South Sudan has Introduced New Passports Valid for Five Years
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South Sudan has received samples of new passports that meet international standards, an official said Thursday.
The Inspector General of Police, Gen Acuil Tito Madut, said the new passports would replace the old ones that were printed in July, but did not meet the required international standards.
The samples were printed by a British firm, De La Rue, which printed the first batch.
Gen Madut said the latest copies would be valid for five years, unlike the previous ones that should have been in use for only a year.
“They have been printed. We have received them – they will be issued after we finish the criteria,” Gen Madut said.
“We will issue the passports together with the National Identity cards,” he said, adding that the passports were in three categories: the ordinary, diplomatic and special.
The copies produced in July were not acceptable to many countries for lacking country code, which was replaced with triple x (XXX).
The new country code issued by International Telecommunications Cooperation is +211.
The parliament wants the acquisition procedure for the national identity cards and the passports tightened to ensure that non-South Sudanese do not abuse the process.
There have been concerns that foreigners procedurally acquired the nationality within the six years of the interim period since 2005.
Since it seceded in July through a widely peaceful referendum, South Sudan has been able to issue only birth certificates and it loosely continued with the national identity cards acquired within the united Sudan.
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