The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security has announced the implementation of an SMS notification service for passport application services.

The ministry currently provides the service to applicants for identification cards and recently expanded the offering to include passport application services as well in efforts to improve public service delivery.

On Wednesday, Executive Director Etienne Maritz announced that passport applicants will now receive an SMS on their mobile phone once their application for a passport has been approved, printed and dispatched to the office where they applied.

“We are confident that the passport SMS service will save applicants time and help to relieve congestion in our offices. Applicants no longer need to come to our offices to enquire about the status of their passports,” he said.

Maritz stated that applicants will receive a push notification SMS from 10001 indicating that they can pick up their passport after two working days if they applied in Windhoek, or after five working days if they applied at a regional office.

“Applicants who provide valid mobile phone numbers during the application process will receive an SMS notification. The messages will be sent automatically, without the applicants having to request them,” he explained.

The SMS notification service for passport application services is available as from Wednesday, 23 November 2022.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency