On Thursday, The General Directorate of Lebanese General Security (DGSG) issued a statement announcing that it had stopped taking new appointments for passport renewal.
According to the DGSG, since 2020, the organization has put the necessary effort to issue the needed amount of passport applications, which considerably affected the stocks.
However, according to the statement, the contracting company has not paid the amount of the contract signed, which has delayed the delivery of the required quantity of passports.
The DGSG said that it had to suspend the passport appointment platform as of Wednesday, April 27, in order “to preserve the credibility of public security in front of citizens for not being granted new dates without the possibility of receiving them.”
Adding that the suspension will last until the Lebanese authorities secure the required funds, “knowing that anyone who has an appointment on the platform will be granted a passport according to the date previously given to him.”
Since 2019, the demand for passport issuance and renewal has increased tenfold, as many Lebanese are trying to emigrate or leave for better work opportunities abroad.
Last summer, hundreds of Lebanese people had to wait in long queues to renew their passports, as between 7,000 and 8,000 passport applications were being submitted daily, according to a senior security official back then.
The demands have increased even more as the situation in the country has continued to worsen with no tangible indications of Lebanon recuperating its economic stability any time soon.
This has hit Lebanon with an alarming brain drain as many essential workers, namely doctors, nurses, and teachers, are leaving in huge numbers to improve their current conditions and help their families in Lebanon.
Related: New Statistics Show Almost Half Of The Lebanese People Are Looking To Leave
