Mbabane – The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that new passport booklets are now available after months of supply chain delays left thousands of Emaswati unable to obtain travel documents.
In a press statement dated May 22, 2026, Principal Secretary N.R. Nxumalo confirmed that 32-page passports, valued at E152.00, have arrived in adequate numbers to meet public demand, ending a shortage that was first disclosed on March 20, 2026.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs would like to inform the public that, following the announcement made on March 20, 2026, regarding the limited issuance of passports due to unprecedented supply chain delays, new stock of travel documents has now arrived,” the statement reads. 
The prolonged shortage, however, created a significant backlog of unprocessed applications. The Ministry says it is committed to clearing that backlog within the next four weeks through a series of measures already being put in place.
Applicants who submitted their forms during the supply shortage are being asked to go back to the service centre where they originally applied and submit a collection request. Their passports will then be ready for collection after five working days at the same centre.
To cut down on uncollected passports piling up, the Ministry will now print passports only once a client formally requests collection. Those who need their travel documents urgently are asked to visit the Ministry’s headquarters at the Inter-Ministerial Building, Block 8, Level 3, on Mhlambanyatsi Road in Mbabane.
New applicants will no longer need to travel to the capital. Starting today, all service centres across the country, including selected Tinkhundla centres, are operational for travel document applications. This reverses the arrangement announced on March 20, 2026, which had centralised all services at the Mbabane headquarters.
The Ministry thanked the public for their patience during the shortage period.
