Information for New Machine Readable Passports 

FOR IMMEDIARE RELEASE

( MONROVIA, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has forwarded samples of the new National ICAO Complaint Machine Readable Passports to the various Embassies near Monrovia as well as to Liberia’s Embassies overseas, including Liberia’s Permanent Mission in New York for onward presentation at the United Nations to countries which do not have Embassies in Liberia .

According to a Foreign Ministry release, all applicants in the country are required to physically appear at the Division of Passports and Visas of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to process their passports where all necessary procedures regarding the new passports are available.

The New Machine Readable Passports include Diplomatic, Official, Service and Ordinary and will meet the global requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Compliant Machine Readable Passports to be in effect by April 2010, noting that all passports are being  issued in Monrovia at a price of USD50.00 each.

The Ministry says the Old Liberian National Passports will continue to be valid until April 2010 after which the Old Passports will no longer be in use, noting that after the April 2010 deadline, no one will be able to travel on the Old Liberian National Passports, except for the New National ICAO Complaint Machine Readable Passports.

The new Ordinary Passport will be valid for five years, while the new Diplomatic and Official Passports shall be issued for two years, consistent with existing guidelines wile the Service Passports shall be issued for one or two years, depending on the mission for which they are being issued.

Accordingly, those applicants residing Abroad may continue to use their current passports until the Data Collection Points at Designated Embassies in New York and Washington, Accra, Ghana and London and Paris , where documentation, including forms and fingerprints will be processed at their various data collection points at Designated Embassies and forwarded to the foreign Ministry.

Meanwhile, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf early this week formally launched the New Machine Readable Liberia National Passports at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Capitol Hill

SIGNED:

Josephus M. Gray