Ethiopia launched its first electronic passport (e-passport), featuring the country’s iconic images and aesthetic values.
Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS) said that the new passport is equipped with an electronic chip, contains biometric data of individuals, including fingerprints and facial recognition.
The internal pages of the passport display Ethiopia’s cultural and historical landmarks, including Aksum, Gondar, coffee production, rare Ethiopian animals, and other national heritage sites.
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During the inauguration President Taye Atskesilasse praised the newly designed passport will increase Ethiopians’ travel document quality standard and increase exposure.
He also Taye urged a bold change in solving issues related to passport issuance. In recent times, there have been numerous complaints regarding ICS’s service delivery quality, delays, fraud, and abuse, which were also linked to maladministration within its office.
It is worth noting that ICS has revised the cost of renewing a passport to 5,000 Birr (or 20,000 birr for expedited service), while fees for corrections to old passports or replacements have jumped to over 40,000 birr. However, there is no additional cost increase for the new passport.
