Passports to be issued within 72 Hours-Ruto

Kenyans seeking passports for overseas employment opportunities will now be able to receive the travel documents within 48 to 72 hours, President William Ruto has announced.

The move is expected to end the frustrations faced by thousands of applicants, as the government steps up efforts to streamline the issuance of the crucial travel document.

“Today, we have a clear channel for people to secure jobs abroad. If you have a confirmed job opportunity outside the country, it will now take just two to three days to get your passport,” the Head of State said during the Ambassadors and High Commissioners' Conference at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on Saturday, March 28.

He noted that the fast-tracking process will apply to applicants who present proof of confirmed employment abroad, adding that the government is working to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles that have long slowed passport processing.

According to the President, improvements in the passport issuance system have enabled more than 540,000 Kenyans to access job opportunities outside the country.

The initiative is part of broader government efforts to streamline passport services. This follows the installation of two new high-speed printers capable of producing over 10,000 passports daily—double the average demand.

Applicants are still required to begin the process through the eCitizen portal, the official platform for passport applications.

When President Ruto assumed office in 2022, the passport application process officially took between 72 hours and three weeks. However, due to bureaucracy and a backlog of over 700,000 applications, many applicants experienced delays stretching into several months.

Concerns have also been raised over the vetting process for Muslim applicants, who are required to undergo additional scrutiny before being issued passports. Although the process has largely improved, vetting has been blamed for delays in document issuance among Muslim applicants.