Kenyans Forced to Pay KSh 12,500 Passport Fee After Govt Disables 50-Page Booklet Option

The Kenya Times ~ Trending, Breaking News and Videos

Kenyans Forced to Pay KSh 12,500 Passport Fee After Govt Disables 50-Page Booklet Option

Kenyans seeking passports have been forced to pay for the 66-page booklet, the only option available to new applicants on the eCitizen portal.

In a spot check on the eCitizen portal, The Kenya Times established that the 66-page Ordinary “C” Series passport booklet is now the only option for first-time applicants, excluding the 50-page booklet option.

However, the portal still allows issuance of the 50-page passport (50 pages Ordinary “B” Series, but only for special cases, including mutilated passports (intentionally damaged) and lost passports.

Speaking to The Kenya Times, a source from the immigration offices, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that the 50-page passports have not been scrapped. The measure is reportedly intended to clear existing stocks of 66-page passports.

“The 50-page passports are still valid, but the government is prioritizing issuance of the 66-page booklets to manage inventory and streamline the passport application process,” the source disclosed.

Attempts to reach the immigration officials for comment were unsuccessful.

Earlier Passport Progress

This follows the earlier revocation of the 34-page passport in July last year, with the government citing a shortage of the booklet.

As indicated by the immigration services, the passport charges are as follows.

Revocation of the 34-Page Passports

In March 2025, the Ministry of the Interior asked Kenyans who had applied for the 34-page passport booklet to consider upgrading to the 50-page version to speed up processing.

In a statement dated Thursday, March 21, Immigration Principal Secretary Julius Bitok revealed that the country had received 112,700 additional passport booklets.

From the consignment, 50-page booklets were 92,400, while the rest, totaling 20,300, were 66-page. The consignment was in addition to 50,000 other 50-page booklets that had been received earlier.

Also Read: Ministry of Interior Issues Update on Passports Application and Collection

Due to a shortage in the 34-page booklets whose consignment is yet to arrive, the State advised applicants seeking passports urgently to consider upgrading.

“The issuance of passports will be prioritised on a first-in-first-out basis. Applicants with pending 34-page passports who urgently need to travel are advised to upgrade their applications to the 50-page booklet via the eCitizen portal. No physical visit to Immigration offices is necessary to apply for the upgrade,” he stated.

“Applicants with pending applications and those who are yet to collect their passports can track the status of their applications by sending an SMS with their eCitizen application reference code to 22222.”

Those seeking to upgrade, however, will pay an additional Ksh2,000 for the service, in line with a new format introduced by the Ministry. A 34-page booklet costs Ksh7,500 while the 50-page version costs Ksh9,500.

Also Read: Why Passports Only Come in Four Colors and What Each of Them Means

Requirements For Passports Application

1. Applicants MUST appear in person for Biometric Enrolment
2. A downloaded and printed passport application form
3. One Government and one customer copy of the payment receipt
4. Original birth certificate and one photocopy
5. Original National ID Card and one photocopy
6. Three current passport-size photos
7. One photocopy of recommender’s ID card
8. Old passports for replacement, plus photocopies of their last three pages
9. Photocopies of parents’ National ID cards (if available) or Death Certificates (if deceased)
10. For a lost passport, an affidavit, a police abstract, and an explanation letter are required
11. For a mutilated passport, an explanation letter is required to explain the circumstances of the mutilation

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This post Kenyans Forced to Pay KSh 12,500 Passport Fee After Govt Disables 50-Page Booklet Option first appeared on The Kenya Times ~ Trending, Breaking News and Videos and is written by Daisy Moraa