Uganda’s newly introduced polycarbonate e-passports have not been well received by all, with Denmark the latest to decline the upgrade.
According to Nile Post, a group of Ugandan students destined for internship have raised complaints after Danish authorities rejected the polycarbonate electronic passports.
Reportedly, around 20 Ugandan students have been denied visas for internship in the Scandinavian country.
Among these complaining is Ivan Amanya who got his passport in March and sought to travel to Denmark for internship but was denied visa on claims that the passport could not be used.
“The embassy has received your application for residence permit for internship in Denmark. Unfortunately, the embassy is not able to forward your application to the Danish Immigration Service for processing of your visa because the new Ugandan passports have not bee approved by the Denmark authorities,” the email from visa section of the Danish embassy reads in part.
In March, Uganda upgraded from paper-based biodata electronic passports to polycarbonate e-passports. The upgraded polycarbonate e-passports just like paper-based e-passports have an electromagnetic chip and tough plastic layers infused together leading to a finished material where personal data is engraved inside the deeper layers of the document with laser.
The victims also revealed that when they apply for visas at the Visa Facilitation Services Global (VFS Global) at Lugogo, they are bounced whereas those who had earlier been allowed, the decision was reversed.
They say many of them have lost huge sums of in this application.
“Anyone intending to go to Denmark has to pay for a case ID to SIRI( Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration) which issues a work permit for Denmark. However, the dilemma is that when you pay for visa and permit, it takes 14 days for the case ID to expire but within this period, you must have had your biometrics recorded,” a source that preferred anonymity told this website.
A source who is one of the victims says that this process costs about $1000 including the consular fee for the embassy. However, the victims say by being denied Danish visas on the basis of unrecognized Ugandan passports, all this money is lost.
“Under circumstances that you haven’t recorded your biometrics, when the case ID expires, you lose all money($1000) that you have already paid.”
The source said when they tried to complain to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they were told it was a minor issue.
“We were told all Ugandan passports are certified by ICAO and that the issue would be handled but this hasn’t yet happened. The parents, learners and schools where these students were supposed to go for internship are now in panic. They don’t know what to do.”