South Sudan extends lifespan of passports to ten years

JUBA – South Sudan’s ministry of interior has extended the lifespan of passports to at least ten years, according to statements by the director-general of nationality, passports, and immigration General Atem Biar Marol.

This comes after the government hiked passport issuance fees from 4,500 South Sudanese Pound by at least 1500 percent.

South Sudan has kept the passports lifespan at five years since the world’s youngest country gained independence from Sudan in 2011.

“We gave directives to extend the validity period of the passport from five years to ten years, and I have already directed the ICT department to make amendments to the printing system,” the senior police officer said on Monday.

“When the modification is completed, I will inform the authorities to give us a blessing in the beginning,” he added.

Last month, the civil registry department increased the passports fees from 4500 SSP to 66,380 for adults and half of it for underage. It hiked the fees for diplomatic passports to 132,7540 South Sudanese Pound.

It further hiked the fees for nationality to 3,319 South Sudanese pounds for nationality and identity cards.