In a shocking and depressing news that deepens the country’s passport crisis, Norway has refused to grant visas to about 16 Malawians who were set to travel to the European country on the basis that chips on their newly obtained passports failed to read during processing.
The 16 were expected to travel to Norway between June and July this year, according to information gathered.
In a letter the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa issued to one of the visa applicants, the embassy noted that an unreadable passport poses challenges when crossing borders.
Reads the letter in part: “The Royal Norwegian Embassy has received several [Malawi] passports issued between March, April and May 2024 in which the chips are unreadable….