(Ecofin Agency) - Mauritian nationals can soon have E-passports. Indeed, the office of the prime minister launched a call for expression of interest for implementation of the E-passport system.

The consultant to be chosen would have to submit a final report on the procedure, the legal framework, and the implementation within four months. The deadline for the submissions is December 26, 2018.

The new passport will help combat forgery. The chip embedded in this passport will contain biometric data such as facial recognition, fingerprint and many of the user’s personal data.  

These encrypted data can be read by a machine and will save time for holders.

According to the Passport and Immigration Office (PIO), "no data collected during the realization of the biometric passport would be kept at the Passport and Immigration Office. All these information will remain in the microchip inside the card".

The Public administration explained that the "e-passport is a recommendation from the  International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) that Mauritius belongs to".