Abu Dhabi: Around 10,000 Nepalese residents are yet to convert their handwritten passports to Machine Readable Passports (MRP), the country’s envoy told Gulf News.

Given the lengthy process of passport conversion, which requires 45-60 days, the Nepalese Ambassador to the UAE is urging residents to visit the embassy to obtain an MRP before November 24.

“We have around 40-50 people applying for an MRP on a daily basis. We have taken extra measures to reach out to residents and address the urgency of the matter. We have informed local companies and encouraged ‘word of mouth’, as it is a key tool of communication, particularly to illiterate residents who don’t always have access to the internet,” Dhananjay Jha said.

“One of the main reasons why a few residents have still not converted to MRPs is because their passports are usually kept under the company’s supervision. Some residents don’t bother to apply for one since they have a valid visa which they can use and in situations as such, companies should play a better role in educating their employees about the importance of owning an MRP,” he added.

In addition, Jha said that the embassy cannot afford sending residents’ MRP forms to the foreign ministry in Nepal on a daily basis as it is rather inefficient.

“We usually group and collect forms every two weeks because it is logistically impossible to do so every day,” he explained.

Given that the process takes between six to eight weeks for it to come to fruition and with the Embassy collecting forms bi-weekly, Jha said that residents must not underestimate how extensive the process can be.

All Nepalese residents are entitled to pay a fee of Dh320, he added.

Once the MRP has been issued, residents can check their names as well as their old passport number on the embassy’s website: http://www.nepalembassyuae.org/notice/mrp-arrival-notice.

Despite the fact that it is not ideal to apply for an MRP after November 24, Jha said that residents can still do so and while there have been no official fines imposed yet some may still be held liable for negligence.

“If residents miss their deadline, they will face certain obstacles when travelling. They can only go back to Nepal and apply for an MRP from there but will have to pay Dh150 to issue a travel document,” he said.

“There are still a few residents in the UAE with expired passports but valid visas. What people need to acknowledge though is that the decision of their staying under these conditions is up to the UAE government and not the embassy. I would definitely not encourage anyone to miss the deadline. While it may still be feasible to obtain an MRP after November 24, it is still considered very risky,” he added.

Maisoon Mubarak is a trainee at Gulf News