It is common for documents to be issued with mistakes.
In Uganda now, two of the most essential documents are the National ID and the passport.
Since we’ve already covered how to correct information on a National ID, we’re now going to look at how to correct information on a passport in Uganda.
The information we’re talking about here includes spelling errors, being identified by a wrong gender, mistakes about the date of birth etc. (Note: It does not include changing a name. The process for this is different than what we’re going to talk about below.)
The people in charge of changing, modifying or rectifying any errors on a passport are called Passport Control Officers.
It is a department under the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration, a unit under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
These offices are located in Kampala, Mbale, Mbarara, and Gulu.
The main Passport Office is situated at the Ministry of Internal Affairs Plot 75 Jinja Road (entrance is on Old Portbell Rd.) The other Passport Offices are located at the RDC Building Mbarara, The Regional Administration Block, Republic Street, Mbale and in Gulu.
There are also Regional Immigration Offices which act as passport Application Collection Centers, where you can take your passport application for processing and then you collect a ready Passport. These include Jinja, Masaka, Fort Portal, Arua, Hoima, Masindi and Lira.
Now that you know the people in charge, when you discover that your passport was given to you with mistakes, this is what you’ll do.
Visit any of the above places.
Ask for a Passport Control Officer.
The officer will then sign on your passport to show that they know your passport has an issue. So, every time you’re traveling and you encounter challenges, the authorities in that country will liaise with Ugandan authorities.
Must read: NIRA: What you need to apply for a national ID in Uganda
This is what happens: the authorities in Uganda do not tamper with your document. They just change the details about you in their database.
If you are uncomfortable with carrying a passport that has a mistake (since they don’t change information on the passport, just a signature), then you’ll have to apply for a fresh passport (read about how to apply for an ePassport in Uganda, costs and what you need.)
To correct information on a passport, authorities don’t charge anything apart from signing on the passport. And it can be done in just minutes.
So, in a nutshell, authorities will just change information in their virtual data and on the document they’ll just put a signature indicating, acknowledgment of the mistakes.
Related:
How to change information on National ID, Birth Certificate in Uganda
NIRA: Ongoing ID exercise; birth/death certificate acquisition (All you need to know)
