Germany to accept Kenyans, Rwandan travellers with e-passports from June

A new of rules is going to create troubles for Rwandans and Kenyans opting to visit Germany. The country will not accept travellers without carrying electronic passports with effect from June 1.

The German embassies across the continent have stopped issuing visas to holders of old generation passports. They only have provided appointment for visa to those with e-passports. The Western European country demands visas to be over 90 days old.

The Germany embassy in Nairobi said Kenyans planning to travel to Germany after June 1 will only be getting visa appointment after acquiring the e-passport. “Pursuant to current Schengen laws, passports must still be valid at least 90 days after the end of the validity of a given Visa, so for visa applications for travels ending after June, 1, 2019, from now on — only new Kenyan passports can be accepted,” the embassy officially revealed on May 28, as reported by Taarifa.

E-Passport will enable Rwandans and Kenyans to use online services such as automated border clearance or e-gates, automated issuance of boarding passes, faster travel arrangements with airlines and will facilitate quicker clearance at immigration checks, according to the Directorate of Immigration and Emigration.

E-passport is a biometric passport (also known as digital passport) is a traditional passport that has an embedded electronic microprocessor chip which contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of the passport holder.

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