BEIRUT: Lebanese authorities have stopped accepting applications for passport renewal, saying they are unable to meet demand, as the country’s worsening economic crisis has prompted people to leave the country.
The Lebanese General Security has said it will suspend passport renewal from this week and that its passport stock will only include current applicants.
The announcement has sparked fears that the authorities are determined to stop people leaving Lebanon, limiting their freedom of movement.
Major General Abbas Ibrahim, Director General of General Security, said: “The passport application platform has scheduled appointments until April 2023, and passports will be distributed to all those who have already applied by that date.”
Lebanese have been rushing to obtain biometric passports since 2020, with requests for renewal 10 times higher than in previous years.
Locals anticipated an increase in passport fees, so hurried to obtain new documents, while to avoid paying the $200 or $300 required at Lebanese embassies abroad, expatriates kept their passports for around $35. Took advantage of your holidays in Lebanon to renew.
A study by the Directorate General of General Security found that 69 percent of people obtained passports without using them, and nearly 20,000 citizens renewed their passports in 2021, although they had two more years before their documents expired. were.
The study also found that over 15,000 passports were processed but never claimed by their owners.
General Security said: “As of 2020, there were 10 times more passport applications in our main and regional centers than in previous years, which affected our passport inventory.”
General Munir Aqiqi of Brigadier General Security told Arab News that the increasing number of applications and the dwindling stock forced the authorities to act.
New conditions were issued in February for renewal of passports, which were impossible to fulfill.
Requirements include having a lawful residence abroad, a valid visa attached to the passport to be renewed, an embassy appointment within one month from the date of submission of the application, or proof of continuing studies abroad, or for purposes of renewing the passport Includes medical reports from Have to continue treatment abroad, or show a signed work contract and necessary documents if the purpose is to work abroad.
In addition, the biometric passport fee was increased from 300,000 Lebanese pounds ($200) to 600,000 Lebanese pounds (valid for five years) and from 500,000 Lebanese pounds to 1.2 million Lebanese pounds (valid for 10 years).
Akiki said passport issues were also behind the general security decision.
“In 2021, we realized the repercussions of the economic crisis in Lebanon and signed a contract with a French company to print Lebanese passports worth $12 million in exchange for printing 1 million passports, but the company agreed to a certain Requested to transfer the amount as a documentary credit. In order to start printing, and in accordance with the Money and Credit Code in Lebanon, contracts must be signed in Lebanese pounds, not dollars.”
He continued: “When we signed the contract with the French company, the exchange rate for the dollar was based on the official rate, i.e. 1,500 Lebanese pounds for the dollar, and there was no exchange platform affiliated with the Central Bank that set rates accordingly. does. Financial market movements.”
This affected the continuity of work. Aqiqi claimed that Ibrahim urged several politicians to end the crisis, but to no avail.
According to Akiki, passports will not be available after April 2023 if the problem is not resolved by then.
Discussing the possibility of renewing old passports as an option, Akiqui said: “We cannot do that. The old passport has been canceled and can no longer be used. This decision is made by the International Civil Aviation Organization. ,
Aqiqi said the contract with the French company was worth around 22 billion Lebanese pounds, based on the official exchange rate.
But he added that the value rises to around 300 billion Lebanese pounds according to the central bank’s Sairafa platform rate (about 22,000 Lebanese pounds to dollars).
The Lebanon Crisis Observatory at the American University of Beirut predicts a wave of emigration from Lebanon in the coming years.
A leading indicator is that 77 percent of youth are considering migration, while specialists and professionals are also leaving in search of better working conditions and income.
Thousands of Lebanese, including teachers, doctors, nurses and university graduates, left the country two years ago, and the number of departures increased after the Beirut port explosion.
The World Bank estimates that Lebanon will need at least 12 years to return to 2017 GDP levels.
The bank said it would pressure hundreds of thousands to leave the country to invest, work, study and retire abroad.