A six-million-dollar project to establish an e-passport system for Tonga was formalised yesterday, 25 September.
The ‘Enhancing Border Management Capacity through eMRP’ project will introduce an Electronic Machine-Readable Passport (eMRP), which will enhance border management in Tonga.
The project will also improve legal identity solutions and the digitalization of related government services including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The exchange of notes on the project was formalized by International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Government of Japan.
The project is funded USD 6 million by Japan’s Government and will be implemented by the IOM.
The project is expected to give Tongan citizens easy access to passport applications and a modernized immigration system.
A new immigration bill will also be adopted and a standardized procedures will be set for e-MRTD applications.
Key partners include the Government of Tonga, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pacific Immigration Development Community (PIDC), Embassy of Japan in Tonga, Japan Digital Agency and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
