The
Interior minister, Mai Ahmed Fatty, has cautioned those responsible for giving
out national identity in The Gambia.
He
added that “whether you are an Alkalo, or chief, National Assembly Member, or
you work at the National Medical Department, you have to make sure the person
you are giving the document to is a bona fide citizen of The Gambia”.
Hon.
Fatty further stated that the Ministry of Interior will not hesitate to exert
the full extent of the law against those individuals found wanting. “If you are
an Alkalo you will be removed, if you are a lawmaker the relevant law for you
will be to face the consequences,” he said.
He
stressed that there are people out there who want to access to Gambian
passports and that it is important to maintain the integrity of our national
documents.
He
added that some people detained outside the country in possession of Gambian
passports are drug dealers, which damages the image of the country.
He
made this remark yesterday during his familiarization tour and visit to the
Biometric Department responsible for issuance of passport, at their
headquarters in Banjul.
“The
vision of the government is to produce one type of passport but now we have two
machines,” he said. “The biometric type has different requirements. For this
new government nothing but the best and we will go for the highest biometric
passport production.”
The
Interior minister has also resumed the issuance of passports barely 2 months
after a ban was officially placed on it.
A
statement released today stated that documents supplied to get any national
document will be scrutinised to ensure the process is not fraudulent.
The
following is the press release:
The
Ministry of Interior hereby informs the General Public about the resumption of
issuance of Machine Readable Passports strictly along the following guidelines
and requirements:
First-time
passport applicants within The Gambia are encouraged to apply for the Biometric
Passport for which personal appearance is required.
Requirements
for Replacement of Lost or Expired Machine Readable Passports (Not Biometric)
by those living in the Diaspora requires Personal Appearance at the nearest
Gambian Embassy or Consulate with relevant supporting documents (Old documents
that show correct name, date and place of birth, picture and signature of
applicant)
In
case applicant resides in a country where there is no Gambian Embassy or Consulate:
Notarized
Affidavit of proof of Citizenship submitted on behalf of the applicant.
The
Identity declaration completed by a national assembly member of the applicant’s
constituency and accompanied by an endorsed photograph signed by the same person.
Original
and photocopy of first and last page of expired passport or any other national
document (If available)
REQUIREMENTS
FOR REPLACEMENT OF LOST PASSPORTS:
Submit
Notarized Affidavit of Loss (with detailed explanation on when, where and how
passport got lost).
If
the lost passport is still valid, submit Police Report.
Photocopy
of first page and last page of lost passport (if available)
In
order to protect Gambian travelers and to restore the integrity of our vital
national identity documents, all supporting documents, for example, Birth
Certificates will be subject to further verification with the office of the
registrar of Births at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. These
measures are taken to avert fraudulent acquisition of Gambian passports and to
ensure that our national documents are obtained through legal sources.
Please
take note that there could be a 30-day clearing period prior to the processing
of a new application or for replacement of expired or lost valid passport
unless it is absolutely urgent and necessary.
