The Immigration Department released a statement to remind Kenyans that they will start issuing the new e-Passports from 1^st September this year. These new documents had been initially scheduled for an April 20017 release but they were pushed to September.

The government has been teasing images of the new passports to illustrate the main changes. Some of the differences with the old one include a new blue colour scheme on the cover as well as a logo of a biometric chip at the bottom to signify its electronic chip inside. Moreover the header will be labelled ‘East African Community’ and below it will be the title ‘Republic of Kenya’. Many countries have already moved to electronic passports and we applaud Kenya in its decision to follow suit in line with the digitization agenda initiated by President Uhuru.

Statements from the Immigration Department noted that the old passports will expire on 31^st August 2019, exactly two years after the new ones will start being deployed.

It’s advisable to get your traditional passport replaced with the new version early enough to start enjoying the new ease of usage and security features as well as avoid the last minute rush.

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