Expat online application
MALE Egyptian expatriates will soon be able to settle their mandatory army conscription status and renew their passports through an online application. The application, for a $5,000 fee, will be available on the website of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry from 14 August for 30 days.
Through the application, expats will be able to submit documents, specify their reasons for staying abroad whether for educational purposes, employment or medical treatment, the Foreign Ministry announced last Thursday in a statement.
According to the announcement, men aged 19 to 30, and are subject to mandatory military service, will be eligible to settle their status. Men over 30 will also be required to update their status. Those who fail to do so will be unable to renew their passport after it expires.
Applicants will be required to submit photocopies of their national ID and passport and to provide their military identification number if applicable, the date of departure from Egypt, and current country of residence. The application fee will be deposited in Banque Misr’s Abu Dhabi branch.
The decision is a relief to many Egyptian expats who live abroad and who have been unable to return to Egypt without being enrolled in mandatory military service. This has been particularly pressing for young men, obliging most of them to remain abroad until they turn 30. There are over 12 million Egyptians living abroad, according to recent statistics.
Tourist hotline
THE EGYPTIAN Travel Agents Association announced on Wednesday that it had launched hotline 19654 to receive complaints and suggestions from tourists and to find quick solutions to emergency problems.
According to the association, the move reflects the keenness of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to satisfy tourists and ensure the best service for them. Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ghada Shalabi said that once complaints are received via the hotline, they are resolved immediately, adding that the telephone service operates 24 hours a day.
Shalabi said that the ministry stressed the need for hotels to put the hotline number in a prominent place at reception desks.
Combating human trafficking
EGYPT’S National Coordinating Committee to Combat and Prevent Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Human Beings on Sunday celebrated World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
For this year’s celebration, the committee hosted several activities in July to enhance public awareness on the risks of trafficking, its forms and the importance of reporting incidents.
The activities included sending short SMS messages to the public, as well as broadcasting the media campaign “Together Against Trafficking in Persons” on radio stations of public transportation buses.
The committee’s technical secretariat joined the Ministry of Social Solidarity in awareness sessions in Cairo, Giza, Qalioubiya and Fayoum. Some of the activities were conducted in cooperation with partner United Nations agencies including the International Organisation for Migration. For the fourth year, Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli was keen to attend the celebrations in an address published in the press.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 3 August, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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