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[QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 33961, member: 636"]
Government officials announced passport fees will jump from D3060 to D5100 starting May 1. This marks the first major price change since biometric passports appeared in 2014. Information Minister Dr Ismaila Ceesay called the increase unavoidable during a radio interview yesterday. He explained that the original contract included automatic price adjustments over time.

Fees should have risen to D4000 in 2023, but the government subsidized costs to help citizens. The current increase follows contract terms that specified D5100 for 2025. The agreement with Africard runs until 2029 for building and operating passport technology before it is transferred to government control.

Ceesay described the contract as a leftover problem from the previous administration that officials must honor despite its drawbacks. He mentioned new enrollment centers will open across regions inside The Gambia and at locations abroad. These centers aim to make the application process more accessible for citizens despite higher costs.
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