Story perspectives
Passport delays hit eight weeks after machine malfunction
By Drooid · · How we work
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Story summary
- Israel's Population and Immigration Authority says passport appointments are nearly unavailable and processing now takes eight weeks.
- A biometric passport personalization machine malfunction caused waiting times to rise from four-to-six weeks to eight weeks.
- A German expert technician has not yet fixed the machine, prompting concerns of longer delays.
- COVID-19 sharply cut appointment slots at central passport bureaus, forcing applicants to travel across Israel for service.