Information Note on the Electronic Passport (ePassport) Acquisition Process
Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Spokesperson of the Government of Timor-Leste
Ninth Constitutional Government
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Dili, October 11th, 2023
Press Release
Information Note on the Electronic Passport (ePassport) Acquisition Process
The Government reiterates its commitment to completing the process of acquiring electronic passport books (ePassport) as soon as possible. It informs that the process is already in its final phase, with a first consignment having begun to be handed out to priority groups.
It should also be noted that in 2015 the Ministry of Justice signed a contract to supply 150,000 units of ePassaport books delivered between 2016 and 2019.
The estimated annual printing of ePassaport books in Timor-Leste is 20,000 units, so the stock was expected to be guaranteed in 2022 and 2023.
In 2022, a new procurement process was started to acquire ePassport books, a process scuppered by procedural difficulties.
Meanwhile, at the end of 2022, following the reopening of airports after COVID-19, there was an above-average and unexpected increase in requests to issue passports, disrupting the issuing process.
Thus, at the beginning of 2023, the Ministry of Justice signed a contract to supply 73,150 ePassport books, which was not fulfilled due to procedural difficulties.
To solve this situation, the 9th Constitutional Government, with the decision of the Council of Ministers of 27 September 2023 to approve urgent direct award, continued the procurement process for the acquisition of Electronic Passport books.
The first batch of test (pilot) passports is already in Dili, and according to the report on printing these passports, they have been issued successfully.
Of the first 174 passports received, priority was given to patients requiring medical evacuation abroad and their companions, students, athletes and other priority groups. Subsequently, more units were received, totalling 700 copies, to be distributed to these priority groups. The phased arrival of more units is also planned for the near future.
We would therefore like to inform the public that the process of acquiring electronic passport books is in its final phase, and we are only waiting for the phased deliveries of the passports to Timor-Leste, up to the planned total of 73,840 units. END
