Passport applicants paying for free forms

Passport applicants in Blantyre are being forced to pay for free application forms as the Immigration Department is unable to produce the forms.

The visit to the Immigration Department’s offices in Blantyre by Nyasa Times reporter noted that for almost two months now applicants are being turned back due to lack of application forms.

The applicants are instead forced to buy the forms on black market with a single form selling at K300.

Immigration Department Public Relations Officer, Martha Gonondo in an interview admitted they were currently failing to print the forms due to faulty printers.

Gonondo argued they were still issuing out the free forms but sporadically.

”Our printers developed a problem and we are relying on Lilongwe offices. We send papers to Lilongwe for printing but are not enough to meet the demand,” explained Gonondo.

The lack of free application forms has reduced congestion at the department.

Immigration Department hiked fees in November last year with an ordinary Passport now at MK48, 500 up from K15,000.