By Libya Herald reporter.
Benghazi, 28 July 2017:
The Tripoli-based passports authority has sent an integrated passport-printing system to Benghazi. The equipment, which arrived this week at the authority’s Budzira district office, will link to the main system in the capital and will significantly cut the waiting time applicants in the east of the country have to wait for their new passports.
The equipment arrived by land, being unable to be delivered by air. The passport office gave special thanks to the Gemenis police depart which secured its final arrival in Benghazi. It is due to be set up and linked to Tripoli in the next few days.
Until now, applying for a passport in the east of the country has been a painfully long process. On average it has been taking three months, if not more. People could register online for an appointment to apply for a passport and after receiving an SMS days, or possibly weeks, later could take their photo to the passport office in Benghazi for it and other details to be transmitted to Tripoli. But after that it would take weeks for the passport to be printed and then more weeks for it to be dispatched back to Benghazi.
The application process will remain the same but now, with printers in Benghazi, the process should become more seamless and convenient not just for applicants in the city but throughout the east of the country.
