I have a close friend in Mombasa who has just lost her passport. I am trying to assist her in getting a replacement one. She has told me that apart from all the forms etc that have to be submitted (which I have already read from various websites), it has to be advertised in the newspaper which can really slow the whole process down and it can take at least a year to get a new passport. I can't believe this part...is this true? Does anyone know about this?
Replies :
anderswen
Re: lost Kenyan passport
Posted: 16/May/2007
I read in the http://www.immigration.go.ke/faqs.php that it can take 30 days for a passport to be ready. My wife is in the process of getting a new passport and she know a friend in the Immigration department in Nairobi that help her and she thought for her it could take 3-4 days. Now though she told me they got a problem at the Immigration department in Nairobi, cause they do not have any passport books to make new passports. A lot of students are going abroad and I guess they were not prepared for that. I am not aware of the situation in Mombasa, but I doubt it can take more than a month.
Regards,
Anders (In Sweden waiting for his wife to get resident permit to live here in Sweden.)
anderswen
Re: lost Kenyan passport
Posted: 16/May/2007
Some more info I got from my wife now, is that Immigration department in Nairobi do not have enough money to make passports, and they need to wait for the government to decide at the next budget in July to see if they can get more money to be able to make passports again.
aussiemarty
Re: lost Kenyan passport
Posted: 17/May/2007
Thanks for the information. I hadnt heard about this! She has progressed with preparing all the documents and is about to submit everything for processing in Mombasa. She also has a friend in the immigration dept in Nairobi who might be able to speed things up.The immigration dept made her insert an ad in the newspaper and then told her she would have to wait 6 months before she could apply for a new passport!So who knows how long this will take.
kbrennhovd
Re: lost Kenyan passport
Posted: 18/Jul/2007
Hi!
I have a friend in Mombasa in the same situation, and he got the same message yesterday about the newspaper and everything. But when he got to the police to report this, they said that he needed his passport number or a copy of his passport - and he has neither of it. So he doesnt know what to do now. Ive done some searching on the internet to find about about lost passports, and the system in Kenya seems more difficult than even the USA!
What has happened to your friend? Any progression?
aussiemarty
Re: lost Kenyan passport
Posted: 18/Jul/2007
Hi
Thanks for your reply. Things have progressed a bit for my friend as she has a friend who works in the passport office in Nairobi, but has had to give her a bit of cash inducement to fast track the process. We are currently still waiting to hear further but the papers are being processed. Apparently the newspaper ads are not strictly compulsory but the police seem to want this done, Yes, she had to supply a photocopy of her old passport (which luckily she had)You are right, compared with here in Australia getting a Kenyan passport seems a major drama, and still open to bribery and corruption. I wish your friend good luck!
Posted: 13/May/2007
