The going rate to apply for passports through middlemen in Arakan State stands at around 500,000 Kyats, according to passport applicants.
The Sittwe branch passport office has suspended issuing the “tokens” that allow applicants to get their names in the office’s appointment book, leading to a growing reliance on brokers for those with the financial means to circumvent this important procedural step for obtaining a passport.
“We are not accepting new applications for now, but are handling applications that we have received, and issuing passports for them. We will accept new applications next month,” said a staff member of the Sittwe passport office.
But some applicants told DMG that they were still able to apply for a passport through the middlemen, costing between K 350,000 and K 500,000 to do so.
“I have applied through a middleman. They asked me for K400,000,” said Ma Nu Nu Aye from Kyaukphyu, who is preparing to work in Malaysia. “They said I don’t need to apply for a token, and I can fill out the form straightaway. I can’t afford to stay in Sittwe for a long time. The price was K350,000 last week, and it became K400,000 this week. I am afraid the price might go up further next week, and I have therefore applied for it.”
While brokers do allow their customers to avoid waiting for token issuance, passport applicants who go that route still find themselves doing much of the procedural legwork.
“I am applying for a passport for the first time. So, I was concerned that I might make mistakes, and I therefore applied for it through a middleman,” said a resident of Ponnagyun. “However, middlemen are not allowed to enter the office, and I have to fill out the forms and do other formalities in the office by myself. Applying through middlemen will only save the hassle of having to wait for tokens. You have to do the rest by yourself.”
Meanwhile, some individuals have gone as far as pawning their property to secure funds to work overseas, even as debt burdens grow for those unable to get a passport to leave the country.
DMG was unable to obtain comment from officials at the Sittwe branch passport office concerning the suspension of token issuance and the increasingly common resort to middlemen.
Since the coup in February 2021, more and more people are leaving Arakan State for better money-making prospects in foreign countries amid the growing social and economic crisis triggered by the military takeover.
