features to replace the old one. Issuance of e-passports began on 18 January.
However, after the launch, members of the public were advised that the e-passport will be usable at all our ports of entry and exit with effect from Monday, 7 February 2022.
Early this week, the Government relaxed COVID-19 restrictions and opened all land borders to fully vaccinated travellers with valid COVID-19 PCR test certificates.
An e-passport is a conventional passport that has a chip implanted in one of its pages.
The chip contains data or information essential in verifying the identity of the passport.
The information in the chip includes the personal data found on the data page of the passport, the biometrics (physical characteristics that can be used to identify individuals, such as a photograph) of the passport holder, the unique chip identification number, and a digital signature.