By Libya Herald reporter.
Tripoli, 10 August 2015:
The passport and . . .[restrict]nationality office has launched its new online system to apply for an appointment for a new passport.
Within hours of it being launched yesterday, thousands of Libyans are said to have used the system to book an. Such was the number that the first available now in Tripoli is at the end of November.
Those who got in early expressed satisfaction. “I’ve got an appointment in Sarim branch in Tripoli on 19 August,” local resident Saleh told the Libya Herald. However, he was not quite sure if it would work or whether he would have to pay a bribe. “I’m still very suspicious as to whether they’re serious and honest,” he added.
For those in areas away from the centre of Tripoli it is still possible to have an appointment earlier than November. “I’ve an appointment for myself and the whole family on 19 October in the Garabulli passport office,” secretary Maia Shaban told this paper.
With older Libyan passports no longer being accepted by many countries even if holders have valid visas, large numbers of Libyans have been trying to get new ones. But the whole issue has been mired in corruption.
People have been asked to pay enormous bribes to get a new passport, with the figure going higher the more urgently it is needed. Some Libyans have claimed to having had to pay as much as LD 4,000 for a rapid passport. The price at present for a quick appointment to apply for one is put at LD 1,000 although one person known to the Libya Herald staff was told last week that he could have an appointment next week for a new passport for LD 700.
For those prepared to use the system and wait for an appointment, there is an entirely different problem for the moment. With the constant electricity cuts, there is no internet either much of the time.
Last week, the Ghwell administration in Tripoli announced that it will import a million new passports very shortly.
The website address of appointments requests is: http://reserve.nid.gov.ly/reserve/ [/restrict]
