Jordan Times
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Iraqis granted extra 7 months to upgrade passports
By Linda Hindi
AMMAN — Iraqi nationals who hold ‘S’ series passports will be allowed to enter Jordan until the end of December, according to the Ministry of Interior.
The decision, which was disclosed to the Iraq foreign ministry yesterday, cancels the original deadline set for June 1.
The seven-month extension was granted following requests from the Iraqi government to allow more time for its nationals to switch to the new ‘G’ series passport, said the ministry.
The new passport was introduced last year after several Western and European countries refused to accept the older passports, citing security concerns.
Substandard security features and a lack of control over production and issuance make the ‘S’ series passport extremely vulnerable to alteration, counterfeiting and impostors, according to the US government.
Earlier this year, the Iraqi government said all non-’G’ series travel documents would be obsolete by the end of 2008. But according to the Iraqi embassy here, this deadline will not be met.
“We have distributed 4,000 ‘G’ series passports to Iraqi nationals in Jordan from the 12,000 applications we have received so far,” Iraqi Ambassador to Jordan Saad Jasem Al Hayani told The Jordan Times yesterday.
He added that the new extension granted by Jordan would help, but there would not be enough time to issue the ‘G’ passport to every Iraqi applicant.
The Iraqi ambassador said the new passport is currently taking from two to five weeks to process for Iraqis living in Jordan, adding that many have opted to travel to Baghdad to speed up the process.
“There are no guarantees. The Iraq embassy in Amman delivers hundreds of passport applications every week but it is in the hands of the passport department in Baghdad, the only place that the passports are made,” Hayani said.
The Iraqi interior ministry has acknowledged that the process needs to be expedited. In order to address the problem, last month it approved the opening of 10 new passport offices to assist its consulates abroad, including in Jordan.
“We expect to be able to issue passports directly from Amman within two to three months according to promises made by the passport office in Baghdad,” the ambassador said.
Passport confusion
Obtaining the latest ‘G’ passport, depending on which of the four types of passport (N, M, H, or S) an Iraqi has, can be a confusing, costly and often dangerous process.
Adding to the confusion, when the applications of holders of M, N or H passports are processed it does not necessarily mean they automatically receive a ‘G’ passport. Documents marked ‘N’ and ‘M’ may be upgraded to ‘S’ series due to massive demand and because of a decision to eliminate previous passports one at a time.
The handwritten ‘S’ series passport was introduced following the US-led invasion in March 2003 but was soon deemed invalid by many countries due to substandard features which make it vulnerable to alteration.
Iraqis in the Kingdom and abroad are crying foul about what they claim is an “unfair” system, with many forced to travel back to their war-torn country to obtain the new passport before they can travel abroad and start new lives.
Corruption in Iraq is also adding to their miseries. Last month, several Jordan Times sources in Baghdad confirmed that many individuals had been arrested and jailed for corruption and accepting bribes, resulting in the closure of the Baghdad passport office for several weeks. The office has since been reopened.
“Corruption is still occurring despite the arrests… with around $700 or a ‘wasta,’ your application is moved along quickly,” one source told The Jordan Times.
The Iraqi ambassador in Amman, however, dismissed these claims as “rumours and nonsense.” Hayani explained that although the option to travel to Iraq may be offered to Iraqis in Jordan, it is not necessary.
“Any Iraqi who wishes to change his passport can send his application from Amman and each new issuance requires the right identity documents, fingerprinting, a signature and JD15 [27,500 Iraqi dinars],” he added.