The Department of Immigration Services (DIS) has revised its passport application requirements, with one key change already confusing Kenyans applying for the travel document.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

For years, many applicants struggled to find a suitable recommending officer, with some relying on strangers, unqualified individuals, or even paying for signatures to complete the application process.

That requirement has now been relaxed after the department confirmed that the "Recommending Officer" section on the passport application form is optional and is no longer a mandatory requirement for approval.

The department confirmed the change to Kenyans.co.ke on Friday, amid growing uncertainty surrounding the updated passport application process on the eCitizen platform.

📌 What You Need to Know

According to the DIS, many applicants relied on recommenders whose identities could not be verified, weakening the credibility of the passport application process.

The department explained that the biometrics stage now provides direct identity verification through fingerprints, national identity cards and passport photographs matched against government databases, making third-party endorsements largely unnecessary.

Previously, passport applicants were required to provide a recommending officer to vouch for their character, certify that the submitted photographs were a true likeness and endorse the authenticity of the application.

The eligibility criteria were also strict. Recommending officers had to hold a valid Kenyan passport or national identity card, could not be related to the applicant by blood or marriage, and were typically expected to be professionals such as doctors, lawyers, bankers, civil servants or clergy.

DIS stressed that the recommending officer section should never be a barrier to obtaining a passport, noting that the application process now relies on more reliable and verifiable identity data.

The department said the change is also intended to curb fraud linked to forged signatures and fake endorsements by so-called recommending officers, a loophole officials say had undermined confidence in the system.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke