The Ministry of Internal Affairs has destroyed 158,000 uncollected passports that had been left unclaimed for an extended period. According to Internal Affairs spokesperson Simon Mundeyi, these passports were older versions that had remained uncollected for years despite multiple notifications.
“The owners applied for the passports, paid for them, but failed to collect them. We sent reminders and made announcements, but they still went unclaimed,” Mundeyi explained. He also noted that these passports became invalid following Uganda’s transition to electronic passports.
In 2023, Uganda introduced polycarbonate e-passports, replacing the older paper-based passports.
Mundeyi further revealed that, currently, 12,580 newer e-passports remain uncollected, creating a significant storage backlog. He warned that these passports too could be destroyed after some time if they are not picked up.
Additionally, Mundeyi reported that there are around 60,000 passports returned by labor companies, which had initially been intended for Ugandan migrant workers going to Gulf countries. He urged the owners of these passports to collect them as they remain valid.
“We encourage all Ugandans who were unable to travel abroad to come and check if their passports are among those waiting for collection,” Mundeyi said.
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