As a response to the increased requests on social media asking to extend the validity of expired passports, the General Directorate of Public Security released a statement clarifying that said requests cannot be carried out.
According to the statement, the requested procedure cannot be completed as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) does not permit it.
Specifically, Annex no. 9, chapter 3, paragraph 3.4 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, does not “permit alteration of the expiration date and other data in the machine-readable zone.”
The General Directorate of Public Security disclosed that the procedure to extend the validity of the passports would inevitably complicate the journey of the passport’s holder at airports.
It also explained that the extension of a passport’s validity would expose the passport holders to problems in the country where they reside. Specifically, they would not be able to renew their residence.
More and more Lebanese citizens are seeking opportunities abroad due to the dire economic crisis. This has skyrocketed the demand for passports, which depleted the stocks of passports and exposed payment delays by the government to the French company contracted to print passports.
It is only by June that payment was finally done, amounting to about $14 million. However, barely a few days later after reopening for passport renewals, appointments were all booked until April 2023.
