Benin unveils platform to ease biometric passport applications for diaspora citizens

Benin’s government has rolled out a platform dubbed ePass to facilitate biometric passport application processes for the country’s citizens living abroad.

The platform, which involves contactless fingerprint and face biometrics verification, will make it possible for passport owners to renew their travel documents without having to make a trip back home, or queue up at embassies and consular offices.

A government announcement posted on X called the platform an innovative solution which has been designed to fully simplify and digitize the passport renewal process for Beninese citizens living abroad.

“Aware of the longstanding challenges faced by the Beninese diaspora, including long delays, complex administrative procedures and the geographical distance from consulates, the government is now offering a fast and secure solution that complies with ICAO standards,” the government wrote in the announcement.

It explained that ePass is available via a mobile app and on web, and “allows any Beninese citizen residing abroad to submit their passport renewal application easily from home, and receive their new passport within a guaranteed timeframe of four weeks from the validation of their application.”

Nigeria is another African country which has succeeded to decentralize and facilitate passport applications for its citizens living abroad. A contactless app for this purpose was rolled out in November last year beginning with Canada.

How to use ePass

In an explainer video, the steps to use the platform are outlined. An applicant is first required to download the mobile app, register their account using their national digital ID and consular number, and then submit fingerprints and face biometrics using their mobile phone for subsequent authentication.  Teams were dispatched abroad in 2023 to issue digital IDs to Beninese living abroad.

After setting up the account, the applicant can make a passport renewal request and also submit all necessary supporting document, with the possibility of monitoring the passport renewal progress in real-time on the app.

The ePass initiative, the government said, falls within the framework of its “4D Diplomacy” and aligns with the country’s digital transformation agenda which aims to streamline how public services are delivered to citizens.

Benin is executing its digital transformation policy, underpinned by a digital public infrastructure (DPI) agenda which is inspired by Estonia’s X-Road. The country’s nine-year DPI journey was shared in a June webinar organised by the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure (CDPI).

The country is also relying on important cooperation agreements to boost its DPI implementation and improve the country’s technological and public service delivery capacity.

Article Topics

Africa  |  Benin  |  biometric passport  |  contactless biometrics  |  digital government  |  face biometrics  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  mobile app  |  remote identity proofing