Benin’s government on October 24 unveiled “ePass,” an online platform to streamline biometric passport renewals for citizens living abroad. The portal lets Beninese nationals overseas start passport or visa applications remotely, significantly cutting down paperwork. In a pilot phase, authorities had already issued 94 passports to Beninese residents in France via a similar digital process. According to the government announcement, the new system is intended especially for migrants and diaspora communities – for example, in West Africa’s larger French- and English-speaking capitals where many Beninese live.
ePass follows Nigeria’s earlier launch of an ePassport app for its diaspora (rolled out in 2024 to Beninese in Canada). Both programs reflect a broader move toward digital travel documents worldwide. Many countries are digitizing passport services and visas: for instance, the EU and its member states are rolling out electronic travel authorizations and e-passports, and Vietnam will extend its digital ID system to foreign visitors by 2025. Benin’s platform is part of this global trend to use online tools and biometrics to modernize identity and travel document management.
Those efforts build on Benin’s National Register of Persons and X‑Road‑based data‑exchange layer, which underpin new portals like ePass and enable secure biometric verification for remote consular services (see tender background above).
Benin’s ePass launch follows a digital‑government program supported by GIZ. In late 2024 the government issued a tender to expand digital identity and e‑services infrastructure, with the deadline extended in January 2025 as scope broadened.
Those efforts build on Benin’s National Register of Persons and an X‑Road–based data‑exchange layer, foundations that enable portals like ePass and secure biometric verification for remote consular services.
Sources: Government of Benin (official)
— By the ID Tech Editorial Team
