Kampala – The Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC) at the Ministry of Internal Affairs has declined to process 288 diplomatic passports.
According to Simon Mundeyi, the ministry spokesperson, the applicants were denied the passports for lack of qualification.
“In this case they applied, went ahead and paid since the system is open but on coming to Immigration for verrification they failed to prove that they are indeed candidates for diplomatic passports,” Mundeyi told press in Kampala on Monday.
Mundeyi advised the affected applicants to claim refund of their passport fees from Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) by writing to the Commissioner Domestic Services since they won’t be processed.
The Passport Regulations provides for three types of Passports that is; Diplomatic, Service and Ordinary.
Diplomatic Passports (red color) are held by president, first lady, ministers and their wives, foreign service officers and their wives and children below the age of 16 staying with them abroad, the head of the civil service and the Chief Justice among others.
Service passport (green color) is held by heads of government institutions, Chief Administrative Officers, members of the permanent commission and others.
An ordinary passport (blue color) is for ordinary Ugandans.
An ordinary passport goes for 250,000 shillings, Service Passport 400,000 shillings and Diplomatic Passports 500, 000 shillings.
It is understood that some Ugandans opt for diplomatic passport since it makes it easy for someone to apply for visa anywhere he/she would want to go.
