Many Egyptian expatriates are currently facing a dilemma, following a decision by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which replaces paper passports with electronic ones starting 24 December.
The new measure has caused 60,000 passport applications from Egyptians abroad to accumulate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Their failure to obtain new passports puts them in danger of possible deportation from their countries of residence.
The crisis has prompted the ministry to double its working hours at the passports department, the department’s head, Ashraf Hassan, told Al-Masry Al-Youm.
Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Jordan are the countries with the largest number of passport renewal requests by Egyptian expatriates.
Mahmoud Helmy, an administrative attache at the Egyptian embassy in Jordan, said his embassy issued warnings back in 2011 to Egyptians there, urging them to renew their passports before the 2015 deadline.
Helmy said Egyptian expatriates bear a great deal of responsibility for seeking to renew their passports too late.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
