Ntsoaki Motaung
The Ministry of Home Affairs through the Department of Travel Passports and Travel Documents has introduced new legislation for passport fees.
The ministry announced the new prices through the Lesotho Passport and Travel Documents Fee Regulations 2019, Legal Notice no. 95 of 2019.
The new regulations came into force from the date of the publication of the gazette on November 29 2019.
According to the legislation, the application fee for a new passport or replacement of a lost one shall be; regular e-passport of 32 pages M130.00, for a 62 pages regular e-passport M300.00, while the 32 pages official e-passport will cost M500.00. The diplomatic e-passport (32 pages) is obtainable at M1000.00, while the diplomatic 64 pages and regular 32 pages for minors’ passports now cost M1200.00, and M130.00 respectively. The refugee e-passport (32pages) costs M130.00.
The Gazette also states that any person wishing to make an urgent application for a passport shall pay an extra fee of M500.00, and such a person shall also be required to make their own arrangements for the collection of the passport at a place to be determined by the office of the Director.
“Application for a replacement of a passport other than the one that has expired or fully endorsed, shall pay penalty fee of M300.00 together with the payment of the application fee for each type of a passport applied for.
Repeal, the Lesotho passports and travel documents (fee) regulations, 2016 is repealed.
The third schedule to the Lesotho citizenship Order 1971, is repealed and substituted with: application for citizenship M5, 000, registration M70,000.00, Naturalisation M70,000.00, children of a person who has been granted citizenship M5,000.00 and registration naturalisation of married couples M90, 000.00
The Lesotho citizenship amendment of schedule regulation, 2017 is repealed,†the legislation further states.
