Passport offices across Afghanistan will resume normal services from next week, officials said on Tuesday. Shafiullah Tasal, a spokesman for the General Directorate of Passports in Kabul, told reporters hat citizens in the capital and provinces can apply online for passports from April 5.
He said that 3,000 passport applications will be processed in Kabul daily, while the number may vary in each province according to their capacity.
According to the official, around 6,000 passports were distributed on Monday alone.
The process of issuing passports has gone through several periods of suspension since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) took over in August last year.
Many of the applicants cite medical issues as the reason for applying for travel documents.
Tasal said that they are trying to eliminate the practice by Afghans of seeking medical help outside the country – whether it be for diagnostic purposes or for treatment.
He also said that people applying on medical grounds will be checked carefully before they are issued passports.
Meanwhile, passport officials said on Tuesday they arrested a group of six people for forging documents.
Mohammad Naeem, head of internal security of the Passport Directorate, said the group was charging each passport applicant between $1,000 and $2,000.
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