Passport booklet supply issues have been resolved, and normal passport issuance will resume on Sunday, Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology Ali Ihusaan has said.

Speaking at a press conference at the President’s Office today, Minister Ihusaan said delays in the delivery of passport booklets arose from an issue at the printing facility of Germany-based company Bundesdruckerei/Dermalog, which prints Maldivian passports.

The temporary measures introduced to manage existing booklet stocks prioritised urgent cases, including people travelling abroad for medical treatment.

The minister said new stocks of passport booklets would arrive in the Maldives during the upcoming public holiday period, allowing normal services to resume without restrictions from Sunday.

He added that more than 2,600 passport applications remained pending and that clearing the backlog would take five days.

The minister assured the public that passport services would continue smoothly following the resolution of the supply issue.