What the ministry is warning about
A message attributed to the Interior and Decentralisation Ministry and relayed by local media highlights a practical issue: thousands of Congolese passports have been produced but never collected by their owners.
According to the ministry’s count, 3,719 citizens have not picked up passports that are already established. The documents are said to be waiting in the different administrations where applicants were supposed to collect them.
A backlog spread across many years
The figures shared by the ministry show that this is not only a recent problem. On the list of uncollected passports, some files have remained pending for a very long time, suggesting missed appointments, travel plans that changed, or follow-up difficulties.
The same update mentions three passports still uncollected since 2002, one since 2012, seven since 2019, and 16 since 2020. These small numbers stand out because they show how long certain documents can remain in storage.
Why the numbers rose from 2021
From 2021 onward, the ministry’s tally indicates the number of uncollected passports began increasing year after year. The information does not explain each individual reason, but it points to a clear acceleration in non-collection over time.
By 2025, the ministry reports 556 citizens had not retrieved their passports for that year alone. The administration presents this as a paradox, noting that the same period saw strong public demands linked to what was described as a “passport crisis.”
On-the-ground impact for families and travel
For many households, a passport is not just an administrative document. It can determine whether a student leaves for studies, a worker takes up an opportunity, or a family manages urgent travel. An uncollected passport can also mean money and time spent without the final benefit.
The ministry’s alert implicitly raises questions of organisation: applicants may assume the document is not ready, may have lost track of deadlines, or may not know where to go to pick it up. The update does not assign blame, but it urges attention.
France: local biometric enrollment since 2018
The information also recalls a measure taken for Congolese nationals in France. Since March 15, 2018, Ambassador Rodolphe Adada obtained a pilot centre in Paris allowing on-site enrollment for biometric passports instead of having to travel to Brazzaville.
In the same account, the new minister-counsellor at the Republic of Congo’s embassy in France, Armand Rémy Balloud-Tabawé, is presented as working with his hierarchy and relevant services to broaden enrollment antennas across his diplomatic jurisdiction.
What changes the embassy wants to bring
The planned expansion aims to make administrative steps more accessible for people living far from Paris. The text notes that immigration services often prioritise passports that are valid, which can add pressure on families and workers whose documents are expiring.
If new enrollment points are deployed, applicants may be able to start or renew procedures closer to home. The material provided does not give a calendar or locations, but frames the effort as a way to respond to practical needs on the ground.
What citizens can do right now
With thousands of passports reportedly waiting in administrations, the most immediate step for applicants is to check the status of their file with the office that handled their request and to confirm the exact pickup location mentioned during the procedure.
The ministry’s figures also suggest a shared responsibility: administrations need reliable contact channels, and applicants need clear follow-up. The objective, as implied by the alert, is simple—ensure established passports quickly reach their rightful owners.
