Cairo: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates has continued to implement practical steps to develop the consular services system and enhance its efficiency. Such efforts are being exerted under presidential directives to digitize government services, and within the framework of efforts undertaken by the ministry over the past year to accelerate the provision of consular services, thereby easing procedures for Egyptian communities abroad and strengthening their ties to the homeland.

According to State Information Service Egypt, the ministry said a tangible breakthrough has been achieved in reducing the time required to issue and deliver passports to citizens since the launch of the digitized passport issuance process for Egyptians worldwide at the beginning of 2025 through the ministry's automated passport issuance center. The timeframe has been shortened from several months to just a few days in a number of countries, including those in the Arab Gulf.

The past year also witnessed the start of digitizing a number of other consular services to ease burdens on citizens. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates began incorporating the issuance of additional civil status documents into the remit of the automated passport issuance center, namely the issuance of birth certificates for the first time. This has contributed to reducing the time needed to obtain and deliver these documents to citizens abroad.

Also, efforts are ongoing to digitize all consular services within an integrated framework involving the ministry, its offices, and its consular missions inside and outside the country in coordination with relevant ministries and authorities, particularly the Ministry of Interior, to achieve the greatest possible benefit for Egyptian citizens and enhance the level of services provided to them.