The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Dean of the Cabinet, Ambassador Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., will on Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. launch the official opening of six additional Passport Application Centers (PACs) at initial locations around the world, where Liberians are residing but do not have access to facilities to capture biometrics for acquiring Liberian passports.
The official launch of the centers will take place at the regular MICAT press briefing at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism.
According to a Foreign Ministry statement, the opening of PACs are part of the overall reforms of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide affordable and convenient methods for the acquisition of passports by Liberians in the diaspora who have been inconvenienced to travel distances, which poses a financial burden, considering the cost of travel, accommodation and other related expenses.
The statement said, “These Passport Application Centers are being opened under an arrangement with the Passport Contractor, Buck Press and the VFS Global, an outsourcing and technology service specialist company that works with several governments and diplomatic missions worldwide.
“The company manages the administrative and non-judgmental tasks related to visa, passport and consular services for its clients.
“VFS Global, under its arrangement with Buck Press, will use the company’s licensed software to only capture biometrics of applicants and forward all documentation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for processing of passports.”