Tonga Government addresses passport shortage

Tonga’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has implemented several interim measures to address a shortage of passports.

In a statement released this afternoon, the Ministry confirmed that the stock of Ordinary Passports is running low and this may cause some delay in getting passports issued.

The Ministry says it is taking the matter seriously and is pursuing every possible means to replenish the stock to normal levels.

“As of now, the Ministry have installed interim measures, including extending current passports, prioritizing the issuance of Ordinary Passports to emergency and urgent travel cases, and using alternative travel documents such as Certificate of Identity (CI),” the statement read.

"The shortage is largely due to an unexpected increase in demand for Ordinary Passports among other factors and these have greatly affected the Ministry’s projections of demand for passports."

The Ministry is urging the public to talk to staff at the Tonga Immigration Division about possible measures to address their applications.

 

     

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