Booklets of the East African Passport for The United Republic of Tanzania - COURTESY

South Sudan is expected to roll out the East African Community Electronic passport in early 2023, the official has said. 

The Director of the Department of Nationality, Passports, and Immigration, Lt. Gen. Atem Marol Biar, told Eye Radio on Monday, December 5, 2022, that his department is in the final stage to issue the e-passport.

“On the East Africa passport, we have the directive to start printing East Africa Passports,” Lt. General Marol.

“I am going to Germany to bring booklets for printing our passport, we are within the system, and we have the directive we are preparing ourselves.”

The e-Passport will allow South Sudanese to enjoy the benefits of the Free Movement of Goods, Free Movement of Capital, Free Movement of Persons, Services, and work.

In June 2018, the EAC’s six partner states, including South Sudan were directed to start issuing the new East African machine-readable Electronic-Passports by 2019 after the preparedness of each partner state was considered.

The e-Passport is expected to boost the free movement of people across the East African region and facilitate the implementation of the Common Market protocol.

The EAC e–Passport will have Diplomatic, Service and Ordinary categories and is different from the current machine-readable passport being issued by the Partner States.

It will be valid for up to 10 years while the Diplomatic passport and service passport will be valid according to specific terms of the service of the holder.

The standard international e-Passport will have a chip that holds the same information that is printed on the passport’s data page, the holder’s name, date of birth, and other biographic information.

It will also contain a biometric identifier and have a digital photograph of the holder and security features to prevent unauthorized reading or “scanning” of data stored.

The new EAC travel document will come in red, green and sky blue —the colors of the EAC flag — but with text and national emblems, in gold to complete its face.

The color of the passport will depend on categories. For instance, EAC diplomats will carry a passport that is red in color, green for officials and sky blue for ordinary people.

The outer front cover will have the words ‘East African Community’ in gold on top and below the name of the issuing Partner States will be pasted.