Tanzania Introduces e-Border Management Solution for Residence Permits

Under the Capacity Building for Border Management (CBBM) project, Tanzania introduced a biometric e-border management system for residence permits, with an aim to capture biometric samples from the applicants, when registering their data in an electronic database.

The system is based at the Immigration Department Headquarters in Dar es Salaam and is customised to the specific needs of Tanzania.  The new system will increase the speed and efficiency of the entire process reducing instances of human error and will result in an automated, paperless application process.

Funded in a joint project by the EU and UN Tanzania, Japan International Co-operation Agency, Refugees and Migration (PRM), the US State Department’s Bureau for Population and Servico de Estrangeirose e Fronteiras (SEF) it is hoped that the electronic border management solution will improve border security and streamline operations within the two-year project.

The immigration departments of the participating countries have received extensive training during the project for migration and health, identity and data management, counter trafficking and security documentation, in addition to the training received during workshops on the concept of the One Stop Border Post (OSBP), electronic border management information system and on standard SOPs

The Principal Commissioner of Immigration Service said, “Tanzania immigration department has been waiting for a long time to have such a system, which will considerably improve our ability to deliver an efficient and fast service to our customers.”

The implementation of the electronic border management system is amongst the last aims of the CBBM project, which has been targeted towards the establishment of an efficient and secure borders information management system across the borders of Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi.

Electronic border management solutions help to improve security and speed up operations, allowing airports and border control departments greater productivity.  In airports across the world, communications companies, such as ARINC, provide messaging solutions to help this process of electronic border management.