Gambian passport fee increased to D1,000

The Government of the Gambia through the Immigration Department has increased the fees for the issuing of a Gambian passport from D500 to D1,000, The Point newspaper can reveal.

This development, according to Assistant Superintendent of Immigration, Ba Ensa Jawara, Public Relations Officer of the Gambia Immigration Department, took place effective 1st January 2011.

PRO Jawara, who confirmed the development to The Point, said that the increase of the passport fees is normal, noting that the Gambia’s passport is recognized worldwide and is in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standard, which is a machine-readable passport.

According to him, the target of the ICAO is for all countries to have a machine-readable passport by 2015.

This target, he added, has been met by the Gambia since the year 2002.

The Immigration PRO called on the general public to come forward, and get their national documents on time.