THE Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has insisted that the current Machine Readable Passport (MRP) will cease to be a valid document by December 31, 2010, but clarified that the cancellation does not affect visa validity after the period.

Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mrs. Rose Uzoma, who stated this in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, on Friday, said the clarification became necessary in view of the misconception by the public on phasing out of the MRP in favour of the Harmonised ECOWAS Electronic (Smart) passport, otherwise known as e-passport.

She added that the NIS would authorise Nigerians holding the MRP with valid visas to travel provided they also hold e-passport, saying, “travellers, whose MRP have valid visa after December 31, 2010 will be required to also present the e-passport before they can be allowed to depart.”

In a letter written to the embassies and high commissions in Nigeria and copied Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Interior on the position of NIS on the visa validity and phasing out of Machine Readable Passport, the NIS boss emphasised that the phasing out of the MRP was in line with international best practices.

She added that it was easy to commit all manner of international crimes with the MRP without detection. The e-passport which has a chip encrypted in it is pool-proof and raises the integrity of the holder in the face of Nigeria’s