Passport renewal to be suspended in April

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Burma’s Foreign Ministry will suspend renewal and issue of new passports at its foreign missions for the month of April this year, given its plans to issue new 'Machine Readable Passport' with barcodes.

"We will temporarily suspend passport renewal as plans are afoot to issue new generation machine readable passports with barcodes. We have announced it from our embassies," an official of the Foreign Ministry in Naypyitaw, Burma’s new capital told Mizzima over telephone.

Burmese passports are valid for three years from the date of issue. During renewal, passport holders have to pay income tax if it is due or get a new passport (additional passport) if there are no blank pages in the old passport by making up to date income tax payment.

The Burmese embassy in Singapore announced that holders whose passports expire between April 1 and April 30 need to renew in March this year.

Those failing to renew in March will have to pay a fine and will have their passports renewed in May.

Meanwhile, fees for renewal of passports are getting dearer in Singapore. Earlier, a holder paid only about S$ 300 for renewal of a passport. Now he has to pay over S$ 400, one who got his passport renewed this week said.

In keeping with the Foreign Ministry decision the Burmese embassy in Thailand will suspend its passport renewal and issue of additional passports in April this year, it is learnt.

Source :http://mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/3614-passport-renewal-to-be-suspended-in-april-.html